Deer Antler Clock DIY

 

If you know an avid deer hunter (or are married to one), you know they have quite a collection of deer antlers. Some may be displayed on a wall, but what do they do with the rest? Here's how my husband and I created a unique wall clock from some of his antler "stash". Time to go hunting for that big rack and make a Deer Antler Clock of your own!

Antlers, antlers, and more antlers - but what do you do with them? While they are a great conversation piece, I wanted to do something special with them. I have seen them for sale, but that is out of the question. Also, I have read that antlers are edible and can be used for medicine. That will not happen at my house. We live in a log home in the woods, so I wanted to display them in a unique way in our rustic home.

 

 

I was browsing in the Cracker Barrel Store (I love that place!) when I saw a molded resin clock with resin deer antlers priced at about $100. When I showed it to my husband Charlie, he asked, "Why would we pay $100 for plastic when we have real antlers at home?" That's what I hoped he would say! This would require lots of muscle, so of course, he would have to help in this project! There's no turning back now!

Let the project begin!

First, you will need to buy a clock with a wood frame or build a clock. 

The clock that I bought is a 14" silent wall clock and cost about $40.

Next, you will need to lay out the antlers and decide which to use and where they will go on the clock. Some of our antlers were too large for this project, so we used the smaller racks. We started with adding antlers to the sides of the clock first. 

Most of the antlers were still joined and had to be cut apart with a hacksaw.

 

Ms. Nancy's Tip: Wear a mask when cutting antlers to avoid inhaling toxic dust. 

Carefully drill small holes through the wood of the clock near the edge to insert wire. We used 20 gauge wire and an 1/8" drill bit for this project. For better stability, we found it is better to drill 2 holes in the clock for each place the antler would be anchored. Each antler was wired to the clock in 2 places. 

Ms. Nancy's Note: Use caution when bending the 20 gauge wire. If over-twisted, it breaks easily!

Drill carefully!

Insert the wire up through the drilled hole, lay the antler on the clock, insert the wire down through the second hole. Carefully twist the wire until it holds the antler loosely in place. Now repeat on the other end of the antler. Then tighten both wires. Use wire cutters to cut the excess wire. Bend the twisted wire to the back of the clock. If the wire breaks (it happens!), remove it and try it again!

Next, do the top. Again, do a "layout" to see which antlers would work best. 

We tried to keep the design as symmetrical as possible. Unfortunately, all antlers are not created equal, even if they are joined and from the same deer!

When wiring, it was possible to wire some antlers to previously wired antlers. We tried to wire in places where the wire would be the least visible. We did not drill into the antlers because we did not want to risk breaking them. 

The top and sides are finished!

And then, do the bottom.

Finally, you may need to add some small antlers to the sides on top of the previous antlers. 

I used my glue gun and Gorilla Glue Sticks for this step. After it dried, we removed the excess glue with a sharp knife.

Small antlers are
glued to the clock.

The Deer Antler Clock is finished!

I love our new clock! It is so appropriate for our rustic log home in the woods! There's lots of antlers left, and I have several ideas for those.

When you make your own clock, feel free to deviate from how ours was done. That's what makes it unique!

Happy crafting!

Our unique Deer Antler Clock!