Sundial Project


I wanted to make a sundial - the idea had been growing on me for some time as our kitchen window looks out onto a rather plain south facing wall - so it would have to be a vertical sundial. At first I wasn't sure a vertical sundial was even possible - but of course it is.

I looked into buying one, and the cost was prohibitively expensive. So I decided to make one. After some thought, I decided it had to be
  1. Long lasting - preferably made of metal
  2. Accurate
  3. Beautiful
  4. Easy to read - extraneous hour lines confuse me and I have small children who I wanted to be able to enjoy it!
Ages ago, when I first started looking into the idea, I downloaded a version of the truly excellent Shadows sundial software. Unfortunaltely, this is PC only, as it seems is every piece of software associated with sundials. I searched the web, and came across a few windows and DOS programs, but Shadows outdoes them all. Once I'd eventually found a way to run it on my Mac (Long story involving virtual PC not running on intel macs), I used it to create a declining vertical sundial, calculated to work at my houses Longitude and Latitude (calculated exactly using Google Earth - Shadows can import a placeholder file of your exact spot) and also calculated to work on my south facing, but not exactly south facing (hence its a declining sundial), house wall.

Here's the basic output from Shadows - the dial is not symmetrical in order to compensate for the angle of the wall not facing due south:


sundial


If you register shadows, you can output this file as a dxf file that can be read in Autocad and accurately cut in Laser Machines. Having seen the stainless laser cut sundial here I knew this was the kind of thing I wanted to make.


An Early Version

sundial



Every sundial needs a motto, I scoured the web for ages, trying to find something suitable, but lots of sundial mottos were rather negative, and although I liked "time waits for gnomon" in the end I copied this dial, but changed the wording slightly:

San Carlos Sundial

Which is also a vertical declining dial - more detail on this lovely dial here



Getting there on the design. The sun idea just came to me when I was messing around with the basic design.

sundial
Final Design
sundial

I emailed my Cad files to lots of laser cutting end engraving firms. Finding someone to make this took ages - responses varied from "No Problems, but theres a minimum order of £600", "Why don't you talk to a company that makes sundials" to a couple of guys who were VERY helpful, one being SCISS Ltd. a water cutter, rather than a laser cutter.

SCISS took on the project and were brilliant.

Here's the finished dial, as yet unpolished, next to a paper model of the dial.

sundial

And here it is in situ, telling the correct time. The finished dial is 375mm wide by 365mm wide, and is cut in 3mm Stainless Steel.

sundial




Since starting this I've rather got into sundials. I do like this one very much and may one day do something similar - its by Matt Oglesby

Sundial

and here's another, very old vertical declining sundial in my village - Hook Norton, Oxfordshire.

sundial

Interesting Sundial Links

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jmikeshaw/index.html - Mike Shaws Sundial Page
http://www.advanceassociates.com/Sundials/Stained_Glass/index.html - Stained Glass Sundials - absolutely beautiful site and dials
http://www.sundials.org/registry/gallery/ - Lots of Sundials!
http://perso.orange.fr/blateyron/sundials/shadowspro/gb/users.htm - Other Dials made by Shadows users
http://www.sundials.co.uk/ - Sundials on the Internet
http://www.sundial.net/ - Sundials for kids
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/patrick_powers/tips.htm - Record a sundial on the sundial register
http://www.olneystone.co.uk/WallSundials.html - These stonemasons make beautiful dials
http://www.mysundial.ca/tsp/tsp_index.html - The sundial primer - loads of info
http://www.lindisun.demon.co.uk/index.html - More lovely dials
http://www.dse.nl/~zonnewijzer/shadow1.htm - Shadow Plane Dials - very complex!
http://www.astrolabes.org/electric.htm - Electric Astrolabe
http://www.sundialsculptures.com/ - Beautiful Dials
http://atensundials.com/ - Heliochronometers