Make a chalkboard wall clock

So much to do, so little time. Get organized with a clock that is also a blackboard.

DO IT YOURSELF | When schedules clash and you just can’t connect, timing is everything. Leaving notes has become part of our regular routine. This make-it-yourself message board is one place you are bound to look.

How To Make A Chalkboard Clock

For the clock face, I used a 16-inch-diameter tabletop I found at The Home Depot. Although clock components are available at most hobby stores and online, I recycled an inexpensive clock I had lying around, removing its hands and the black plastic “sweep movement” box that attaches to them. For the dial, I used the plain circle of metal that is part of a heating duct damper, available at hardware stores (pictured below).

1. Measure carefully to locate the centre of your disk, then, with a plug cutting drill bit, make a hole that mimics the size of the sweep movement box.
2. Sand the face of the clock to a supersmooth finish with a microgrit sandpaper (200 or higher). Apply a minimum four coats of blackboard paint following the manufacturer’s directions.
3. With a nail, tap a small hole in the centre of the damper plate and place it on the post of the sweep movement box. Secure it in place with double-sided tape.
4. Place the sweeper movement box into the hole in the clock body and affix the damper plate with a few drops of superhold glue.
5. Attach the hands to the post.
6. For quarter-hour markers, use glazier’s points, available at hardware stores (pictured below).
7. To keep chalk handy, attach a chalk holder by a bathroom bead chain attached to the back of the disk (when dangling, it is reminiscent of a pendulum).
8. Attach a standard picture hanger behind the 12-o’clock position, and you have note-worthy timing. —Brendan Power