Building a Shadow Box Clock

Crafting Time: A Journey into Wood, Fire, and Metal

In my workshop today, I am building a shadow box clock, but this is no ordinary timepiece. It is a story told in materials: a beautiful, gnarled cottonwood burl rescued from a previous coffee table project, a frame finished with the Japanese art of Shou Sugi Ban, and a backplate of copper that I patinated into a canvas of rich, fiery color.

My journey begins with the frame. I’ve chosen white oak for its strong grain, which I know will interact beautifully with the Shou Sugi Ban process. Woodworking is often a dance with the material’s inherent tensions. After ripping the wide boards, I immediately joint and plane them square, accounting for any warping, before making the final cuts to their exact width.

Each side of the frame needs two dados—essentially grooves—cut into it: one to hold the cottonwood burl and another for the copper sheet. I set the blade height and fence, eventually devising a simple sandpaper deflector to keep sawdust out of my eyes.

Even with perfectly cut miters, the joints need reinforcement. After the glue dried overnight, I set up to cut slots for decorative keys. These will be hidden by the charred finish but will add significant strength. It’s a satisfying process, slowly planing down strips of wood until they achieve a snug fit, then carefully flush-cutting them with a Japanese pull saw.

Then comes the Shou Sugi Ban. I’ve seen many attempts at this finish fail, often from a misunderstanding of the goal. For an indoor piece like this, you’re not seeking a deep, protective char for the elements, but a specific look. The key is an even, controlled application of heat. Using an appropriately-sized flame and heating both sides equally prevents warping and ensures the joints don’t come apart under stress. As I move the flame across the oak, the grain pops and darkens, revealing a stunning, textured depth.

With the frame cooled, it’s time to work on the heart of the piece: the patinated copper from KNS Precision Metals. Their standard-sized pieces weren’t quite right, so I sourced a larger, 9×12 inch sheet for the clock’s back. I began by experimenting on smaller pieces, a process of discovery that led me to a method using a saturated borax solution to achieve brilliant reds and violets.

A crucial safety note: Patination is a chemical reaction that can release dangerous gases. I never undertake it without my respirator, safety glasses, heat-resistant gear, proper ventilation, and a fire extinguisher close at hand.

The process is mesmerizing. After sanding the copper to a bright shine, I wet it, sprinkle on borax for texture, and carefully apply heat. The metal dances with color, shifting through a spectrum before cooling to a unique, organic masterpiece. It’s soft now from the annealing process, so I gently rinse and flatten it.

The final assembly is a delicate ballet. I adhere the copper to a plywood backer, carefully center the clock movement, and route a pocket for it to sit flush. After finishing all the parts with a gloss lacquer, I deliberately knock back the sheen on the charred frame with steel wool, leaving a sealed, sophisticated matte finish that won’t shed soot.

The last steps are methodical: gluing the book-matched burl slices, setting the assembled back into the frame, and pressing the clock hands into place. A final trim of the second hand, and it’s done.

The clock now sits complete—a fusion of meticulous woodworking, ancient finishing techniques, and modern metal artistry. It’s more than a functional object; it’s a preserved moment of focus, experimentation, and craft.

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