Wooden Clock Movements

Most clock movements are made of brass. But during 1800 and 1840 in the U.S. clock movements were made of wood. The plates were made of oak, the wheels of cherry and the arbors and pinions of laurel. At the time brass was scarce and very expensive and the wooden movements made the clocks affordable.  There is metal in the wooden movements where wearing would occur and on levers, springs, bells, gongs and escapement, among other things.

These movements are weight-driven and some have the escapement found in the front of the clock and some have the escapement between the plates. They can run 30 hours between winding or 8 days(in tall case clocks). They strike the hour and use a count wheel.

Cleaning of wooden movements involve brushing the wheels, arbors, and plates with a mixture of boiled linseed oil and turpentine.

A common problem with wooden movements is the breakage of teeth and pinions as the wood ages it dries out. These items can be repaired. When replacing wheel teeth you should use cherry wood. You want to cut out a piece in the wheel where the new tooth will go and glue in a new piece of wood and then using a jewelers coping saw cut the tooth out from the pattern you have made to match the other teeth.

Today the wooden clocks manufactured by the early clock makers number in the millions. Time and wear has reduced the numbers but they are another link to our past.