His great (big) grandfather -- Winning project won't be making trip to State Fair

Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Lance Basgall, the 19-year-old son of Tom and Alexiis Basgall, stands beside the walnut grandfather clock that won the senior division of woodworking at the Rawlins County Fair in Atwood. (Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Daily Gazette)

ATWOOD -- Lance Basgall's grandfather clock won "Grand Champion" in 4-H's senior division woodworking competition at the Rawlins County fair in Atwood, yet he doesn't plan to exhibit it at the state fair.

Lance will be attending college at that time, he said, and to haul the clock case and all its parts takes up all but the driver's seat of the van. "And it all weighs, oh, probably 300 to 400 pounds," he said. "It's not easy to move."

Lance drew up plans for the massive clock in his head. There aren't many plans on paper, he said, and it definitely didn't come from a kit.

Lance said he has seen clocks similar to this one, with shelves behind the pendulum. But, he said, he went one step farther and designed the shelves around the swinging brass pendulum.

The clock was his woodworking project at high school, with teacher Randy Leitner. "This was to be my senior project with my teacher, Lyle Springer, but he died in an accident two years ago," Lance said.

Once the clock is set up in his mother's living room, it won't be going anywhere very soon. "You don't just move it around," Lance said, because of the weight and the very delicate pendulum movement and gears. "And it takes about two hours to set up," he laughed.

Lance's younger brother, Drew, won reserve champion woodworking at the fair, with his mirror with a curio shelf.

Lance is a spring graduate of Herndon High School and plans to study mechanical engineering -- not woodworking -- at Kansas State University this fall.

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