Maybe get a little blister on your finger ..... Seller's wall clock continues

I was able to spend a good amount of the time in the garage woodworking this past weekend.  I was able to move on to do the final few steps of wood working.  I cut out the panel and then marked the lines for making a raised panel as well as the location of the clock.  I figured it was better to mark off the clock location now while everything was full sized stock.  This was me trying to apply a lesson from earlier in the clock making.  I had put in the beads before making off the final length and I had some issues scribing my lines when not all was square.  I'm sure it will be something I outgrow.  Till then, I figure it can't hurt to try and mark with full dimensional material when possible.

As for making the raised panel with my hand plane.  It wasn't too bad.  I didn't get crisp clean diagonals (most easy to see in the last photo) where the two directions meet.  Given it's my first time doing this, I was happy.  Also, since I needed to narrow the width on both sides to fit the grooved, rails and stiles, I decided to put a raised panel on each side.  It gave me more practice.

It was a bit harder than I thought it would be to get the panel edges thin enough to fit into the grooves but I was patient.  I apparently made the panel to wide and tall.  I more or less got the width adjusted by planning the same number of strokes on each side so it stay centered.  It was also too tall by about a quarter of an inch.  I will have to measure more carefully (though I thought I had).  I was getting tired at that point so I stopped and will finish getting it to fit at a later day.  When I'm tired I'm more likely to do something wrong.

Prior to discovering the panel fit issue, I cut out the hole for the clock face using my coping saw.  It wasn't that hard to do but getting the coping saw blade reinstalled when I put it through the panel was a bit difficult.  The kind of thing where you need three hands a pet monkey to help you out.  Again, deep breath, be patient and all works out.  After cutting the hole out, I took a rasp to clean the hole so it looks clean and tidy.  Not that anyone would see it.  Just my peace of mind.  Something I was proud of - I didn't have a compass to draw a circle so I needed to buy one.  I went online to see if there was any info on what works well and what doesn't.  If you were to believe the internet, a $100ish Starett compass is what is needed.  I didn't want to spend that much.  At WoodCraft, I bought a $7 compass and it worked just fine for me.  Again, being a newbie, I know some tools are junk and some aren't.  Glad I tried the inexpensive option first.  I also make it a point to tell the wife how I "saved" money but not buying the most expensive option first.  Maybe if I made lots of holes all day and needed tight tolerances, there would be a more suitable tool.  For my needs, I think I am done with getting a compass.

All in all a good day.  A day working in the shop beats a day on the couch.  The next day, my index finger was hurting and I couldn't figure out why.  I had used the plane so much I had a blister forming.  It brought a smile to my face.