It promises to be a wonderful mantle clock that will complement other pieces of furniture that student Vanessa Johnston from Seattle is planning to make during her course.
All her pieces, including the clock, are being made using wych elm and olive ash, two timber species that aren’t native to the USA.
The case of the art nouveau-inspired clock has been created with four 2mm layers of wych elm that were steamed into shape and then wrapped around a former.
The front and back of the clock will be made from olive ash, the hands from wych elm, and the clock face will have brass inlays.
Before coming to the Chippendale school, Vanessa was a marketing director and graphic designer, and the clock will provide her with a childhood reminder of her grandmother’s mantle clock.
The wych elm veneers that make up the clock’s case were milled down using a bandsaw, then carefully made to the right thickness with a drum sander.
Vanessa did have woodworking skills before coming to the school, having previously lived on a houseboat which she renovated herself, building cabinets, and even adding a 2nd storey to her boat.
She is setting up her own company, Lothian Woods, and plans to stay on in incubation space at the school after graduation.
We’ll bring you photographs of the completed clock, along with her other pieces of furniture.
The images above show Vanessa with the clock case, the case clamped to the former, and removing the clock case from the former.
