Creative Woodworks & crafts 2003-04, страница 34

SUBJECT: MEET TONY PIANO

Woodworkers come in many shapes, and a few of us rely 011 the scroll saw for the majority of our work. Most scrollers either saw fretwork patterns, intarsia, or marquetry, but how about clock making? I'm not just talking about clock cases; 1 mean the actual clock works. Tony Piano was introduced to Creative Woodworks cS Crafts by the fine folks at Steebar Corp. for whom he has been a designer of original clock patterns.

Tony at hie computer. It is obvious that he is well organized—no clutter.

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Once the print is ready, the cutting begins.

Tony designed these up blocks to test the meshing of the gears.

Assembling the works. All finish is applied and allowed to cure several days before assembling.

Creative Woodworks S. Crafts April 2003 • 19

Like all of our readers, Tony has many other talents. For example, he is a mechanical engineer (sort of retired) who holds twenty seven patents. He is a master of Autocad. For those who are not familiar with computers, Autocad is just about the most involved computer program available to civilians. Not only can you draw designs with the utmost detail, but you can put them in motion and view them in 3-D from any angle. It is absolutely intriguing to watch Tony lay out a set of clock gears and test them for proper engagement.

The final adjustments are leveling, setting, and adjusting the pendulum. Note: many of Tony's wooden clock patterns are available from Steebar Corp.

Tony keeps meticulous notes on all phases of his work in order to develop the easiest and most efficient method of work and construction and hopes to compile them into a book one day.

Tony started designing his gears with, an involute curve, but found that if they were not cut precisely, they would bind up, stopping the clock. He went back to the drawing board (computer screen) and, by using scientific engineering formulae, came up with the present type of gear. It is easily cut, forgiving to the sawyer, and tolerant of changes in the moisture content of the wood. He uses Baltic birch plywood exclusively for his gears because of it's strength and stability.

fcTony's fascination for gears and ^Shafts also includes toys, as his ^example here. Turn the handle fond the ball pops up, the golfer fiswings the club, and the ball fgoes into the hole and returns ffor the next shot, much to the

And carving too. Tony became interested in carving several years ago as a form of relaxation and, while attending carving classes, observed several types of carving vises. None of them worked to his satisfaction, so he designed his own. it obviously works; just look at his carvings.

Not only docs Tony create working patterns of complex all-wooden clocks, he also carves and makes his own toy designs. And that's not all; he is also an accomplished calligraphcr and cartoonist. That is why I related that he was "sort of retired."