The Meditation Timer is the third of my kinetic pieces. It was made for a show with time as the theme. The piece is wall hung. The pocket holds a ball of string, with a drawer beneath, for candles and matches.
The timer is set by securing the candle at
the desired height of 1/4" per 15 minutes. The hammer is
pulled back and latched by the trigger. The end of the string
holds the trigger taut. The string is run beside the candle, beneath
the two flame damper flaps, under the candle snuffer cup handle,
and secured at the tie point on the side of the box. When the
candle is lit, the rising air turns the fan, which lightly strikes
a twelve bell pattern on the bell. When the candle burns down,
it burns through the string. When the string breaks, the hammer
strikes the pipe gong one sharp blow, the candle snuffer drops
and extinguishes the candle and the damper flaps put out the burning
string.
The frame is Madrone, with linen binding . The string box is spalted Sycamore. The drawer front is Broad Leaf Maple burl, with a turned Ebony knob. The mallet head is a piece of Holly. The rest of the fittings are brass and copper.
This shows the candle holder and the fan above. The twelve blade fan pivots on a needle point. Seven of the blades have wires hanging, which gently strike the bell in the classic African 12 bell pattern of X_X_XX_X_X_XX.
The pair of hinges act as string dampers to put out the burning string. The copper cup is held up by the string. When it burns through, it pivots down and snuffs out the candle.
This simple trigger releases the mallet when the string burns through. A spring on the mallet pivot prevents more than one sharp strike on the pipe gong.
The box and drawer contain all the needed supplies for the timer. The linen binding adds a decorative touch.
