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MECHANICAL · CAD · MACHINING · FABRICATION · CMF

Mechanical Cuckoo Clock

All-mechanical timepiece

The
Cuckoo Clock

A fully mechanical timepiece built from falling weights, laser-cut gears, CNC-routed wood, machined brass, aluminum tubing, acrylic, and a handmade kalimba chime.

Finished mechanical cuckoo clock
CAD render of the cuckoo clock assembly
Clock mechanism sketches and process notes
Exploded view of the clock assembly

The clock came together as a system of modules: timekeeping gears, the kalimba actuation, a weight-and-pendulum drive, and a visible frame. The final assembly has 170+ parts, most made through CNC, laser cutting, lathe work, 3D printing, and hand finishing.

Architecture & Manufacturing

Full front view of the mechanical cuckoo clock

Cuckoo bird

CNC-milled aluminum, sandblasted and finished; lifted by a spring-scissor mechanism.

Cuckoo bird and spring mechanism close-up

Kalimba

Laser-cut wood enclosure, tuned metal tines, and a rotating brass pin wheel that plucks the notes.

Kalimba module close-up

Weights & pendulum

Turned brass weights, tapped hooks, and a pendulum tuned through test runs rather than electronics.

Brass weights and pendulum

Feet & base

CNC-routed wood, machined aluminum feet, and hand finishing to keep the structure stable.

Wood base and machined feet
Final clock motion
Kalimba actuation

Details & Mechanisms

Clock face and hands close-up

Clock face

Brass inner ring, 3D-printed outer face, laser-cut acrylic markers, and handmade clock hands.

Clock connectors and shafts close-up

Connectors

Lathe-machined arbors, posts, and shafts, with sheet-metal connectors where precision mattered.

Fabricated clock gear parts

Gear system

A weight-driven gear train with standardized bearings, fabricated across laser cutting and machining.

Aluminum tube frame fabrication

Tube frame

Aluminum tubing was bent and drilled by hand to hold the mechanism without hiding it.

Side profile of the mechanical cuckoo clock
Gear train test