GRANDFATHER CLOCKS FOR HOME

Wheel Train of Your Grandfather Clock

Understanding Grandfather Clocks: Part V
Nancy Sander

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Understanding Grandfather Clocks

Part V: Wheel Train of Grandfather Clocks

[Army Service Corps Training Illustration (1911) Gear Wheels, Compound Train: Courtesy of Wikipedia]

Within the study of time, clocks (horology), and especially Grandfather Clocks, etc, there is often a reference to a wheel train, or the word train. To help us understand the working of the Grandfather Clock, a wheel train is a gear train (See Grandfather Clock Terms). It can be found in both mechanical clocks (Grandfather Clocks) and watches. Although the term is used for other types of gear trains, the long history of mechanical timepieces has created a traditional terminology for their gear trains, which is not used in other applications of gears. Watch movements are very standardized, and the wheel trains of most mechanical watches have the same parts. The wheel trains of clocks are a little more diverse. This diversification lies in the different number of wheels utilized. This depends on the type of clock, and how many hours the clock runs between windings. However, the wheel trains of clocks and watches share the same terminology, and are similar enough that they can be described together: The large gears in timepieces are generally called wheels. The smaller gears with which the larger mesh are called pinions. The shafts that the wheels and pinions are mounted on are called arbors. The wheels are mounted between the plates of the whole movement. The pivots are rotating in holes in the plates. The pivot holes have semicircular depressions around them. These are called oil cups. These oil cups hold the oil in contact with the shaft. There are several wheel trains in a typical clock or watch. Whew that sure was a mouth full. I attempted to keep the proper terminology, all the while simplifying the English. I trust that I have accomplished my goal, and you have a clearer mental picture of the wheel train and the internal workings of Grandfather Clocks.

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END NOTES:
"Mechanical clock: p.3 The wheelwork". Encyclopaedia Britannica online. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc.. 2008. http://original.britannica.com/eb/article-258097/clock. Retrieved 2008-07-06. Milham, Willis I. (1945). Time and Timekeepers. New York: MacMillan. pp. p.178. ISBN 0780800087.

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Learn more in the next article on Grandfather Clocks: A Pendulum Clock

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