The Wendell Free Library Sundial

Is made of hammer formed copper, copper sheet hammered around or over a wooden form.The Gnomon or style; the rod coming out of the sun is tilted to the left indicating that the wall is angled 8 degrees to the east of due south. The sundial is a summer dial in that it ignores daylight savings time, making it a little easier to read in the summer months,(when it the sunniest) but you will still have to use the equation of time to correct for the seasonal changes in solar time.

Using the Graph of the Equation of Time

The vertical lines on the graph represent the first and 15th of each month, you'll have to guestimate today's date on that scale and move that point  up, until you intersect the wavy line, move that height over to the scale on the left. You will have to guestimate again how many minutes to either add or subtract to the time that the dial indicates.

The long lines on  the sundial face are the hour lines and the short ones are half hour lines. You will have to do a little guessing and approximating when reading the time from the gnomons shadow, with a littler practice you will get good at it.

A home made hydraulic press  puts 20 tons of pressure on several hard rubber blocks and get the metal started in the right direction and locked down on the numerals.

When the numerals have all been cut, a sheet of copper is two way taped on to them and a metal cutting bit cuts an out line around the numerals. All the numerals are cut together on the same sheet with enough room around each to bend over.

The last step in the process is cutting  the graph of the Equation of Time,  A Sundial needs what is called Motto and this place is the only practical place for it. It's also the best place to acknowledge the generosity of the Wendell Cultural Counsel and the Friends of the Library for funding the project.

The rest is done very carefully. Gently compressing the metal in some places and stretching it in other's  with a small hammer and maple "chisel"