Not Your Typical Barnboard Clock

*This post is also featured on Up The Old Barn Road as part of the Fabulous Friday blog series. Click here to check out some of the other posts in this series*

The rustic reclaimed look for home decorating is so trendy lately, and I’ve totally hopped on that bandwagon. I love how some old wood can add character and charm to a house and make it feel lived in and homey. For my latest project I made a barnboard clock out of some scrap pieces of lumber that I rescued from our land. I decided to make a square clock face rather than a circle, and tried out a new technique for the numbers using epoxy resin and chalk dust.

This is a fairly simple project and can be made in any shape or size depending on what kind of scrap wood you have on hand. Continue reading for step-by-step instructions.

Supplies

• Scrap wood
• Wood glue
• Sanding block
• Epoxy resin
• Chalk dust
• Clock kit (similar)

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Step 1: Cut and layout the pieces

I cut my pieces down to about two inches wide. The piece of lumber I was using was fairly rotten in some places, so I just used the pieces that were in the best shape. Use your imagination for this part!

Step 2: Glue and clamp

Use  a generous amount of wood glue on all the edges of your pieces, then clamp them together. I did mine in two stages over a couple days.

Let it dry, then clean up the wood with a steel brush or a sanding block to reveal some cleaner wood.

Step 3: Make holes for clock numbers

First measure and mark where to place your numbers for the barnboard clock. Find the center of the clock, and mark “12, 3, 6, & 9” using a tape measure and straight edge. Then use a triangle to find the angles for the remaining numbers, and measure the same distance from the center of the clock. I used a spade bit for my holes, but a forstner bit is probably a better choice.

Step 4: Chalk dusk epoxy inlay

I really wanted to try something new and do an inlay with epoxy resin. I had some epoxy left over from another project and decided to use chalk dust from my husband’s chalk line to add some color. I’d love to try a project with glow in the dark powder, but for this one I just used what I could find at home. Follow the instructions for the resin, and add the chalk dust to the mix. Then carefully pour the resin into the holes. Another lesson I learned – avoid drilling the holes where the wood is glued together. The epoxy ended up seeping through the cracks and made a big mess.

Step 5: Attach clock kit

When the epoxy is dry you can cut out an area at the back for the clock parts. I bought the clock kit from Michaels, and with a coupon it came to about $8. I traced around the clock kit, then cut out the wood using a buzz saw. Follow the instructions on the package to attach the clock kit to the wood face.

Then hang your unique barnboard clock, and you’re all set! I hung mine in the mudroom, so I can see just how late we are as we’re running out the door.

I really love the how the color of the numbers turned out. The numbers are such a deep blue color. You could play around with the amount of chalk dust you add, or mix colors to make your own combination. The options are endless!

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