Watch turning on a lathe, by

Start off with a flat piece of wood screwed onto a face plate.
This is the center left over from a Cherry picture frame I turned.

Apply woodturners double sided tape(Woodcraft #15D25 1" & #
15D26 2" ) to the piece you are going to turn. (3"x3" x 3/4" Redheart
for this tutorial). Center piece on face plate and apply clamps for
about 10 minutes to insure a tight bond.

Turn down the outside of you blank to just over your finished size.
The only tool I use for watches is a 1/2" Skew chisel.

Turn the inside of the blank just a little bit deeper than the thickness of
your watch insert and to turn the inside diameter to fit the insert
(normal size is 1 3/8") Make sure to keep the I.D. square for a tight fit of
the insert. Next turn the outside to the finished size and shape wanted
and about 1/4 way around the back.

Sand and finish the face and edge of the watch blank. I prefer to use
Hut brand Crystal Coat. It is a Varnish/wax mixture that is applied
while turning.Heat from friction dries and polishes the finish.
(Woodcraft # 141049 )

Pry the blank loose
from the face plate
with the tip of your
chisel.

Tape a piece of scrap wood to the face plate. Turn the scrap down leaving a
raised flat center section just slightly under the I.D. of your watch blank. I
turned this one out of a piece of pine just for this tutorial. I have one mounted
on a face plate that I made out of Oak and reuse for all my watches.

Apply a layer of tape to the stub of the face plate and press the watch
blank onto it face down. No picture, but I clamp a piece of wood across
this to apply pressure for 10 minutes and secure the taped joint.

Now Turn the back side of the watch blank to the desired shape. Sand
and finish with crystal coat. The finished watch case will pull off of the
stub easily. Drill a pilot hole on the outside edge at the point you want to
be the top. Screw in a watch chain connector and insert the watch
movement into the case. DONE

BACK