SnipFold

Civic Clock Tower

A square civic tower with a physical indexed dial and fixed hands, an open four-window belfry, overhanging decks and a pointed copper-colored roof.

Materials

  • 200-240 gsm cardstock
  • PVA glue
  • Scissors
  • Craft knife and cutting mat
  • Ruler and blunt scoring tool
  • Pencil
  • Tweezers

Finished size: 80 x 80 x 180 mm; shaft 44 mm square; belfry 32 mm square

Steps

CutValley foldMountain foldGlue area

  1. Cut and score

    Print at 100% actual size. Cut all 19 pieces, keeping tabs. Remove the twelve small index windows from C and the 16 x 16 mm openings in L1-L4 before cutting outside edges. Score all dashed tab roots. Printed wall faces are interiors; dial and hands face outward.

  2. Assemble the static dial

    On the exterior of W1 mark a center 22 mm from either side and 87 mm above its bottom. Glue C centered there, with one index at twelve. Glue the whole back of M pointing upward and H pointing right, both centered at that mark. Add K over the hand roots. This permanently displays 3:00; no pivot, mechanism or moving hands is supplied. Let dry flat.

  3. Fold shaft tabs

    Valley-fold all W1-W4 tabs inward 90 degrees with printed interior toward you. Bottom and top tabs are 5 mm deep, with 36 mm roots; the right seam tab is 5 mm deep with a 104 mm root. Ends have 4 mm relief and 2 mm bevels. Keep the main 44 x 112 mm panels flat.

  4. Join square shaft

    Glue the right tab of W1 behind the left edge of W2, W2 behind W3, W3 behind W4, then W4 behind W1. Use the full 5 mm overlap and align all bottoms. Hold corners at 90 degrees; the shaft is 44 mm square with a 62.23 mm diagonal. Press seams through the open ends and allow to set.

  5. Attach the upper deck first

    Apply glue to the upward-facing top tabs. Center D on the shaft at height 112 mm, leaving 5 mm overhang on each side. Press from inside through the still-open bottom. Dry before proceeding.

  6. Anchor the foundation

    Mark a centered 44 mm square on B, inset 18 mm from every edge. Glue the downward-facing bottom tabs to B inside this square. Keep the tower upright and the foundation flat while drying; the inward feet occupy a 5 mm band inside the shaft.

  7. Form the open belfry

    Valley-fold all L tabs inward 90 degrees: 5 mm deep, 24 mm roots at top and bottom, 22 mm roots on right seams. Join L1 to L2 to L3 to L4 to L1 with 5 mm corner overlaps, keeping the four 8 mm-wide window piers straight. The windows run from 8 to 24 mm above the deck. Let the 32 mm square tube set.

  8. Support and cap the belfry

    First glue E onto the L top tabs, centered with an 8 mm overhang on every side; press from the open bottom. After drying, glue the L bottom tabs to D in a centered 32 mm square, inset 11 mm from the deck edges. Press feet through the real window openings with tweezers. E now sits at 142 mm height and supports the roof.

  9. Fold roof seams

    The four roof triangles have 48 mm eaves, 44.944 mm face altitude and 50.951 mm rising edges. With printed interior up, fold each 4 mm eave tab inward by 122.28 degrees from flat, and each right rising-edge tab inward by 73.43 degrees from flat. Each seam root stops 4 mm before its ends; bevels retreat another 2 mm. Dry-fit before gluing.

  10. Join pointed roof

    Glue the right rising-edge tab of R1 under R2, R2 under R3, R3 under R4, and R4 under R1, each with 4 mm overlap. Match full edges and all four tips at one apex. Keep the underside open for finger or tweezer access; dry the shell with a square 48 mm footprint and 38 mm rise.

  11. Seat roof and cure

    Glue the downward-facing roof eave tabs onto the top of E, matching the four 48 mm eaves to its perimeter. The apex is at 180 mm above B. Hold lightly at the eaves until set, then cure upright on a level surface. Handle by the foundation, not the spire. Physical printing, assembly and stability remain pending.

Notes

The 3D model shows each piece in its finished, idealized shape; the exploded view only spreads the pieces apart. It is not a paper-physics simulation: curved shapes are forming guides, not exact physical folding or proof of developability, and intermediate fold shapes are not supplied.