Finials can be found on top grandfather clocks.
Finials are the small ornate objects on top of grandfather clocks. Finials can also be used on very ornate railings in a cathedral. Finials can be cast out of brass, but you can make your own custom finials out of wood. The creation of a finial is open to your own imagination, but they usually consist of a small pyramid shape no more than a few inches tall. To picture what a finial looks like, think of chess board pieces; the queen resembles a finial.
Instructions
1. Measure up 3/4 inch from the base and make a mark all the way around the block. Cut the block on a band saw tapering from the mark symmetrically on all four sides up to 1/2 inch square at the top.
2. Clamp the block in a vise by its base, sticking straight up.
3. Measure and make a mark 1/2 inch down from the top of the block.
4. Insert a small disc into the rotary tool. Begin shaping the finial into a graceful curve between the two lines by sanding up and down the sides. Continue tapering the wood until you have a small 1/2 inch block at the top of the wood.
5. Round the block with the rotary tool by blending and rounding all the corners, delicately smoothing the end until its round as you can make it with the tool.
6. Hold sandpaper between your thumb and index finger and begin spinning the sandpaper around the end of the wood until the round shape is as round as you can make it. Remove the finial from the vise. Hold the finial by the square base in your fingers and spin the round part in the sandpaper that you are holding in the other hand. Continue sanding the finial by hand until its uniform and symmetrical.
Tags: clocks Finials, grandfather clocks, grandfather clocks Finials, make mark, rotary tool
