Pinion Head Depthing Tool
Making this tool is something of a rite of passage for any amateur clockmaker.
If you're going to make a clock using the modern approach of creating the pinions as "heads", then at some point you're going to have to take time out from the clock itself, to make one of these depthing tools.
There are several designs out there, but the two dominant versions are by master clockmakers WR (Bill) Smith and John Wilding. I have chosen the Bill Smith design, mainly because I like the fact that both carriers can be moved, but to be honest there's not much between them in terms of functionality.
The tool is an excellent test of workshop skill, and requires a bit of everything; milling, lathe, knurling, precision drilling, and hand finishing. It takes a fair amount of care and work to get an accurate result, but it is one of those tools that you can be certain will have a long working life in your shop.
If you're going to make a clock using the modern approach of creating the pinions as "heads", then at some point you're going to have to take time out from the clock itself, to make one of these depthing tools.
There are several designs out there, but the two dominant versions are by master clockmakers WR (Bill) Smith and John Wilding. I have chosen the Bill Smith design, mainly because I like the fact that both carriers can be moved, but to be honest there's not much between them in terms of functionality.
The tool is an excellent test of workshop skill, and requires a bit of everything; milling, lathe, knurling, precision drilling, and hand finishing. It takes a fair amount of care and work to get an accurate result, but it is one of those tools that you can be certain will have a long working life in your shop.
