Francine Hudson on wed 20 aug 97
I'm posting this for a friend who doesn't have e-mail access. He is looking
for a used treadle wheel. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and would
have a wheel shipped if there is nothing in the area. Please e-mail me
directly at bobogee@aol.com. Thanks.
Hi Sue Whitmore if you are still on clayart. I'm planning on going up to
Ukiah in the next couple weeks and I want to stop by and see Larry. Do you
have his number? Did you see the pots out of Mary's first soda firing? they
were gorgeous.
Francine
Justin M. Smith on tue 10 feb 98
I'm a student at Fresno City College and a small numeber of students are
interested in building a English treadle wheel such as the one Benard
Lech uses. The only plans we could find were in The book "The Pieneer
Potter" and the plans are sketchy at best. Does anyone know where we
can get detailed plans for the treadle wheel?
Justin M. Smith
Genesis Clay Works
47387 Foxfire Dr.
O'Neals, Ca 93645
ibpede@sierranet.net
Gari Whelon on wed 11 feb 98
Hi folks:
If anyone does have/know where to get the plans , please post the info to
the list.
Thanx
Gari
ingoAt 01:09 PM 2/10/98 EST, Justin M. Smith wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I'm a student at Fresno City College and a small numeber of students are
>interested in building a English treadle wheel such as the one Benard
>Lech uses. The only plans we could find were in The book "The Pieneer
>Potter" and the plans are sketchy at best. Does anyone know where we
>can get detailed plans for the treadle wheel?
>
>Justin M. Smith
>Genesis Clay Works
>47387 Foxfire Dr.
>O'Neals, Ca 93645
>ibpede@sierranet.net
>
>
tim on fri 20 feb 98
See if you can find "The Self-Reliant Potter" by Andrew Holden. The
book was published in 1984 by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. It has
excellent drawings and pictures of a treadle wheel
Tim Maddux
somewhere near Hollister, Mo
On Tue, 10 Feb 1998 13:09:47 EST, "Justin M. Smith"
wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I'm a student at Fresno City College and a small numeber of students are
>interested in building a English treadle wheel such as the one Benard
>Lech uses. The only plans we could find were in The book "The Pieneer
>Potter" and the plans are sketchy at best. Does anyone know where we
>can get detailed plans for the treadle wheel?
>
>Justin M. Smith
>Genesis Clay Works
>47387 Foxfire Dr.
>O'Neals, Ca 93645
>ibpede@sierranet.net
Dave Murphy on fri 17 nov 00
Jeff Lawrence said" I am developing a slight tic remmbering the =
experience" or something to that effect. I laughed. Hard. Thanks, =
Jeff. My students find the same thing with the two kickwheels that I =
insist they rotate through. Now they actually compete to see who can =
trim on them and some really like the pots that they throw on them.
Barbara Murphy
Lee Love on sat 15 aug 09
On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 10:56 PM, Johanna San
Inocencio wrote:
> Warren MacKenzie using a treadle wheel:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DWqTSCaqvV1s
> Does anyone here use this style of wheel consistently? If so, what do
> you like about it? what would you consider its drawbacks?
>
> Has anyone tried this style of wheel and not liked it?
>
> Can anyone compare the experience of using a treadle style wheel
> compared with a kick wheel?
I bought an orignal Woodley, made in Devon from MacKenzie. I like
it very much, The noise is like a rocking chair. I work in high
fire and earthenware and do all my earthenware on the treadle. My
other wheels are a student type Leach wheel, a Shimpo Gold and a
Korean style wooden kickwheel I brought with me from japan. Next to
the Korean wheel, the Leach is my favorite.
If you spend a lot of time on this saddle seat, you will want to
pad it. It is great for trimmming on. I think the posture is
better than most kickwheel setups.
Lee Love, Minneapolis
"The tea ceremony bowl is the ceramic equivalent of a sonnet: a
small-scale, seemingly constricted form that challenges the artist to
go beyond mere technical virtuosity and find an approach that both
satisfies and transcends the conventions." -- Rob Sliberman
full essay: http://togeika.multiply.com/journal/item/273/
Leonard Burch on sun 16 aug 09
Johanna,
This is the one I still use today.
Vince Pitelka on sun 16 aug 09
Johanna San Inocencio asked about treadle wheels:
"Does anyone here use this style of wheel consistently? If so, what do
you like about it? what would you consider its drawbacks?
Has anyone tried this style of wheel and not liked it?
Can anyone compare the experience of using a treadle style wheel
compared with a kick wheel?"
Johanna -
The English treadle wheel had a big impact on the northern Midwestern studi=
o
pottery aesthetic - the Mingei-Sota movement started by Warren Mackenzie an=
d
fueled by Linda Christenson, Randy Johnston, and so many others. People
often talk about an aesthetic arising from "soft clay on a slow wheel," and
I think that much of that aesthetic comes from the Leach-style treadle
wheel. The wheel never goes fast. You learn to work at a fairly constant
speed for all parts of the throwing process, and this inevitably shows in
the results. It is possible to do absolutely symmetrical production pots o=
n
a Leach treadle wheel, but I don't know why anyone would ever choose such a
wheel for that objective.
Much of the appeal and results of the treadle wheel have to do with the
soft, steady, rhythmic movement as you gently swing your foot back and fort=
h
to provide motive power. It is considerably less "athletic" than the
movement required to sustain a kick wheel. Potters who use the treadle
wheel sometimes talk about being more physically and intimately connected t=
o
the wheel and to the pots created on it.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
Steve Mills on sun 16 aug 09
To add to Lee's comments. I spent my first 12 years of production working o=
n a Woodley, and yes I padded the seat!
I also added a "Bum Stop"(something that I have subsequently attached to ev=
ery wheel I've owned) which held me firmly in place and took a lot of the s=
train off my back.
Think about it: you are leaning into the clay, using applied body weight, n=
ot muscle (as you should!), and your backside is trying hard to travel in t=
he opposite direction. So you have a double strain on your back. Put a "Bum=
Stop" in place and bingo....no strain. :-)
Steve
Bath
UK
________________________________
From: Lee Love
To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 4:14:36 AM
Subject: Re: treadle wheel
On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 10:56 PM, Johanna San
Inocencio wrote:
> Warren MacKenzie using a treadle wheel:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DWqTSCaqvV1s
> Does anyone here use this style of wheel consistently? If so, what do
> you like about it? what would you consider its drawbacks?
>
> Has anyone tried this style of wheel and not liked it?
>
> Can anyone compare the experience of using a treadle style wheel
> compared with a kick wheel?
I bought an orignal Woodley, made in Devon from MacKenzie. I like
it very much, The noise is like a rocking chair. I work in high
fire and earthenware and do all my earthenware on the treadle. My
other wheels are a student type Leach wheel, a Shimpo Gold and a
Korean style wooden kickwheel I brought with me from japan. Next to
the Korean wheel, the Leach is my favorite.
If you spend a lot of time on this saddle seat, you will want to
pad it. It is great for trimmming on. I think the posture is
better than most kickwheel setups.
Lee Love, Minneapolis
Johanna San Inocencio on sun 16 aug 09
--=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3DAVGMAIL-3D7E5BDD=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=3DISO-8859-1; format=3Dflowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
I'm having a little trouble visualizing. Would this "bum stop" be
somewhat wedge like?
Johanna
"A man is as free as he chooses to make himself,
never an atom freer."
The Raven, Lillith by George MacDonald
Steve Mills wrote:
> To add to Lee's comments. I spent my first 12 years of production working=
on a Woodley, and yes I padded the seat!
> I also added a "Bum Stop"(something that I have subsequently attached to =
every wheel I've owned) which held me firmly in place and took a lot of the=
strain off my back.
>
> Think about it: you are leaning into the clay, using applied body weight,=
not muscle (as you should!), and your backside is trying hard to travel in=
the opposite direction. So you have a double strain on your back. Put a "B=
um Stop" in place and bingo....no strain. :-)
>
> Steve
> Bath
> UK
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Lee Love
> To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 4:14:36 AM
> Subject: Re: treadle wheel
>
> On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 10:56 PM, Johanna San
> Inocencio wrote:
>
>
>> Warren MacKenzie using a treadle wheel:
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DWqTSCaqvV1s
>>
>
>
>> Does anyone here use this style of wheel consistently? If so, what do
>> you like about it? what would you consider its drawbacks?
>>
>> Has anyone tried this style of wheel and not liked it?
>>
>> Can anyone compare the experience of using a treadle style wheel
>> compared with a kick wheel?
>>
>
> I bought an orignal Woodley, made in Devon from MacKenzie. I like
> it very much, The noise is like a rocking chair. I work in high
> fire and earthenware and do all my earthenware on the treadle. My
> other wheels are a student type Leach wheel, a Shimpo Gold and a
> Korean style wooden kickwheel I brought with me from japan. Next to
> the Korean wheel, the Leach is my favorite.
>
> If you spend a lot of time on this saddle seat, you will want to
> pad it. It is great for trimmming on. I think the posture is
> better than most kickwheel setups.
>
>
>
> Lee Love, Minneapolis
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
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> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
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Lee Love on sun 16 aug 09
On Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 5:02 PM, Steve
Mills wrote:
> Amen!
I'll try making a stop on my wheel seat.
--
Lee Love, Minneapolis
"The tea ceremony bowl is the ceramic equivalent of a sonnet: a
small-scale, seemingly constricted form that challenges the artist to
go beyond mere technical virtuosity and find an approach that both
satisfies and transcends the conventions." -- Rob Sliberman
full essay: http://togeika.multiply.com/journal/item/273/
David on mon 17 aug 09
I have heard many people say or write that it is difficult to
throw perfectly centered pots on the treadle wheel. ... or
that the use of a treadle wheel encourages wobbly pots.
It's just not true.
I have never had any problem throwing perfectly centered
pots on my Denton Vars side treadle wheel. Some pots go
off center on purpose, some others by accident ... or when
pushing the clay to it's limits.
Throwing a perfectly centered pot on the treadle wheel just
requires bracing one's arms against splash pan & the motion
of the treadle leg will not be translated into the body & arms.
For many years, I attached bats to the un-drilled wheel head
with a disk of clay. A few years ago, I carefully drilled the
head and added bat pins that make it more convenient.
David
David Berg
dberg2@att.net
david@bergstoneware.com
http://bergstoneware.com/
Des & Jan Howard on mon 17 aug 09
Steve
I put a 'bum stop' on each of our treadle wheels.
Trying to hang onto the flat, (but felt like a
cheesecutter), seat with inner thigh muscles got a bit
wearing. Eventually the throwing wheel seat was
replaced with a perforated metal Fordson Major tractor
seat.
Des
Steve Mills wrote:
> I also added a "Bum Stop"(something that I have
> subsequently attached to every wheel I've owned)
> which held me firmly in place and took a lot
> of the strain off my back.
--
Des & Jan Howard
Lue Pottery
Lue NSW
Australia
2850
02 6373 6419
www.luepottery.hwy.com.au
-32.656072 149.840624
Des & Jan Howard on mon 17 aug 09
Vince
I'm there with you mate...
I left a fair bit of skin on that seat!
Love that wheel, but using it under the conditions
we had, led to permanent knee problems
& I'm now exiled to the electric.
Ahh...I have been known to sit at the treadle
& look productive for photo shoots :)
Des
Vince Pitelka wrote:
> Potters who use the treadle
> wheel sometimes talk about being more
> physically and intimately connected to
> the wheel and to the pots created on it.
--
Des & Jan Howard
Lue Pottery
Lue NSW
Australia
2850
02 6373 6419
www.luepottery.hwy.com.au
-32.656072 149.840624
Doug Trott on tue 18 aug 09
That brings up another variation - the height of the "splash pan" compared
to the height of the wheel head. Mine is relatively short, and so I haven'=
t
found a way to brace my arm against it - I have to dig my elbow into my
right side. The silver lining is that it allows me to use bats larger than
the splash plan (I still need one smaller bat underneath, with the larger
stacked on top). I've used treadle wheels in which I had to stack three or
four bats in order to make a large platter.
So yes, I do find it difficult to throw perfectly centered pots on my wheel
compared to others I've used. Really.
Doug
On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 7:39 PM, David wrote:
> I have heard many people say or write that it is difficult to
> throw perfectly centered pots on the treadle wheel. ... or
> that the use of a treadle wheel encourages wobbly pots.
> It's just not true.
> ...
> Throwing a perfectly centered pot on the treadle wheel just
> requires bracing one's arms against splash pan & the motion
> of the treadle leg will not be translated into the body & arms.
> ...
>
Lee Love on tue 18 aug 09
On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 12:23 PM, Doug Trott wrote:
> stacked on top). =3DA0I've used treadle wheels in which I had to stack th=
re=3D
e or
> four bats in order to make a large platter.
The Woodley only needs one extra bat. One of the advantages of having
a wheelhead lower than the platform is that it is easy to put boards
over it to use as a table surface. My school treadle is on the
porch with a tarp and board on top and has plants on it.
--
Lee Love, Minneapolis
"The tea ceremony bowl is the ceramic equivalent of a sonnet: a
small-scale, seemingly constricted form that challenges the artist to
go beyond mere technical virtuosity and find an approach that both
satisfies and transcends the conventions." -- Rob Sliberman
full essay: http://togeika.multiply.com/journal/item/273/
douglas fur on tue 18 aug 09
Johanna San Inocencio wrote:
>
> 1. Does anyone here use this style of wheel consistently? If so, what
> doyou like about it? what would you consider its drawbacks?
> 2. Has anyone tried this style of wheel and not liked it?
> 3. Can anyone compare the experience of using a treadle style wheel
> compared with a kick wheel?
>
> Here's my contribution
Our nervous system notices change and becomes acclimated to stasis (The
classic from psych 101 tells how people who lived near niagra falls were
startled awake by silence when ice jams blocked the falls. They'd become
acclimated to sleep through the constant noise but when the noise changed t=
o
silence they awoke. You can't say the silence awoke them as it is an absenc=
e
of sound- not a stimulus in itself.)
The point being that with a treadle wheel you get input on the wheel's spee=
d
twice per revolution through the ever changing back and forth of your leg.
Also this input comes to your kinesthetic sense- your body's unconscious
sense of where it is and how its moving.
With other wheels you're disconected from that sense. You may be indirectly
concious of your wheel's speed by hearing its noise but you have to
translate that noise to speed via a thought process.
I built my wheel as a 4/5 size copy of the wheel shown in *Pioneer
Pottery*in 1969/1970. It has a 30" diameter flywheel with 10-15 lbs
of lead in 5
pieces near the rim.
Currently I have it up on concrete blocks and use it as a stand up wheel to
my back's relief.
My most comfortable seat was shaped like a mail box with the two arched end=
s
and bottom of plywood and canvas stapled on- imagine a conestoga wagon.
There was enough give in the canvas for it to conform to the body.
These wheels seem to promote either "Why would you use anything else?" or a
"Why would you use one?" reaction. I'm of the first response.
DRB
Seattle
>
>
Lorraine Pierce on tue 18 aug 09
Hi all, years and years ago (when I was a newbie) I threw on an old German
style Kickwheel...the most comfortable I have ever used. One braced one's
forearms for support on a sturdy dowel permanently attached across the
splash box; as I remember the wooden board-seat had a pitch of about two
inches and ran from side to side. Ones feet were braced on another wooden
board which crossed the the wheel and pitched at an angle that prevented
falling into the wheel as you kicked. Painted bright shiny white and
enormous! I loved it. Another Bauhaus teacher escaping Hitler (Boston
YWCA). 1940'S Lori Pierce in Orange Park, Fl.
On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 8:39 PM, David wrote:
> I have heard many people say or write that it is difficult to
> throw perfectly centered pots on the treadle wheel. ... or
> that the use of a treadle wheel encourages wobbly pots.
> It's just not true.
>
> I have never had any problem throwing perfectly centered
> pots on my Denton Vars side treadle wheel. Some pots go
> off center on purpose, some others by accident ... or when
> pushing the clay to it's limits.
>
> Throwing a perfectly centered pot on the treadle wheel just
> requires bracing one's arms against splash pan & the motion
> of the treadle leg will not be translated into the body & arms.
>
> For many years, I attached bats to the un-drilled wheel head
> with a disk of clay. A few years ago, I carefully drilled the
> head and added bat pins that make it more convenient.
>
> David
>
> David Berg
> dberg2@att.net
> david@bergstoneware.com
> http://bergstoneware.com/
>
Steve Mills on tue 18 aug 09
Doug,
I set my treadle bar height so that I was pivoting the kicking leg at the k=
nee not the hip, that way I had almost zero body movement as the upper part=
of my leg was virtually still. The other advantage was that when not apply=
ing pressure to the wheelhead I could maintain momentum without effort. Lik=
e yours my seat was tilted, but I found the Bum Stop essential when centeri=
ng, because it allowed me to lean into the clay without strain AND maintain=
momentum.
Now, for those wondering why I'm not using one now; I went to Electric whe=
n my production started to really take off, but I committed the Cardinal Si=
n of not "training down" my kicking leg, with the result that I began to ha=
ve major problems with the knee, which was finally cured by a prosthetic jo=
int and adjusting the tendons in 05.
I still miss my Leach Wheel though.
Steve
Bath
UK
________________________________
From: Doug Trott
To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 11:05:42 PM
Subject: Re: treadle wheel
I use a treadle exclusively. It has some pros and cons, but I would not us=
e
anything else (I tried electric a few times; haven't tried a kick wheel).
It's hard to center or throw perfectly symmetrically, as one's body is
constantly in motion. Some centering techniques use the left hand as a sor=
t
of "anvil," which makes sense, but on a treadle wheel I have to use my
right, as my right side is moving less. So I have to be conscious of
avoiding wrist strain when centering. Also, since I'm not leaning over the
clay, I can't use my weight as much to help center. Often, treadle wheel
heads are not drilled for bat pins, so one has to use a disk of clay. I
don't find that to be a big deal at all, and I frequently use
non-traditional bats anyway.
Various models have the seats either parallel to the floor or slanted up.
The latter are more comfortable and likely will not require a bum stop. Yo=
u
might want to add padding, especially if the seat is narrow.
Doug
On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 10:56 PM, Johanna San Inocencio <
johannasan@frontiernet.net> wrote:
> ... Does anyone here use this style of wheel consistently? If so, what do
> you like about it? what would you consider its drawbacks?
>
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