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Once the glue was dried on the clock blanks I switched back to the jumbo jaws on my lathe chuck. I mounted the clock with the back face out in order to cut the recess for the backer disc and movement.
Photo #25: Blank mounted Photo #26: Inner circle cut
I used my Popsicle stick shims again since the front ring is thinner than the protrusion of the dogs. First I turned the face of the back ring flat and true, then I started turning away the inner diameter until I had the inside of the walnut ring fully round down as far as the maple layer.
Photo #27: Measuring for disc Photo #28: Test recess cut
I set an inside calliper to the diameter of the plywood disc to give me an idea about how much material I had to remove. When I started forming the rabbet for the disc I only cut about ¼” deep until I had a good fit. That way I had a chance to recover if I made the first rabbet too wide.
Photo #29: Test fitting the disc Photo #30: Rabbet cut
I installed the movement on the disc to give me something to hold on to while test fitting. Once I was satisfied with the rabbet width I cut it on down to the maple layer.