Step 1:

Start with the base of your clock. What are you making it out of? Chose a piece of rectangular plywood the kind that could be stained nicely but that has grain and a nice appeal. If that’s not your style, consider tile (like vintage hexagonal tiles from the salvage shop), dinner plates (a fun addition to any kitchen) or obscure parts (I’ve seen them handmade out of bicycle wheels, on un-hung street signs and built within books, so that the hands pop through the cover).

Use a drill bit to create a space for the “I” shaft.

Step 2:

Note the thickness of what you are building onto — if your material is thin, you’ll have to fabricate a spacer to fit between the mechanism and the front of the clock so only a few of the threads on the “I” shaft show through the hole.

Step 3:

Assemble the clock hands per the instructions. It will take all of 60 seconds and it is very easy but the hands are fragile, so be gentle.

Step 4:

Once assembled, it will look complete and very similar to this (depending on whether or not you add a hand for the seconds, which is just a third hand added at the tip).

Step 5: 

(Optional) The metal hands can be cut to length with metal snips if you desire a different look or if you need shorter hands to fit your project.

Step 6:

Trimmed to length, you can also change the way the tip of each hand looks.

Step 7:

When the finished clock is assembled, plug it in and test it out. If you overtighten the cap nut which forced the minute hand to move with each second, loosen it a quarter turn if that happens and it’ll be good to go, reliable as long as the electricity flows.