A DIY Garden Heliochronometer by Brian Huggett 

Hi Mark - Thank you for your kind words. I don't consider myself to be an expert, but I did create a dedicated email address if anyone wanted to ask a question in more detail than is convenient on RU-vid comments: heliochronometer@huggett.info.

Hi Randall - Many thanks for your kind words. I wish you good luck and much enjoyment from your own project.

Hello Frederick - Thank you for your kind words, and all the very best with your own project for the children. Best wishes, Brian.

Hi Colin - Thank you very much for your kind words.

Hello - Thank you for your kind words and good luck with your own project.

Hello, Many thanks for that interesting fact.

Thank you for your kind words. I think I made it slowly over a few weeks. In relation to the scales, I drew them using Inkscape and then they were printed on vinyl by a company called Pixartprinting.

Hello David - Thank you for highlighting to me your lovely sundial. It all looks beautifully made and put together. I suspect you are a better craftsman that I am. I like the use of the analemma diagram to correct for the EOT. Nice and simple to operate. Great stuff. Best wishes, Brian.

@@swan.morrison Thanks for checking it out! It was a fun project!

Hi David. Many thanks for your interest, and very best wishes for the success of your own dial. Your question is a very good one. Much of the wood that I used was marine plywood, and therein lies a clue. To maintain a wooden sundial, outside, it is necessary to treat it as you would the woodwork on the superstructure of a boat. Depending on circumstances, that could mean annual maintenance, including re-varnishing. I don’t go into the garden much in winter, so I’ve also kept the wooden sundials in the workshop over the winter months to reduce their exposure to the elements. If I was making another, I might look at other easy-to-work materials such as the composite used for decking and park benches. Having said that, wood is very attractive, despite its drawbacks. Of course, anything at all that is left outside will show the impact of the elements, and if one wishes something to remain in good condition, it will require periodic maintenance. When I see sundials made from more durable materials, such as stone, slate or metal, I often reflect that they could benefit from a little TLC. I suppose it can be argued that some weathering might harmonise natural materials with their surroundings. It may also be, however, that sundials are viewed as garden ornaments more often than as beautiful working demonstrations of the physics and mathematics that underpins our world. Certainly, if I owned many of those I see, I would look after them better. Very best wishes to you. Brian Huggett.

@@brian.huggett Hi Brian, And thanks so much for your reply! What you said pretty much goes along with what I was thinking. I was hoping there was some kind of "Magic" solution to the problem! I was thinking of using an epoxy varnish, but in doing a little study, those varnishes really aren't designed for what I am doing, plus I was not sure I could make a smooth surface with them. I had made one simple design as a proof of concept, and it seemed to work pretty well, so I designed and built what I considered a beautiful working model, but kept it covered with a garbage bag when not in use. Someone came and "borrowed" it, including the tripod it was on, and the garbage bag covering it. I suspect they wanted the tripod and didn't even know what the dial was. Made me sick. I am currently making another one. I built a 3'rd dial using the left over parts from the second one. Plus a couple of improvements, which I will incorporate in the new one. Since I lost the tripod, I haven't had a chance to put it to the test, but there is no reason it would not work, and perhaps even better than the second one. These are all precision sun dials, and if made well, and marked well, they are supposed to tell clock time to within 30 sec. or so. Mine are marked in 10 minute intervals, so you just have to estimate between those marks, which I wood burned into the wood. Still I can estimate the time to within a minute or two. Once I get the replacement clock built, I will try to make a youtube video about it. It is a simple enough design to build, and I have found nothing like it on the internet or youtube. I enjoyed watching the video about the one you made, and will probably watch it a few more times to get a clear understanding of of how it works. Beautiful workmanship, too! Much better than anything I can do! Soooooo Lots of varnish! And protect it as much as possible when not in use! I live in Southern California, so at least don't have to worry about snow! Thanks again! David Morris

@@DavidMorris-pq4jq Hi David, Thanks for your reply. I’m very sorry to hear about the loss of your working model dial and tripod. Well done in pressing on with making another. I very much look forward to seeing the RU-vid video of the completed dial and/or whatever else you put online about it. Do let me know when you post anything. I don’t know if you are in contact with the North American Sundial Society (NASS). I met a member of NASS at an annual conference of the British Sundial Society. I mention it because I got a huge amount of encouragement and some very useful advice from the British Sundial Society. You might want to check out its American counterpart. Good luck with the project and all the best to you. Brian.

@@brian.huggett I will definitely let you know. And yes, I saw there was the British Sundial Society and also an American one. I think I will see what it takes to join. It would be fun. Thanks for the suggestion, and your support!