Psycho House Clock - Bates Mansion - Small Replica - Easy to Make

BATES MANSION CLOCK

Build yourself a Pyscho House Clock inspired by the Bates Mansion from the 1960 movie Psycho.

This clock is the perfect woodworking craft project and will look really great in your home or Halloween horror display. It's pretty easy to make using common workshop tools and basic woodworking skills.

PDF Instructions & Templates

The plans come as PDF files containing detailed instructions on how to cut and assemble the components of the clock. You also get full sized paper templates to help with the cutting out process and detailed A4 artwork to print out and apply to the outside surface of the clock.

You simply supply the wood, the glue and the clock movement. You can see from the photographs that very good results can be obtained with a little bit of time and effort.

Time Scale / Skill Level / Tools Needed

If you are an experienced woodworker with a scrollsaw (or bandsaw) and a sander, you can have all the pieces cut out and sanded ready for assembly, in a couple of hours. The whole process of cutting, assembly, painting and applying graphics can easily be completed in a couple of weekends.

• 5 x A3 sheets of 3mm MDF sheet (approx)
• 1 x 60ml tube of UHU glue
• 1 x 22g Pritt Stick
• 1 x 80 mm Clock insert (see notes below)
• Inkjet printer paper
• Odd bits of softwood

NB. The clock insert must have an outside diameter of 80mm and an internal clock size of less than 75mm or it will not be correct for this clock. There are a number of suppliers of these type of units and they are readily available on Amazon and eBay.

Print

Using your home printer with A4 plain paper, print out the file 02-TEMPLATES.PDF in landscape format. This will print full sized templates for the clock components. If you are printing from the Adobe Acrobat reader program, make sure that you have set the print output to be actual size or you will get incorrectly sized templates. You can check that everything is sized correctly by checking the test square on the first page of the templates. It should measure exactly 5 cm square.

Cut

Once you are happy that the template printouts are scaled correctly, cut them out with scissors (as close to the lines as possible) and glue them to the 3mm MDF sheets. Arrange them carefully to minimise wastage. I would recommend Pritt Stick or something similar to stick them onto the MDF. Make sure that you fix them securely, especially under the cut lines, as the scroll saw action can lift the templates off the MDF when cutting.

Scroll Saw & Sander

When your templates are all glued securely, cut out the component pieces carefully with the scroll saw (as close to the lines as possible) and then sand accurately to the lines. Some pieces (mostly roof pieces) will need bevelling at 45 degrees on one, or all, of their edges. The edges that need bevelling are marked on the templates. Be accurate with your cutting and sanding as this will affect the fit of the parts when you start to assemble.

PLEASE FOLLOW THE DETAILED ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS IN 01-INSTRUCTIONS.PDF

Side Walls

Before you assemble the components remove the paper templates by dabbing them with a damp cloth. This will loosen the glue. Don’t use too much water as the MDF will soak it up. Make a note of the numbers on the templates which identify each piece. You can write the identifying numbers on the MDF pieces with a marker pen.

Using the UHU glue, start to assemble the clock starting with the base piece, then building up the walls around the base. Refer to the assembly drawings on the following pages so you know which parts go where and in which order. Make sure that everything is square when gluing.

Roof

The roof is a bit more difficult as the pieces are bevelled and the roof has many odd angles. Again, refer to the photographs and assembly diagrams to check that you have got everything in the right place.

PLEASE FOLLOW THE DETAILED ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS IN 01-INSTRUCTIONS.PDF

Now it's time to start painting

Areas marked in the coral colour are bare wood and do not need to be painted. The house and tower roofs do not need to be painted but it is a good idea to do so as it covers the corners and edges. When you apply the graphics this will help if you leave any gaps.

All colours should be matt, silk, or satin finish. Only a small amount of paint is needed so a good idea is to use tester pots from the local hardware store. Apply two coats of paint and sand the wood if necessary to get a good overall finish.

When your paint has dried you can start to apply the artwork.

Print out the two files 03-GRAPHICS-WALLS.PDF and 04-GRAPHICS-ROOF.PDF on your colour inkjet printer. Print them on A4 Matt Inkjet Paper, or Thin Inkjet Card. Make sure that you have set your printer for the correct paper type and at the highest quality setting. Also make sure that the printout is scaled correctly by using the same print settings that you did with the templates. Let the artwork dry out for 20 mins or so, to prevent smudging when you are handling it. If the artwork is damp it is also more difficult to cut out.

Walls

Starting with the walls, cut out the artwork, piece by piece, following the numbered sequence shown on the diagram on the artwork. It is better to do each piece in numbered order so as not to get mixed up with the sequence. Note that some pieces can be similar in size but have different artwork on them. Cut slightly INSIDE the grey cut lines, so that you don’t see the grey line on the cut out piece. Check that the piece fits on the clock and then apply glue to the back of each piece with the Pritt stick. Be careful not to get any glue on the front face of the piece as it will smudge and leave unsightly marks. Apply each piece to the clock carefully and smooth it out, making sure that it is flat and there are no air bubbles or creases. Make sure the artwork is straight and aligned properly. If you make a mistake you can always remove it and print another piece. The corners of the building will be covered with vertical paper strips so don’t worry if you leave any small gaps at the edges.

Most of the work is self explanatory and as you progress you will see where the graphics should fit. Please refer to the colour photographs of the finished clock to double check the placement. When the walls are completed you can apply the strips to the edges of the clock to complete the effect of the wooden planking.

Roof

The roof graphics are applied in the same way, just make sure that the tile patterns line up correctly. Some of the roof pieces are similar in shape and can be applied upside down. Again don’t worry about the edges because you will cover them with strips to give a roof edging effect.

When all wall and roof graphics have been applied, and the edging strips, you can move on to the final assembly stage.

Porch

Fix the whole porch assembly to the front of the house

Clock Insert

Slide your clock insert into the tower (be careful not to scratch the artwork on the porch)

Make a Base

You can also make a wooden base for the clock if you wish.

WELL DONE!

Your Bates Mansion Clock is now complete.