Wooden Wall Clocks: Where CNC Milling, Laser Cutting, and Handcraft Converge

Building a wooden wall clock in the workshop is, above all, an exercise in proportions, mating tolerances, and spatial depth. Rather than relying on a single technique, these designs emerge from orchestrating workshop tooling without rigid hierarchies: CNC milling carves out recesses, pockets, rebates, and calibrated housings in solid timber; laser cutting details dense pierced latticework and microscopic indices; and traditional benchwork handles 45-degree mitred frame joints, chamfers, matte lacquering, and the press-fitting of small brass hardware.

Sospensione: Floating Dial on Orthogonal Tiers and Cross-Clamps

Analogue Time in Layers

A design exploring three-dimensionality by detaching the dial from the backing plate, suspending it in open space.

Tiered architecture: A square backing plate in dark-stained, open-pore solid timber serves as the foundation. Four turned spacer standoffs elevate the pale timber central disc, creating an air cavity where ambient light casts living, shifting shadows throughout the day.
Radial CNC milling: The minute track is engraved directly into the grain using V-carve toolpaths; the cardinal hours are defined by millimetric blind-drilled holes that house contrasting white disc inserts.
Vise-style clamp keys: The perimeter of the dial is secured by four workshop-shaped retaining cleats, inspired by bench vise jaws, which lock the assembly without exposed fasteners.
Dimensions: 30 cm × 30 cm

Contemporary square wooden wall clock featuring a CNC-milled floating circular dial with cross-clamps on a dark timber base

Mashrabiya: Laser Geometric Lattice and Boxed Walnut Case

A Window onto Time

A study contrasting traditional joinery with high-precision laser cutting, inspired by the sun-shading latticework and screens of classical Oriental architecture.

Deep boxed case: The outer perimeter frame is shaped and bevelled by hand in solid timber with a dark walnut stain, using reinforced corner joints to give substance to the surround.
Pierced geometric screen: The backing lattice is laser-cut as a continuous fretwork of interlocking rhombuses and circles, allowing light to filter behind the solid dial.
Hardware and colour contrast: The dial plate, finished in matte powder-blue lacquer, features cylindrical peg indices and brass teardrops hand press-fitted along the perimeter, evoking the mechanical feel of vintage gauge instruments.
Dimensions: 30 cm × 40 cm

Rectangular walnut-framed wall clock with an intricate laser-cut lattice background and a pale blue dial with brass indices

Quadro Dodici: Centripetal Perspective, Bevelled Framing, and Shadow Reliefs

Centripetal Geometry and Shadow Perspective

An exercise in perspective geometry where time is measured by the play of cast shadows across three-dimensional indices.

Telescoping frame: The natural solid timber outer frame is joined with 45-degree mitres and features an inward slope that draws the eye toward the CNC-machined recessed clock well.
Prismatic relief indices: The matte sage-green dial accommodates twelve laser-cut white rectangular prisms, projecting outward like architectural cantilever beams converging toward the centre arbor.
Minimalist composition: Free of numerals, the spatial depth relies entirely on light and form to indicate the hours as ambient room lighting shifts.
Dimensions: 40 cm × 40 cm

Square solid timber wall clock with an inward-sloping frame, sage-green dial, and raised white geometric hour batons

Bespoke Projects and Custom Dials

The modular construction of these pieces allows proportions, wood species, and geometric elements to be tailored to specific needs. If you have a custom size in mind, want to explore a different laser-cut fretwork pattern, or prefer a colour palette tailored to your interior, get in touch to discuss your project. We can review timber thicknesses, map out vector layouts, and build it together at the bench.