Wooden gear clock: why so thick?

[maria.aiva]

Hello everyone.
Sorry if this is wrong location for my question.
Why gears for wooden clocks are so thick (1/2 inch- 1 cm)?
Isn't enought half cm for all gears?
Thnaks for your attention.
M.A.

[DWSudekum]

Maria,

This is just an educated guess but the thinner the wood the less stable temperature and humidity wise it tends to be. The thinner wood would tend to pick up moisture from the air and warp faster it is also a little weaker then the 1/2 / 1 Cm.

DW

[KtownScroller]

Originally Posted by maria.aiva

Hello everyone.
Sorry if this is wrong location for my question.
Why gears for wooden clocks are so thick (1/2 inch- 1 cm)?
Isn't enought half cm for all gears?
Thnaks for your attention.
M.A.

Hello!

All the gears in my clock are either 1/4" or 1/8" thick. None of the gears are larger than 5" in diameter. I suppose if the diameter of the gear was very large, a 1/2" thick piece of wood might be necessary.

I used solid oak for the 1/4" thick gears. They both warped a little, but work OK. The thinner gears are all made of Baltic Birch plywood and appear to be fairly flat. Of course nothing made from thin wood is ever perfectly flat.

If you have any more questions, don't be afraid to ask. This is mainly a scroll saw forum, but as long as your questions are wood related, it's not a problem.

[evilbadger]

Maria

I have made a few wooden clocks and each plan is different some plans call for 1/2" thick stock and another one I made were as this as 4mm. It really is up to you but keep in mind the thinner stuff is harder to keep it from warping and flexing.

Tim

[maria.aiva]

Thanks to everyone for your answers!
M.A.