The DIY Customer Creations page on Facebook is the place to go to show off your projects and get inspiration for your next one. We absolutely love to see our customers’ finished creations. With over fourteen hundred members, the page is full of beautiful projects that have been created with materials from Eco Relics. This month, we had the pleasure of speaking with Customer Creations group member, Cameron Hartley.
Cameron Hartley’s Maple Wood Mantle Clock
Mr. Hartley is a woodworker. His previous projects include shelves, a wine rack, a puzzle bookcase, and a sideboard in his kitchen that proudly sports reclaimed drawer fronts from Eco Relics. He is currently working on an art hanging system for his dining room. When asked for his favorite thing about woodworking, he said, “Making something by hand, rather than buying it, means more.” He also stated that loves to look at his finished product and enjoy his accomplishment.
He built this stunning mantle clock as a Christmas present for his father and stepmother. This was the first clock he has constructed, and he plans on building a larger one in the future. He and his father previously built a sofa table together, which can also be found posted in the group. After finishing the table, they discussed the possibility of building a clock. He began researching the project online and found a YouTube video for instructions.
The beautiful maple wood came from Eco Relics, and started out as a rough, eight foot board. The complimenting pull knob for the drawer handle was also an Eco Relics find. Other materials needed for the project include the clock parts, which he ordered from Klockit.com, bamboo skewers, and wood glue. The bamboo skewers were used as dowels for extra support. A planer, table saw, and router with a cove bit are the tools he needed on this job. According to the video, a mantle clock takes a few hours to be completed.
Mr. Hartley started the project by planing down the maple board. This helps to get the wood smooth and even, so that everything fits together perfectly when assembled. Be sure to plane the wood into the proper dimensions during this step. He cautioned against rushing projects, telling us, “It can lead to mistakes, costing you time and money.” This is solid advice, and goes hand in hand with the adage, “Measure twice and cut once.” This is especially true in projects with small parts such as clocks, cutting pieces down to fit could cause problems during assembly.
Mr. Hartley chooses Eco Relics for his projects because of the lumber selection. He uses a planer to cut down the wood over buying lumber cut to size elsewhere, because planing your own materials will reduce costs in the long run. About once a month, he comes in Eco Relics to look over any new additions to the wood selection and loves to look at the everything else in the store, as well. He really likes the staff members and told us that his father “likes to haggle with them.”
When asked about a memorable moment he experienced while shopping, he told us, “Funny enough, the time I came in to get the maple for this clock, I brought my own tape measure. One of the guys used it to measure the board and he broke it. It was old, and not a big deal, but he felt bad. We had a good laugh about it. All the employees are great whenever we go in.”
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