Jesse Emory Replica Tall Clock

Cogworks decided to craft a fine improved replica Jesse Emory early American wooden works movement because it was the finest American wooden works clock movement ever made. This opinion is shared by many leading horologists. Jesse Emory was an original thinker who has some great ideas. Incorporating these ideas into his work, at the cost of bench time, made his work a winner. The wooden gears he made were also done in a way that made them strong and beautiful.  After much testing and many improvements we came up with something that we are proud to put our name on. These tall clocks will be an extremely limited production and a sound investment, we will stand behind each and every one.  D.R.Dimes & Company who have an outstanding reputation for the making fine tiger maple furniture make agreed to make a special Jesse Emory case.

      The Jesse Emory limited edition wooden works tall clock was inspired by clocks made by Jesse Emory with improvements and features invented by ourselves. Many of these features are adaptations from the most famous wooden works clockmaker John Harrison (1693-1776). American wooden works clockmakers, essentially a lost breed of American craftsmen, were fine craftsmen who were equally comfortable working in wood and metal. Ian Johnson carries on this tradition having served a trade apprenticeship at Rolls-Royce in England and since 1989 has been perfecting the art and challenge of precision woodworking. Working wood to drawings with tight tolerances and getting a quality finish is far more of a challenge than working metal because of the grain and hydroscopic characteristics of wood.              

      Wooden works clocks, if built right, will operate in all humidity conditions and are in fact just as reliable and equally as accurate as any brass works clock. After inspection of many Jesse Emory movements we concluded that after about 100 or so years the pivot holes in the maple started to wear to a point that the clocks started to have some reliability problems.  The Cogworks Emory movement features Lignum Vitae bearings so no expensive lubrication and service is required every 3-5 years like a brass movement.  The movement should last 200+ years !!

      In the League of NH Craftsmen Sunapee 'outdoor" craft show of August 2002, the oldest craft show in the America, two Cogworks movements, based on the work by Jesse Emory, performed flawlessly while the cherry drawers were sticking on most furniture pieces due to the high humidity. The reason why is that a wooden works movement, if built correctly, self compensates for may of the dimension changes due to hydroscopic effects. No ugly plywood gears required, no laminated hardwood gears required, just slow growth quarter sawn maple from New Hampshire, what Ian Johnson believes is the best hard maple in the world. This is why Jesse Emory was a genius he figured this out and used it to make the best wooden works clock movement in America. A Jesse Emory movement, dated 1800, is on the wall in our shop in Antrim, NH, it's pendulum beating, perfect time kept, the same way for 204 years. No broken gears, no strike problems and it can be taken apart with ease. We believe not many machines invented by man have ran so long with such reliability and look so good.

For the full specification on the movement use the navigation buttons above.

Tall Case Details

The country clock case is only 7' tall and made from solid tiger maple. It has simple pleasing proportions with a heavy set bonnet for the jewel of a movement. It features Jesse Emory's unusual door latch and exquisite scroll work on the bonnet. It also has windows in the side of the bonnet to behold the works. The weights are set in wood like the original and features a carefully made pendulum rod. The dial is painted white, engraved, and the details then hand painted. The clock bell is made in London, England by the famous Whitechapel Bell foundry

For the full specification on the case use the navigation buttons above.