Creative Woodworks & crafts 1999-04, страница 6

by John A. Nelson

continued on page 8 Creative Woodworks & Crafts

sewing machine, so the boys had to replace the machine they had converted.

Interestingly, the brothers always destroyed the patterns afler making a clock, so each piece was truly a one of a kind original. This may actually have been a common practice at the time, as il is very difficult to find original patterns and books from 1880 through 1920.

Many of the clocks have large disc music player mechanisms inside and still play today as Ihey did 80 years ago. In 1928, Henry Ford offered the brothers a million dollars for Lheir American Pioneer History Clock, a p^^pfegy lot of money even by todays stan-mmm I dards! The Bily Brothers declined the offer. It took Joseph and Frank ~ *■ four years to construct this clock, jpL which they made from chcrry and n ^wa'^nuL' ^anc' ^ was Lheir most | ambitious project. IL stands eight ^^i^^^LJ feci high and weighs over 500 pounds.

jjjjjfi» A decade of scrolling

The Bily brothers built fretwork clocks for only Len years, from 1913 to 1923. All of their works ||||||iSjr from this decade are on display at the museum today. Cutting the number of pieces as the Bily broth-ers did was quite a feat, consider-^ ing thai all of the clocks were cut ■KlJ ^{011 a} homemade scroll saw. Later Hi on, a manufactured fool operated saw was used mostly in the ffered the broth- evening hours after the farming jllars for the ^and carpentry work was done. History Clock." Their father was strongly opposed to the clockmaking activities of the brothers ancl told them thai "they were wasting their time, which could be better spent al farm work/'

The brothers never married or had children, so they were the end of the Bily line. They also only completed the fifth grade in school and never traveled more than 35 miles from Spillville.

The Bily brothers used a simple finishing process. They did not stain the wood, but rather left lheir clocks natural and only applied a coat of equal parts linseed oil and turpentine. Today, the wood has a beautiful patina and is given a coal of this same finish at least once a year.

Fretwork and farming

The brothers were of Czech ancestry and were sons of immigrant parents. Joseph, the oldest', was born in Calmar, Iowa in 1880; his brother, Frank, was born in Spillville in 1884. By trade, the brothers were farmers and carpenters. Joseph designed and drew the plans, while Frank did most of the carving and fretwork.

The very "first fretwork piece made by the Bily brothers was cul on a scroll saw made from their mother's sewing machine. Joseph ancl Frank did not ask Mrs. Bily's permission before taking the