If you have a design or idea in mind you're off to a great start. If you don't have

any idea of what you'd like, we have a meeting at the kitchen table over coffee

and cookies. We chat, discuss your likes and dislikes, good ideas, bad ideas, things

that are important to you; things you'd like included, family, pets, different ways to

represent things you'd like included and anything else that may come to the surface.

In the corporate world they call this a "brainstorming session". Here we also

discuss wood types, clock styles and sizes, over all dimensions, clock faces and hands,

clock movements (if you have your own, we can incorporate it), clock finishes of

natural wood or painted colors, and let's not forget hidden compartments. We take all this

information and come up with a rough design before we part company. An example

of this is in the pictures above. The clock was for this woman's husband who's a hunter.

They didn't have a lot of space so a tambour style clock would fit most places in her home.

She is a very funny woman and thought that having her husband sleeping on a hunt while

a seven point buck is close by would be a great topic. She also has three sons

represented by the three acorns and each son has a riffle with their initial on it in this

design. She was also inspired by oak leaves so they were used to frame the clock face.

 

Here is where magic the magic happens. The ideas for your clock are fitted into the

design shape you choose with a pleasing layout and proportions. Design renditions are 

made with the information for a rough design and eventually the final design sketches.

These sketches have to be approved by you and will be the final plan that is carved and/or

fabricated. Sometimes a few changes have to be made before it is finalized for approval

and that's expected. Once the final draft is approved, the sketch is signed, dated, and

brought to the workshop.

 

All the paperwork of idea note sheets, rough sketches and final drafts generated

 by our discussions are dated and kept for a documented history of your piece.