Sundial From Scrap Wood

How to make a sundial from two pieces of wood found in a trash can

Get a sturdy piece of Plywood. I found mine in a nearby trash can

Cut a circle out of the wood. Mine is about 8 inches but you can make it any size you want.

With another piece of wood, cut it at the angle of your latitude. For example my latitude of my location was 34, so i cut the stand at 34 degrees.To find your latitude just look up Latitude Longitude calculator. (use the latitude part though)

The reason you need your latitude is so it will be parallel to earths axis. If you use any random number, your sundial will be off time.

Glue a straight sturdy object to the center of your circle this will be the Gnomon of the sundial

A Gnomon is the piece of a sundial that when the sun hits it, it projects a shadow onto the sundial

Now look up and print out a Equitorial Sundial guide. Use this to draw the guide line onto your sundial.

Here is an example of a equatorial sundial guide, Used by permission of The University of Texas McDonald Observatory.
http://stardate.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/teachers/EquatorialSundial.pdf
 

Stain the Wood

Retrace the lines and Paint numbers onto your sundial. From left to right go 6,5,4,3,2,1,12,11,10,9,8,7,6 and now your done!

Place the sundial with the Gnomon facing TRUE north, not magnetic north.

If you placed the Gnomon facing true north, when the sun hits the gnomon it will cast a shadow on the numbers on the sundial. The numbers correspond with the time.