When it comes to creating things from scratch, we all have our limits.
Some people hit their highest level of crafting complexity with a paper airplane. Others have no trouble creating an entire structure from the ground up, like this mom who built her own house when the kids moved out.
Somewhere in between are technical geniuses like Imgur user grahamvinyl. Showcasing his work on the image-sharing platform, grahamvinyl demonstrated technical prowess in a DIY project well beyond most crafters' modest abilities.
His creation? Something called a “Word Clock.”
It tells the time just like any other clock, but it does it with a sentence structure. Instead of numerals and colons like “7:45,” this clock instead spells out phrases, like, “Quarter To Eight.”
Made of wood, with a few keywords incised in with a laser cutter, his clock makes an elegant, functional statement, while also showing off his incredible crafting skills.
Scroll through the gallery below to see how grahamvinyl pulled together this technological marvel!
Thumbnail Photo:Imgur
The project started out with the craftsman arranging and mapping out the words and letters he wanted.
Once he had the fonts and sizes mapped to a wooden square, he had them professionally laser cut — hey, even master craftsmen have limits!
He perfectly arranged the words into a crossword-style grid that looks ineffably elegant.
Next, he covered the backs of the open letter holes in painter's tape as a protective measure.
This was designed to separate the letter cutouts from the eventual lights that will be fixed to the back.
The painter's tape is a temporary measure until the clock is complete.
Next, he arranged a string of LED lights onto a separate peg board cut to the same dimensions.
This somewhat more utilitarian piece will fit to the back of the more decorative front piece with the lettering.
Essentially, the lights will be sandwiched between the peg board and the letter board.
Next, he pieced together a wooden frame to fit between the two square pieces.
This frame will conveniently hold together the "sandwiched" pieces.
The letter board and the light board will be fit on either side of the frame to support the whole piece.
He used many clamps to secure the two pieces.
The letter cutouts were filled in with transparent epoxy.
Pieced together, the boards become a chic, minimalist square.
The cutouts are backlit by the wave of LED lights, with wax paper to diffuse the light.
Eventually, he finished and polished up the piece for use.
The entire structure is covered with different phrases and words associated with time, like "half past" and "midnight."
Using a computer program, he can set it up to tell the time accurately, and in a very chic and elegant way!
If you love this stunning DIY clock, make sure to SHARE with friends and family!
