A DIY Garden Heliochronometer by Brian Huggett

Further details about the design and construction of this heliochronometer, plus dimensioned photographs and the graphics files for the scales, can be found at: bit.ly/The_Hugg....
For information about sundials in general, see the website of the British Sundial Society: sundialsoc.org.uk/.

[@KipIngram]

That's an absolutely lovely piece of work, Brian. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@worldtraveler930]

I would Love to have one of these set up for here in Texas!!! 🤠

[@IreneeGraniczny]

Extraordinary work. Thank you for sharing .

[@kingy002]

This is a superb video of a wonderful instrument. Living here in NZ I wish I lived in the UK so I could attend the BBS meetings. I was a member for a couple of years but let that lapse. I really need to be able to talk to capable people like Brian to get my head around some of these issues.

[@swan.morrison]

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 KZbin comments: [e-mail].

[@PlayNowWorkLater]

This is great! Thanks for posting

[@taylorjohansen4955]

Fantastic craftsmanship and explanation. Thank you!

[@ScientificSolutions]

Thank you for sharing so many of the finer details of these instruments! I hope to build my own such instrument in my retirement years (coming up soon!); I love the math and the grand visualization of earth/sun positions involved!

[@brian.huggett]

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

[@frederickbowdler1509]

Loveed it making a simpler one for the children as we watch nice model and lots of new to me information thanks a lot

[@swan.morrison]

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

[@thinkingahead6750]

A lovely piece of work. I recommend that people also look at the modifications on Brian's revised model which can be seen on his website.

[@smk281]

Great piece of work. Thanks for sharing.

[@AHobbistChannel]

Beautiful dial!

[@colinparker4939]

What a beautiful working device you’ve made. I became interested in Heliochronometers some years in connection my research into how our prehistoric ancestors used shadows cast after sunrise and before sunset, combined with marking the altitude of the sun at noon each day throughout the year; at sites such as Woodhenge and Stonehenge.

[@swan.morrison]

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

[@ghlscitel6714]

Cool - without elecronics , bells , or whistles. Lovely work piece indeed.

[@ResearchFlatMoon]

Fantastic. I’ll be building this for my location in Michigan

[@swan.morrison]

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

[@drstrangebudgie4052]

This is amazing. I saw a sundial today and I started wondering what it would take to have a sundial read "clock time".

[@wcovey9405]

enjoyed your presentation.

[@hardmatixwill273]

Great job. Congratulations.

[@ibmlenovo1]

Brian there is one sun dial in Pakistan. It was fixed by the British and is located in a Military establishment ie Khyber Rifles Mess at Landi Kotal. Your Princess Ann had also visited that place 1984/5/6 I am not sure.

[@swan.morrison]

Hello, Many thanks for that interesting fact.

[@DavidMorris-pq4jq]

Hi Brian, I had communicated with you a couple of months ago about your wooden sun dial. I finally completed my own version, which you can see if you type in "A simple heliochronometer sun dial" Let me know what you think! No where near as finely done as yours, but it does work. I think!

[@swan.morrison]

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.

[@DavidMorris-pq4jq]

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

[@American-Plague]

Holy Christ almighty! How long did it take to build this? This is a FANTASTIC sundial! What are the different gradients printed on?

[@swan.morrison]

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.

[@DavidMorris-pq4jq]

Here is a question I have. Since your dial is made of wood, how do you preserve it so it can be left outside? I have, and am, building a somewhat different design, but am afraid to leave it out too long, because the weather will not do it any good. Varnish only lasts so long...

[@brian.huggett]

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.

[@DavidMorris-pq4jq]

@@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

[@brian.huggett]

@@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 KZbin 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.

[@DavidMorris-pq4jq]

@@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!

[@rickorider]

Very interesting and so fascinating to know of the detail required to give accurate time. I wonder how someone who believes that the earth is flat could explain how this works on a flat earth! In reality it is totally impossible for it to work as it does on a flat earth. Nothing to do with NASA or any government lying to us.😂 A beautiful and facinating instrument.

[@EyeLean5280]

Lovely but difficult to hear.