MYGROUNDUPSTARTUP Week 4 “Stencils and Gratitude”

January 14, 2022

I bought poster boards today, and I am going to spend some time making some stencils tomorrow. I really think this will work very well. The number stencils also came in which is very exciting.

This weekend, when I came out to the shop to work on my clocks, I ran into my boss who was out there at the time. He asked me what all this wood was for, so I told him my idea. He liked the idea and told me how much he hates using pallet wood because of all the work that goes into just getting the wood off the pallet itself…only to find you can’t even use half of it.  

He very generously told me that I could use any of the wood out in his woodshop, (which is a considerable amount) since I wouldn’t be using that much to just make a couple of clocks. He said if I ever get to the point where I’m making 100 then I’ll have to figure something else out. I was over the moon. Not only was he willing to let me come out and use his woodshop and all his tools but now his wood too!? I couldn’t believe it. I thanked him and got right to work.  

I’m going to use the wood I brought today and then start using his stuff after that. I’m excited to use his wood because he has much better wood than I do. 

I built a couple of different sizes, experimenting with what sizes I like. I made one 8-inch, two 10-inch, and three 16-inch clocks. I need to find and experiment with some different stains and paints to see what I like. I’ll put that on the to-do list for next weekend. 

Since my boss said I can use some of his wood, I took that opportunity to make a “multi-color clock and a more modern half black, half oiled clock.

I Need a Router 

I’ve also realized something else. To put the clock mechanism into the clock I will need to route out a section of the back of the clock. The clock is too thick, and the mechanism can’t get through to the other side unless I use a hand router and route the backside. I have a sneaky feeling this will be on the expensive side. I’ll start doing some research and see how much one will cost me.

Making Stencils 

Today is Sunday and my girlfriend and I are meeting today to work on the stencils. We are going to take some of the clocks that I have made and trace them onto a poster board, then cut out a circle with scissors. 

Next, we have to make lines spaced out 30 degrees apart. A clock has 12 points where numbers go and the entire circle equals 360 (radius of a circle). 360 divided by 12 equals 30. So, that means a number goes every 30-degree mark.

We made a few but I soon found out how time-consuming and difficult this was. I really thought it was going to be easy. It wasn’t at all. I’m starting to second guess the validity of this idea. I mean even if we do get all these numbers cut out what then? How long will poster boards last? I don’t know but we will find out.