How to Make Egg Timer Stands

Egg timer stands support the hourglass as the sands fall.

If you have broken an authentic hourglass egg timer stand, but the hourglass timer bulb is still intact, you can create a new stand and have your old-fashioned gauge handy for your next boiled egg. The most important aspect of the egg timer is that it holds the hourglass in place vertically. If the hourglass is slanted to the left or the right, the sand of the hourglass may run at an incorrect pace. The salt or sand in a good egg timer is measured to run for three minutes; when the time is up, you will have perfect three-minute eggs as long as the timer bulb is vertically placed in your new egg timer stand.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Hacksaw
• Sandpaper
• 1/4-inch dowels
• Maple wood
• Band saw
• Vise
• 1/4-inch drill bit
• Router
• Stain
• Brush
• Wood glue
• Resin compound

Instructions

1. Measure the total length of your egg timer from top to bottom. Add 1/4 inch to the measurement and cut four dowels to that length.

2. Sand the tops and bottoms of the dowels so you have a clean top and bottom. Use a fine-grain, 250-grit sandpaper.

3. Cut out two identical square piece of wood that are approximately 2 inches wider that the width of your hourglass. You can use a band saw or table saw to get a clean cut.

4. Sand down the edges of the two squares with sandpaper to prevent any splintering.

5. Put both pieces of wood together in a vise and drill straight through the four corners of both pieces of wood using a 1/4-inch drill bit. Drill the holes about 1/2 inch from the side of the corners to prevent cracking.

6. Use a router to cut a small rounded groove equal to the size and shape of the top and bottom of the hourglass into the top and the bottom square bases. You will have to measure the top of the hourglass and choose the appropriately sized router extensions.

7. Stain all of the wood by brushing the stain onto the wood. Use a stain of your choice and let the wood dry according to the directions on the can of stain.

8. Place the dowels into the four holes of one of the square blocks. Place a small amount of wood glue on the bottom of the dowels to ensure that the dowels stay in place. Use a hammer to lightly pound the dowels into place if you need to.

9. Attach the top square onto the four dowels that are sticking up from the bottom square.

10. Place the egg timer inside the stand and glue it in place using a resin compound.

11. Apply glue to the top of the dowels sticking up from the base and push down on the top square until a secure fit is achieved. Then, sand down the part of the dowel that is sticking out of the base.

12. Apply a final coat of stain and allow your stand to dry.

References

• Rochester Institute of Technology: The Hourglass