Author Topic: Dr Woodwards - My Own Right Time  (Read 7937 times)

Offline raynerd

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Dr Woodwards - My Own Right Time
« on: August 12, 2011, 09:29:50 AM »
I was told to purchase the book many months ago based on the fact that the clock I`m building, Dr Woodwards Gearless Clock is described in his book - My Own Right Time. It is a cracking read and quite unusual in that it takes you through Woodwards development of the Gearless Clock and his thoughts and processes. He discusses a number of different and sometimes unusual escapements as well as mathematically going through how they work and perform.

From Amazon:
"The pendulum is a constant source of interest to scientists. Great and well-known inventors such as Galileo, Huygens, and Kelvin all devised mechanisms to maintain its even oscillations. Others such as John Harrison, Lord Grimthorpe, and William Shortt are known only in horological circles but contributed as much or more over three centuries. By writing a personal account of his own inventions and achievements in horology the author involves the reader in the history of precision time-keeping before the advent of atomic clocks and the quartz chip. Escapements, the mechanisms that drive pendulums, are a delight to the geometrical mind as well as a delicate and subtle challenge to the mechanical engineer. In their most refined form pendulum clocks not only keep astonishingly accurate time they are also sensitive enough to detect the ebb and flow of tides and even the ceaseless quivering of the Earth itself. Philip Woodward's deep knowledge of and passion for time-keeping mechanisms is evident throughout this highly readable and fascinating account of precision horology. "

Details about Philip Woodward from wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Woodward

At £50 from Amazon, I couldn`t afford this book to buy so waited 5 weeks, but managed to get it for £2 by doing an inter-library loans search from my local village library. This is very much a book about clock design and development rather than plans to build a clock - if your looking to build Woodwards Gearless clock, then I`d go with Wildings plans for much more detailed construction notes.

Well worth a read if you have any interest in clocks or horology.

Chris