Grandfather Clocks

Grandfather clocks are a very distinguished timepiece that chimes deeply sending tones that remind you of your childhood while also reminding you its time for supper. They are regal, stately, beautiful and the mark of an accomplished home.

You can get these clocks in varying heights and widths, shapes and colors. They are generally made of wood and have ornamental designs on the top, along the base and down the sides. Their chimes usually play a little tune on the hour and a shortened version of the tune for each quarter hour. They often have a pendulum that swings back and forth to meter the time and weights that fall as the clock words.

The grandfather clock we had growing up (its still in my parents house, I hope to inherit it someday) needed to be "wound" every few days so it would keep time again. My father always touched it with special white gloves so his fingerprints wouldn’t get on the brass weights and pendulum. To this day the sound of that clock makes me think of my childhood and my father adjusting the clock.

Not all actually use their pendulums. Galileo discovered that a pendulum could be used to track time back in 1582. He had the idea for a grandfather clock design but didn’t do anything with it. Finally, in 1656, Christiaan Huygens built the first known grandfather clock, putting Galileo’s discovery to use.

In 1670, William Clement discovered that the clocks worked better with a longer pendulum. Of course, this required a taller clock.

Use this site to find quality retailers who guarantee their products. My parents purchased their clock in Germany and had it shipped home 30 years ago. Applying that practice to the modern internet age you can assume its safe to purchase a clock from a website and have it delivered to your door. You may also want to look at high quality furniture stores to find the general style of clock you want. Generally the bigger the inside of the clock the deeper its tones will be. Bigger clocks mean bigger expense, but it’s generally worth it in the end. They are such beautiful, stately time pieces.

If you’re thinking of building your own grandfather clock from a kit, we have information on this link for various clock plans. Very interesting and not very expensive.

Do It Yourself Grandfather Clock Plans