Machine, Clock Wheel Cutting

Object Name:

Machine, Clock Wheel Cutting

Object ID:

1972.089.076

Date:

circa 1790

Description:

Clock wheel cutting machine. Cherry base and support structure. Movable brass cutting assembly on top. Horizontal brass disk, 12" diameter, is the index plate to regulate spacing of teeth. Crank on one end for setting depth of cut. Base has molded edge and four bracket feet.

Material:

Wood
Cherry
Metal
Brass
Steel

Dimensions:

H-13 W-21.4 D-13.5 inches

Provenance:

Used in the Derry, NH, area, this device transformed brass disks into clock gears, regulating the spacing, depth, and shape of the teeth. Teeth were cut to a precise depth by means of a rotating cutter that was set by the crank on the end of the machine. The large brass index plate was used to lay out a precise number of cogs around the perimeter of a wheel. The plate has a number of concentric circles divided at various intervals. A pointer, placed in the indentations on one of these circles, allowed the wheel to be cut with a preselected number of teeth. The cutter arm was raised and lowered to cut one tooth, then the index plate was moved one notch and the process was repeated. The cutter was driven by a belt that was powered by a foot treadle or overhead shaft. This machine could make a sixty-tooth wheel in about ten minutes.

Part of a large clock collection (and related materials) including not only clocks made in N.H., but also several made elsewhere, acquired in N.H. by the donor (Charles S. Parsons, 1904-1988) and probably used here.

Credit Line:

Gift of Charles S. Parsons

People:

Parsons, Charles S. (1904-1988)

Subjects:

Clocks and watches, Clock and watch making, Clock and watch industry