DIY: New Year’s Day Grandfather Clock

My sister-in-law Deborah Hayes is the enviable type of artist who can look at an old belt or a couple of plain pieces of wood and see magic.

We were at her home for Thanksgiving and she told me about her vision of using parts of a damaged spindle spool bed to create a faux grandfather clock.

She showed me the two boards, which flared a bit on both ends. They were glued together and did indeed resemble the base of a clock.

I got excited and gave her a strict deadline for finishing this piece before New Year’s Day. She made it under the wire! Since time and the changing of the year is on our minds, this whimsical grandfather clock is something you can create for your she shed or favorite room.

How to Make a Grandfather Clock

You will need 1-2 decorative boards, wood glue, paint or stain, sandpaper, a clock face and pendulum, mounting bracket, battery pack conversion kit, tracing paper, chalk pen

Step 1. Prepare your base with 2 vintage bed sideboards, glued together in the center as shown. You can also use new wood or wood scraps and fashion a crown shape on top and bottom.

Step 2. Sand, stain, and/or dry brush paint to get desired effect.

Step 3. Convert your vintage clock face to battery power. You’ll probably need the help of a professional for this unless you are an electrical engineer or clock geek!

Step 4. Attach pendulum with wire or glue if there is no pre-existing connector. (This pendulum is for decoration only.)

Step 5. Look for the font you like and print out a saying using tracing paper. Transfer the saying onto the boards and fill in lettering with chalk paint pen. (Deborah used regular paper; she coated the back of the sheet with chalk and then traced around each letter so that the outline of the chalk transferred to the board. Then she filled in with her chalk pen. “It did great in a pinch,” she says.)

The finished grandfather clock stands tall and proud, marking each precious new day with its old hands. Feel free to embellish the top and/or the bottom with a bit of vintage crown molding if you’d like.