The Gottshall pattern clock hood with the finished door installed.

 

I prefer the Franklyn Gottshall's method of constructing the door for a Tall-case clock hood, over the method shown in plans published by both Lonnie Bird and Eugene Landon. On the plans for their doors, as published in FWW, tenons cut on the ends of the door's arched top fit into mortises cut in the side stiles. The stiles run long. When the top arc is drawn onto the glued up door frame, the curve cuts across the upper ends of both stiles. Gottshall makes the wide top rail of the door extend the full width of the door opening. The side stiles have tenons cut on their upper ends which seat in mortises cut in the lower edge of the top rail. This strikes me as better both visually and as a construction technique.

Gottshall's door overlaps the front of the hood opening with a 5/16 inch dia. lip. The radius is carried around the arc of the curved top rail. It does not show clearly in this photo, but when seen with the naked eye the rounded top edge of the door adds to the shadow line making the door to case gap at the top of the door look exaggerated. When I use this door pattern again, I think I will not cut a radius on the edge of the top rail, at least until I've seen how the door gap looks.

 

Finally, given the high cost of Ball and Ball tall-case clock hood hinges, I think I will grind my own from brass bar stock picked up a the hardware store. Gottshall gives hinge dimensions in his drawings.

 

Thanks for stopping by. STB