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Thought today would be busy with more holiday decorating, but my wife decided to take it easy and just read for the day. That meant I got about five hours to myself in the workshop. That allowed me to push ahead on the clock that I'm making for my sister as well as finish the above clock.

I live in Midland, MI… headquarters for Dow Chemical. Dow's founder, Herbert Henry Dow, had a son, Alden B. Dow. Alden studied under Frank Lloyd Wright. As an architect, Dow had a style that could be considered Mid-Century Modern. He designed over 40 very unique homes in Midland, MI. Here's his very own home studio that he designed:



This is all a long way of saying that my attempts at Mid Century Modern clocks, like the one above, are probably influenced by Dow's architecture, which I see almost every day in various homes around town.

For this clock, the bulk of the work focused on getting the frame right. I once again used pieces of this chair that my wife wanted to throw to the road and I decided to keep.



The burl is from a piece of maple I got from my sister's yard. I finished the burl/clock face in a gloss wipe-on poly. The frame is finished in satin wipe-on poly.

I hope you like it!

Gallery

Comments

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that home is amazing,and so are your clocks.wild and crazy,love the free flow design.i love your not afraid to just go with the flow ! so many are trapped with conventional thought to design.
 

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Yeah, you can google "Dow Homes" and see a lot of different Alden B. Dow architecture. The homes really are quite stunning, and it's fun to just hop on my bike to go look at one or two. Thanks for the good words about my clocks and my design concepts. Slowly I'm having less imposter syndrome and more confidence that I kinda know what I'm doing.

that home is amazing,and so are your clocks.wild and crazy,love the free flow design.i love your not afraid to just go with the flow ! so many are trapped with conventional thought to design.

- pottz
 

· Banned
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Yeah, you can google "Dow Homes" and see a lot of different Alden B. Dow architecture. The homes really are quite stunning, and it s fun to just hop on my bike to go look at one or two. Thanks for the good words about my clocks and my design concepts. Slowly I m having less imposter syndrome and more confidence that I kinda know what I m doing.

that home is amazing,and so are your clocks.wild and crazy,love the free flow design.i love your not afraid to just go with the flow ! so many are trapped with conventional thought to design.

- pottz

- NoWhiskeyWoodworking
yeah it's not easy to find "your" style because pretty much everything has been done.
 

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Your clock is way beyond the norm and quite stunning. Great job !

regarding the home studio - I may be one of the 2 or 3 people in the world that are not a FLW fan, helter skelter home design is not on my favorites list
 

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Another great design. Nicely done.
 

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Thanks for the good words on my clock… much appreciated.

I haven't seen a lot of FLW's homes in person. If they are anything like Dow's homes… well, Dow's seem to be more of an aesthetic than something designed for people to call "home." I have a couple friends who have had Dow homes, and I found the interior environment very sterile. Plus, the problems with those flat roofs in Michigan are numerous!

Your clock is way beyond the norm and quite stunning. Great job !

regarding the home studio - I may be one of the 2 or 3 people in the world that are not a FLW fan, helter skelter home design is not on my favorites list

- recycle1943
 

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Very nice, great looking clock…
 

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As always, I appreciate the good words. Got another clock idea cooking, but I gotta put the finishing touches on this clock for my sister… since she ponied up the burl I've recently been working with!

Very nice, great looking clock…

- mtnwild
 

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Nice work. I like the lack of right anges in it.
 

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Hey! Thanks for taking a look, Swirt!

Nice work. I like the lack of right anges in it.

- swirt
 

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I hope you like it!
I do!

Nice design, the markers on the frame are a great way to mix things up!

For the burl, I see a tiger charging into a chicken coop with all the birds scattering and trying to fly away 8^)
 

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Thanks, Splint! And now, thanks to you, I can't not see a tiger in a chicken coop!

I hope you like it!

I do!

Nice design, the markers on the frame are a great way to mix things up!

For the burl, I see a tiger charging into a chicken coop with all the birds scattering and trying to fly away 8^)

- splintergroup
 

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Thanks, Splint! And now, thanks to you, I can t not see a tiger in a chicken coop!
Reminds me of a favorite saying.
"Give your children mental blocks for Christmas"
 

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Another winner. Different from the all burl, but I think I like this best. Nice build.
 

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Thanks, man… I'm just starting another one along these lines, but different, too.

Another winner. Different from the all burl, but I think I like this best. Nice build.

- therealSteveN
 
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