Carol Seanez on fri 20 sep 96
Hi Clayarters!
It's getting to be thesis time at IUP (no not the Institute for Ugly
People!), Indiana University of Pennsylvania...anyway, a fellow grad. student
is going to be building his own wheel, acquiring parts from the local junk
yard, as part of his process. I told him I would shoot an inquiry out to you
all to see if any of you have had success at building your own wheels (he's
not on-line, bummer).
Do any of you want to give any advice or comments? Or, would that be
cheating him out of the pain and struggle that one has to go through in
researching all parts in order to write his thesis, and show? I'm all for
helping him out.
Give a holler! Thanks.
Carol Seanez
Mary Hays on sat 21 sep 96
Carol,
I've put together my own wheel, but did not aquire parts thru a junk yard,
but ordered most parts and then assembled, saving $300. Parts needed are
wheel head, bearing hub assembly, control box, bw/pedal & motor, drive
pulley. I made my own table out of plywood, sealed, and used 3 pipe
anchors1&1/2", 1&1/2" pipes for the legs. Assembly is incredibly easy. If I
can do it, anyone can. Brent is who I ordered most parts from, the rest at
local hardware store. Good Luck, hope this info helps.
Phil Davenport on sun 22 sep 96
Carol:
Try finding a book titled "Pottery Worksop" by Charles Counts or another
book would by "Pioneer Pottery" by Michael Cardew. Both have plans for
potter's wheels. The kick wheel I built came from the Pottery Workshop
book and I modified the plans to fit by size .
Good Luck!!
Phil Davenport
Garland, Texas
On Fri, 20 Sep 1996, Carol Seanez wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hi Clayarters!
>
> It's getting to be thesis time at IUP (no not the Institute for Ugly
> People!), Indiana University of Pennsylvania...anyway, a fellow grad. student
> is going to be building his own wheel, acquiring parts from the local junk
> yard, as part of his process. I told him I would shoot an inquiry out to you
> all to see if any of you have had success at building your own wheels (he's
> not on-line, bummer).
>
> Do any of you want to give any advice or comments? Or, would that be
> cheating him out of the pain and struggle that one has to go through in
> researching all parts in order to write his thesis, and show? I'm all for
> helping him out.
>
> Give a holler! Thanks.
>
> Carol Seanez
>
Sue Davis on sun 22 sep 96
Hey out there, glad to see someone else made the wheel from the Charles
Counts' book, "Pottery Workshop". I used this wheel for years and found it
to be one of the best. The wheel head was made out of hardwood and turned on
a lathe. Loved the wood wheel head better than my commercial wheel.
stephen on fri 8 oct 99
I would like some opinions on wheels speeds. I'm making a motorized potters
wheel. If I make it with only one speed what RPM would I get by with?
If I could change between three speeds would these be most usefull? They are
72,124,and 183 RPMs. The Idea is to change the v belt onto different
pullys,like a drillpress. And just use an on off switch.
So, to sum up. Do I want three speeds or one. If one,then what RPM. If
three,then are these about right? I'm so new to this art that I don't have
experience to draw from.
Thanks,Steve Yahn
David Bradley on sat 9 oct 99
Steve,
I worked in a pottery factory in E. Texas that has been around for over
100 years now, and they build their own wheels using variable sheaves. This
is the pulley connected to the motor via a belt and which turns the wheelhead
shaft. You turn a crank on the base of the AC motor which moves it towards or
away from the sheave. The variable sheave is spring loaded and as the motor
moves away from the sheave it pulls the belt down between the halves of the
sheave, thus making it turn faster. If you move the motor towards the sheave,
the belt moves away from the center of the sheave, making it move slower. So,
if one had to make 3 lb. dog dishes one had the speed set higher than if one
had to make 29 lb. butter churns. You just can't adjust the speed as you
worked, you just had an on/off foot pedal to disengage the motor from the
drive (like a clutch on a car). Once you get used to working at one speed for
the whole process of throwing a pot it is easy, it makes you fly thru the
clay, I'll tell you!
The three speeds you mentioned might work fine, but you might be
frustrated at not being able to adjust it anymore than that, although I
remember using two-speed Amaco wheels in college alright, so go for it, it's
amazing what people can do given the difficulties overcome everyday!
David Bradley
Phoenix, Arizona
davlbradly@cs.com
Bob Wicks on sun 10 oct 99
Steve:
I have a home made wheel that I made using step-up pulleys an I use 200 RPM
for every thing. I put a micro switch on the right top edge so to turn it
off momentarily, I just lower my arm. When I lift my arm, it starts up
again. I find that this works well for most purposes. I never change the
belt to a different speed.
Bob
Ben Shelton on sun 10 oct 99
You want variable speed and it is hard to mak at home, Look at a lockerbie
for some direction or just try to buy a Brent.
-----Original Message-----
From: stephen
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Date: Friday, October 08, 1999 11:09 AM
Subject: homemade wheel
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I would like some opinions on wheels speeds. I'm making a motorized potters
wheel. If I make it with only one speed what RPM would I get by with?
If I could change between three speeds would these be most usefull? They are
72,124,and 183 RPMs. The Idea is to change the v belt onto different
pullys,like a drillpress. And just use an on off switch.
So, to sum up. Do I want three speeds or one. If one,then what RPM. If
three,then are these about right? I'm so new to this art that I don't have
experience to draw from.
Thanks,Steve Yahn
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