Quarter Columns on Tall Case Clocks

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bbaker143143

bbaker143143

Well-known member
I'm in the process of doing my adaption of a Seymour tall case clock. Just finished attending a talk by Jeff Headley on tall case clocks last weekend. The question, why did period builders do quarter columns on the waste and not full columns as on the front corners of the hood? Cost?, Material?, ??

Thanks
Bob Baker

Hey Jeff, hope you got home and got the cows fed.
 
The quarter column is really just a glorified glue block. Some cases are simple and just have a square corner, some have the square corner chamferd off and ended with lamb's tongues some have wider chamfers with flutes and some have quarter columns.
 
Thanks everyone for your responses. I made an example of both today and boy did I answer the question.  The corner columns on the hood are roughly 12-14" tall which corresponds to an approximately 1' diameter column. I made a full column for the clock waist where the quarter column goes. A 1- 1 1/4" diameter column approximately 30" tall looks like a tooth pick. The proportions are all wrong. The correct proportions for the 30" column work out to be about 2.5"-3" diameter. Putting 2 full columns of those dimensions (30"tall x 2.5" dia.) would overwhelm the waist. Doing the quarter column of the same radius gives the elusion of the proper proportions.
Thanks again

Bob Baker
 
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