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wheel speed

updated wed 2 nov 11

 

Richard Schenz on tue 24 jun 97

Question concerning Logread:

I am new to Clayart - as well as pottery. I have been lurking for a few
weeks now and am amazed at the extent of help available here. So far I have
been working on the wheel at our local Sun City Clay Club, and watching the
Steve Jepson tapes. Also, I signed up for classes at the Pima County
Recreation Center with Martha Hammond. We do cone 5 oxidation at Sun city
and cone 10 redution at the County site. (That sure spoils you!)

Recently, I visited another class given by the City of Tucson. There the
instructor was having the students set the wheel speed to a fairly low
speed, (at least to me), and keep that same speed for centering and all the
rest of the time. What could the reason be? Are there two schools of thought
on throwing? or more?

Also, a friend told me about the program "Logread" which I downloaded and
installed. I couldn't get it to work properly with the Clayart digests enven
though it worked fine with the test file. I am using Eudora and it must be
doing something to the seperators. I also have an account on AOL, for other
reasons, and tried it there. It worked just fine with the AOL files. I
really want to make it work with Eudora since it is my main system.

I did save the file and then open it in Microsoft Word, resaved it as a text
file, but no go.

Any help concerning this would be appreciated.

Richard Schenz rschenz@primenet.com
http://www.primenet.com/~rschenz/

Cindy on wed 25 jun 97

Richard,

Common wisdom says to center at top speed, but you don't have to. If you
feel out of control, slow down the wheel. Some wheels' top speed is faster
than others'. Generally, I prefer a fairly high speed for centering, but
occasionally, especially with larger amounts of clay on a powerful wheel, I
will slow it down a bit. Do what is comfortable and what works for you.

In the later stages of throwing, it is important to go slower, for the
simple reason that centrifugal force will cause your pot to expand (often
more than you had planned). Spin slowly enough to be in control, and don't
forget that the slower you spin, the slower you must raise the walls (in
order to give your fingers/knuckles/whatever time to contact the whole
circumference of the pot before moving upward).

Cindy

Louis Katz on wed 25 jun 97

One of the problems people encounter when learning to throw is judging
wheel speed. One way to avoid this problem is to at least make sure that
it is never too fast. Centering at a slow speed teaches very good habits
concerning removing ones hands slowly. It is important to realize that
teaching requires different approaches by different teachers. Just like
students, teachers have needs, and a method that one teacher uses
effectively might not work for another teacher.
Louis

Louis Katz
Texas A&M University Corpus Campus
lkatz@falcon.tamucc.edu
http://www.tamucc.edu/~lkatz

James Henry Gorman on fri 27 jun 97

Wheel head speed is important because it sets the rhythm!
my wheel speed always stays the same as long as i'm making
the same form with the same amount of clay example #1 mugs
will not be the same speed as a#8 bowl(slower) I have been
teaching for a long time and i hate to see my students trying
to go as they can !! then they wonder how they come up with
all bowls( i mean when the wheel comes up with all bowls)
sure the better you get the faster you can go but faster is
not always better(best form at the best speed for YOU is
your wheelhead speed)

jim gorman

mel jacobson on mon 4 aug 03


when in japan, as i have noted before...
our wheels all went one speed, all day.
just on, off, and uchida had the on/off button.

it works great, and one learns to live with
it...in fact, we took off the pots as the
wheel moved.
it was a much slower speed than most americans
throw, or would consider throwing.
in fact, i think most all new potters throw with
the wheel spinning far too fast.

those brent's are set to go two million rpm and it is never
needed, never. too fast centering just kicks it back out
of center. that concept `top speed centering` is a fallacy.
i fix all i can to slow down.
easy, just adjust the speed under the foot pedal.
mel
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.TICK-ATTACK.COM

Michael Wendt on mon 4 aug 03


I must agree with Mel's comment about wheel speed. One of the reasons I
built my own wheel was I could make the speed ratio the way I wanted. My top
rpm rate is 200 rpm thanks to a 12.5:1 speed reducer and for larger wheels I
use 15:1 reduction for a top speed of 167 rpm. The torque is higher as a
result too.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
wendtpot@lewiston.com
mel wrote:
those brent's are set to go two million rpm and it is never
needed, never. too fast centering just kicks it back out
of center. that concept `top speed centering` is a fallacy.
i fix all i can to slow down.
easy, just adjust the speed under the foot pedal.
mel

Hendrix, Taylor J. on mon 4 aug 03


Well hell. I'm sure glad that I have been learning
on this here Lockerbie kick wheel then. I haven't
touched an electric in a good long while, and when I went=20
last to teacher's studio and threw it was on her Lockerbie.

Now, Mel, I do use the motor to speed up the wheel for
centering, but I have no idea if it is much slower than
teacher's Brent (no tachometer on them there wheels, don'cha know).
I do my best to then just throw with what momentum I have left
(small stuff). Sometimes, because I'm still a clumsy newbie,
I forget to take my foot off the gas and it is not until half-
way through my second pull that I realize, "Hey this clay is
climbing awfully fast." Duh.

If 'top speed' is not needed then I should try for slower, so
for us momentum kick wheelers, is slower centering possible
without kicking up more than once? And, are you talking cutting
off the moving wheel head or off the moving hump? I'm ready
to try that one!

-----Original Message-----
From: mel jacobson [mailto:melpots@PCLINK.COM]=20
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2003 7:47 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: wheel speed


when in japan, as i have noted before...
our wheels all went one speed, all day.
just on, off, and uchida had the on/off button.

...

mel jacobson on mon 4 aug 03


you cannot get a leg powered lockerbie to go
over speed for centering..you know what to do.
just fine.

i am referring to gobs of people that have a new
brent...it winds up like an airplane engine, racing
the `bendix`.

it goes so fast that they have no control.
one false move and the clay ball is in chicago.

it is really hard to center at full speed.

1/3 speed is just fine. it is torque that makes it
happen anyway....using your knee, against your arm...and
letting the leg power center. speed is not that important.

and throwing fast just ruins the pot.

if tony wants to make loppies, he should use a brent at
full speed....boy, that would be loppy.
makes my brain hurt.
mel
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.TICK-ATTACK.COM

psci_kw on mon 4 aug 03


----- Original Message -----
From: "mel jacobson"
To:
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2003 6:52 PM
Subject: wheel speed


snip
> it goes so fast that they have no control.
> one false move and the clay ball is in chicago.
snip

I need to try that! If I can make a ball of clay go from here to Chicago,
then I wonder what size wheel I would need to send a clay chair
(with me in it, holding perhaps a suitcase) to Vermont.
Let's see...
5 pounds of clay on a 36" wheel travelling at 250rpm throws the clay about
1800 miles, so to go that far with 250 pounds, I would need a wheel maybe
150 feet in diameter, travelling at 4500 rpm (exponential progression after
all.)
Do you folks in Paris still need that giant Ferris Wheel? And can I borrow
someone's
LearJet engine? And maybe a parachute? Oh, and some Dramamine...

Thanks Mel, I needed that! :>)

Wayne in KW
"Laughing and crying you know it's the same release..."
Joni Mitchel-- Court and Spark

claybair on tue 5 aug 03


Heh.... here I thought slowing down my wheel speed
was a sure sign of my impending old age.
Now I can stand tall (if being under 5 ft is considered tall)! :->
I've noticed a reduction the number of wheel speeds.
It seems I've settled into 2-3 speeds now.
I am a baby potter compared to most gurus... been at it only 7 years
and didn't start until I was 50.
Gayle Bair- So, when does this old age thing happen???
Perhaps I'm already there and don't know it!
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com

-----Original Message-----
From: mel jacobson

when in japan, as i have noted before...
our wheels all went one speed, all day.
just on, off, and uchida had the on/off button.

it works great, and one learns to live with
it...in fact, we took off the pots as the
wheel moved.
it was a much slower speed than most americans
throw, or would consider throwing.
in fact, i think most all new potters throw with
the wheel spinning far too fast.

those brent's are set to go two million rpm and it is never
needed, never. too fast centering just kicks it back out
of center. that concept `top speed centering` is a fallacy.
i fix all i can to slow down.
easy, just adjust the speed under the foot pedal.
mel
snip>

claybair on tue 5 aug 03


Mel wrote>
//you cannot get a leg powered lockerbie to go
over speed for centering..you know what to do.
just fine.

i am referring to gobs of people that have a new
brent...it winds up like an airplane engine, racing
the `bendix`.

it goes so fast that they have no control.
one false move and the clay ball is in chicago.//



Well I for one now feel safer knowing that even though I
do not have a gun I do have a weapon....... my wheel.
Some well trajectoried balls of clay should keep me and mine secure!
A clay catapult!

Gayle Bair - trying to control the urge to make
Mel tell us the good news sooner than tomorrow but alas I have
no blackmail material:-)

Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com

Ellen Dreksler on wed 6 aug 03


> Hi

I am the new kid on the block....I've been with you for about 3 weeks. Kid.. ? well, at 50 years old I have returned to my former love which was sculpting. (Life happened and I had to give it up for quite a few years)But I am back, at well, actually 51 yrs old.. and I am taking classes and find most are a bit younger and of course, younger than that....and I don't care...nor have I received any negative comments about being a late bloomer. I am perfectly comfortable with reconnecting with my former love at this late stage. I am continuing my sculpting classes at UCLA. I feel I grasp concepts and theory a whole lot quicker now than earlier because I have lived a life..and I am mentally quicker to respond. I enjoy the conversations on Clayart and have learned a lot from all of you. I enjoy getting to know you and your work which I admire... The reason for my writing is because I want to thank Lily and others regarding the wheel speed. Throwing is new to me and I was having a real hard time. (I also take a throwing class - yes, clay is my love and I have become obsessed) After reading Lily's comment about going slower, I was amazed at how much more control I have and I a

m not spinning clay into my fellow student's faces. I was able to make a beautiful jug because of this adjustmetn. I felt I just got over the "hump"
I am still not ready to give up my day job, hopefully soon though.. I apply for grants on behalf of scientists at a university.and Snail is correct. I deal with government agencies who need to give money away as do the profits and non-profits. Read their request for proposals carefully, addressing their criteria almost quite literally or calling them to find out what that is.. they are pretty nice and will stay on the phone to answer your questions and if you fail a few times - you have to keep on trying..it happens to the best of them.


So, Lily thank you .. Arti - wishes to you for a speedy recovery and even though I haven't read your emails, it sounds like that might be an interesting read when you return... and others thank you for I have learned so much from you. Wayne - good luck to you - I love Key west...

Hope to speak with you soon.

Best wishes,

Ellen
Santa Monica, CA

Imbolchottie@AOL.COM on sun 10 aug 03


Recently there was a thread on wheel speed - centering at a slower speed.
Lily wrote that she clocked herself at 60 and 80 (rotations per min.?), using
I think some sort of towel 'fluff'.

How do I clock the speed I'm throwing at?
I tried to calculate it in the studio yesterday and, yes, I'm a Bone Head, no
can do.

Any help is always appreciated.

The Glaze Quest continues, I'm getting sidetracked with reds but still
searching for that 3 solid base recipes to work from.

re: craft vs art? I practice my craft in order to pursue my art.

Jonathan in LA
whose senior cat graduated and lives slightly sadder for the time being.

Lily Krakowski on mon 11 aug 03


What I did was this.

1. I put a 12"bat on the wheel and put a little lump of clay at the edge. I
set the wheel speed at what I thought was the desirable speed. I took an
old electric alarm clock with a big second hand and clocked the number of
times the little ball of clay passed my extended index finger.

To make sure I wasn't fudging I left the speed set and threw an actual pot.
It was fine.

2. I stopped the wheel and put a new bat on. I then threw a bowl, using one
speed only. When the bowl was finished, and the wheel still running, I took
a little bunch of threads (the notorious "fuzzy") torn from a studio towel,
stuck it on the rim of the bowl, and again clocked as above....






Lili Krakowski
P.O. Box #1
Constableville, N.Y.
(315) 942-5916/ 397-2389

Be of good courage....

clennell on wed 5 nov 03


Sorry for being so hard on you Wayne. i was taught to throw at my uncles
pottery on a wheel with two speeds- on and off. The wheel was powered with a
washing machine motor. all novice throwers started on this wheel. i was paid
a nickel a piece for pansy pot lids. i managed to make $30 bucks a week. One
hundred a day, 6 days a week and that included time for this 10 year old kid
to spear frogs, feed the geese, play with the dog, pick and eat raspberries
and sleep on the roof with my uncle at lunchtime and just be a kid. Being a
kid with an uncle that was a real live potter gave me my middle name "Work".
cheers,
Tony


Tony and Sheila Clennell
Sour Cherry Pottery
4545 King Street
Beamsville, Ontario
CANADA L0R 1B1
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com

clennell@vaxxine.com

mel jacobson on sat 13 nov 04


i have been on a personal crusade to
have all electric wheel speed cut in half
at the factory. they go far too fast.

the high end speed is worthless.
in a school, almost all wheel accidents, flying
water buckets, blown apart pots come from
high end wheel speed. accidental pressing
of the foot pedal.

adjust your own wheel with the
buttons inside your foot pedal controller.

i notice that the new brent has a
rubber plug over the speed adjustment screw.

it takes just a few minutes.
turn the foot controller box over. unscrew
the screws, open up the box.
in most of them you will find a high speed
adjustment, and a start and stop adjustment.
turn the wheel to high speed and adjust the
speed adjuster screw to a sensible high end.
about half way down.
then turn it off, turn the other screw til it starts to move,
back off til it always stops. many of you use a wheel
that does not stop...it creeps.
fix it.

From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com

Michael Wendt on sat 13 nov 04


I second the notion of setting the high and low potentiometers on the wheel
to less than factory. My wheel's top speed is 175 rpm, far below the 250 rpm
factory settings of the Brents. People used to the faster wheels invariably
comment on how slowly my wheel turns. I use the top speed only for the
centering and first pull. After that, slowing down the wheel for each
successive pull gives such great touch I hardly ever collapse a wall on even
very tall or thin walled forms.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
USA
wendtpot@lewiston.com
www.wendtpottery.com
Mel wrote:
i have been on a personal crusade to
have all electric wheel speed cut in half
at the factory. they go far too fast.
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots

Louis Katz on mon 15 nov 04


I had a little wheel I made from a clock motor that turned at one rpm.=20=

Took a long time to make a pot. It was miserable if you insisted on=20
centering well. The sixty rpm wheel that came after it was a lot=20
better. Could make a pot in less than 60 revs nearly every time. Nice=20=

way to throw. I've stopped making wheels, but have been working on my=20
three arm record player. Still need to refinish the record player stand=20=

and ship it off for a show in Phoenix in January.
Louis

KE5CVK
Longitude: 97=B0 23' 46" W (-97.3961=B0)
Latitude: 27=B0 48' 1" N (27.8003=B0)
Grid: EL17
Monitors IRLP Node 3499 M-W at Approximately 01 UTC(GMT) to 03 UTC

Tom Sawyer on mon 15 nov 04


Mensa,

I disagree. There are some of us unscholed who like the range of speed. I
certainly agree that for most beginners the wheel speed is excessive; on the
other hand, I sometimes like to accelerate when I'm having trouble centering
a large piece and through brute force bring the damn thing back to center.
No one size shoe fits all people. If I were a teacher in a school, I would
agree but alas I am not. I remember when you visited me with my 250 glazes
[grin an exaceration], you changed my range of speed on my wheel. I worked
with the reduced speed and actually learned a lot. Maybe 6 months later I
traded in my Brent wheels for those wonderful Axner wheels and those
modulating controls were not present; if you ever visit again, you can't
change my wheel speed because I sometimes like the higher speeds. Still I
love you and think you mostly give good advice.


Tom Sawyer
tsawyer@cfl.rr.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of mel jacobson
Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 7:29 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: wheel speed

i have been on a personal crusade to
have all electric wheel speed cut in half at the factory. they go far too
fast.

the high end speed is worthless.
in a school, almost all wheel accidents, flying water buckets, blown apart
pots come from high end wheel speed. accidental pressing of the foot pedal.

adjust your own wheel with the
buttons inside your foot pedal controller.

i notice that the new brent has a
rubber plug over the speed adjustment screw.

it takes just a few minutes.
turn the foot controller box over. unscrew the screws, open up the box.
in most of them you will find a high speed adjustment, and a start and stop
adjustment.
turn the wheel to high speed and adjust the speed adjuster screw to a
sensible high end.
about half way down.
then turn it off, turn the other screw til it starts to move, back off til
it always stops. many of you use a wheel that does not stop...it creeps.
fix it.

From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com

____________________________________________________________________________
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org

You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/

Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.

Tom Sawyer on mon 15 nov 04


Zen

There is no right way.
There is no wrong way
There is only the way that satisfies

Zen [Tom Sawyer]

-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Michael Wendt
Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 8:56 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: wheel speed

I second the notion of setting the high and low potentiometers on the wheel
to less than factory. My wheel's top speed is 175 rpm, far below the 250 rpm
factory settings of the Brents. People used to the faster wheels invariably
comment on how slowly my wheel turns. I use the top speed only for the
centering and first pull. After that, slowing down the wheel for each
successive pull gives such great touch I hardly ever collapse a wall on even
very tall or thin walled forms.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
USA
wendtpot@lewiston.com
www.wendtpottery.com
Mel wrote:
i have been on a personal crusade to
have all electric wheel speed cut in half at the factory. they go far too
fast.
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots

____________________________________________________________________________
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org

You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/

Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.

pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on mon 15 nov 04


Hi Michael,



Yes...


Similarly, for occasions of Trimming, or when doing so with
sharp Tools anyway.

For Centuries, Potters used 'slow' Wheels...and, we may
presume ( or I do anyway) that they also used sharp Tools
for their Trimming.

Alacrity, does not like being rushed...


Phil
el ve

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Wendt"



> I second the notion of setting the high and low
potentiometers on the wheel
> to less than factory. My wheel's top speed is 175 rpm, far
below the 250 rpm
> factory settings of the Brents. People used to the faster
wheels invariably
> comment on how slowly my wheel turns. I use the top speed
only for the
> centering and first pull. After that, slowing down the
wheel for each
> successive pull gives such great touch I hardly ever
collapse a wall on even
> very tall or thin walled forms.
> Regards,
> Michael Wendt

claybair on tue 16 nov 04


Very interesting Lee.....

you wrote:
"If you pay attention to materials and tools, they will often
tell you what is appropriate. If we only force our preconceptions
on the objects, we are forgetting the rest of our tools."

Sooo this is why I have so many
kitchen, woodworking, art and various
other tools in my studio.

Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Lee Love

Tom Sawyer wrote:

>Zen
>
>There is no right way.
>There is no wrong way
>There is only the way that satisfies
>
Hummmm. ;^) From a Zen perspective, maybe "appropriate" is a
better term? Zen teachers are always telling us we can never be
"satisfied."

My late teacher used to use the example of the fish and the
lizard. He said that because they are different creatures, you have
to treat them differently. As lovingly as you might put a fish in a
desert or place and lizard in the sea, it will do neither of them any
good.

If you pay attention to materials and tools, they will often
tell you what is appropriate. If we only force our preconceptions
on the objects, we are forgetting the rest of our tools.

I heard a Professor (of neurology) talk about related
subjects today, James H. Austin, on NPR. Zen and the Brain is
his new book. You can read more about it here:
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?tid=3236&ttype=2

He has also published a book titled: *Chase, Chance, and
Creativity: The Lucky Art of Novelty, *which sounds very useful to
artists and other creative people. Short blurb: "Austin explores the
nature of the creative process, considering not only the environmental
and neurophysiological correlates of creativity but also the role of
intuition in both scientific discoveries and spiritual quests."
Snip>

Lee Love on tue 16 nov 04


pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET wrote:

>For Centuries, Potters used 'slow' Wheels...and, we may
>presume ( or I do anyway) that they also used sharp Tools
>for their Trimming.
>
Hi Phil,
They weren't always sharp. The bamboo knives used for
trimming are comparitively dull. But these are what are required if
you have the ruff kind of foot that you find on traditional tea ceremony
bowls.

Also, when trimming when work is hard, I use a sharp tool (I
can shave with them. I also scrap zogan inlay with them) but when
trimming soft clay, a duller tool is better. It is also better on
clay like shigaraki because dull tools aren't as likely to catch on the
stones in the clay.

-
in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://www.livejournal.com/users/togeika/ WEB LOG
http://public.fotki.com/togeika/ Photos!

John K Dellow on tue 16 nov 04


Tom Sawyer wrote:

>other hand, I sometimes like to accelerate when I'm having trouble centering
>a large piece and through brute force bring the damn thing back to center.
>
>
Tom if you have to use brute force your technique is wrong. What you need more is a wheel with good low down toque and lean into the clay to use the whole body not muscle strength.
John

John Dellow "the flower pot man"
From the land down under
Home Page http://www.welcome.to/jkdellow
http://digitalfire.com/education/people/dellow/

Lee Love on tue 16 nov 04


Tom Sawyer wrote:

>Zen
>
>There is no right way.
>There is no wrong way
>There is only the way that satisfies
>
Hummmm. ;^) From a Zen perspective, maybe "appropriate" is a
better term? Zen teachers are always telling us we can never be
"satisfied."

My late teacher used to use the example of the fish and the
lizard. He said that because they are different creatures, you have
to treat them differently. As lovingly as you might put a fish in a
desert or place and lizard in the sea, it will do neither of them any
good.

If you pay attention to materials and tools, they will often
tell you what is appropriate. If we only force our preconceptions
on the objects, we are forgetting the rest of our tools.

I heard a Professor (of neurology) talk about related
subjects today, James H. Austin, on NPR. Zen and the Brain is
his new book. You can read more about it here:
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?tid=3236&ttype=2

He has also published a book titled: *Chase, Chance, and
Creativity: The Lucky Art of Novelty, *which sounds very useful to
artists and other creative people. Short blurb: "Austin explores the
nature of the creative process, considering not only the environmental
and neurophysiological correlates of creativity but also the role of
intuition in both scientific discoveries and spiritual quests."

I will order both, maybe the Creativity book first.

--
in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://www.livejournal.com/users/togeika/ WEB LOG
http://public.fotki.com/togeika/ Photos!

Kathy Chase-Jones on fri 21 aug 09


Hi- I have used my Brent B at full speed for trimming green
ware in production. It is a great power sander at top speed
too! You should see how quickly I can get a vase top even
with a sure form blade or a fettling knife & my Brent. (of
course this was a few years ago when I worked in a factory)
Now I'm lucky if I get the Pacifica up to 1/2 speed even on
centering. I think each wheel has a speed set of its own,
and it is up to you to use whichever speed you need. Kathy
Chase -Jones ... melting in the humidity that is almost
as high as the temperature on Cape Cod ....

Dean on tue 23 feb 10


I like fast cars,=3DA0 loud rock 'n roll,=3DA0 big drops on fast waves, dow=
nhil=3D
l racing, roller coasters, fast women, and yes, fast wheels.=3DA0 All my wh=
ee=3D
ls are Brents and I crank 'em up.=3DA0 Might not work for everybody.
Dean
=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A

David Woof on wed 24 feb 10


Hay Sailor=3D2C

My thoughts=3D3B There is a time to "Crank'em up" as you say=3D2C and a tim=
e to=3D
take it really deep an slow. How much savoring of the finer things does a =
=3D
raging bull find time for? Oh that Teenage Spirit! It takes some folks a =
=3D
bit of time to recognize the beauty of variable differences and intuit the =
=3D
timing. Which is why someone thought to include an adjustable=3D2C variabl=
e =3D
speed control on your Brent foot pedal. Try it. You may find the gate to a=
=3D
larger pasture to play in.

=3D20

Best wishes=3D2C

=3D20

David Woof_____________Clarkdale=3D2C AZ._________

=3D20

Eat the best food you can find=3D2C drink the finest wine one can afford=3D=
2C t=3D
reat the "fast women" like sisters deserving of the best you have=3D2C and =
ma=3D
ke love with someone special often.

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

4. Wheel Speed
Posted by: "Dean" mangodean@YAHOO.COM=3D20
Date: Tue Feb 23=3D2C 2010 1:57 pm ((PST))
=3D20
I like fast cars=3D2C loud rock 'n roll=3D2C big drops on fast waves=3D2C=
downh=3D
ill racing=3D2C roller coasters=3D2C fast women=3D2C and yes=3D2C fast whee=
ls. All=3D
my wheels are Brents and I crank 'em up. Might not work for everybody.
Dean
=3D20

=3D20



=3D20
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection.
http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469227/direct/01/=3D

mel jacobson on sat 15 oct 11


only bad things can happen when a wheel is
set to go too fast.

i know most of you will never have the experience
of working on an old japanese production wheel, and
you would not care too anyway...but, they went one
speed, no on, no off.
slow. all day...same speed.

in fact, the wheels went very slow. not much different
than a kick wheel.

no need ever for speed.
and, of course the new folks will all claim you need
additional speed to center....not true.
the speed up was used by kick wheel potters to
gain momentum for centering larger pieces, and that
instruction followed when power wheels came on the scene.
of course, like bad firing practice....it had no basis of fact.

with an electric wheel torque is already there, at most
any speed. no need at all to speed up the wheel to gain
torque.

high speed centering usually kicks the center back out.
no control.

i see teachers always fighting the centering battle. and usually
it is their own instruction that causes the problem. and, they
don't know why? kilns and centering...`more gas, more speed,
more power`. usually not the case.
i use the term...`balance` get in balance...stay in balance.
throwing and firing. same, same.
mel


from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html

Lee on sat 15 oct 11


On Sat, Oct 15, 2011 at 8:56 AM, mel jacobson wrote:

> in fact, the wheels went very slow. =3DA0not much different
> than a kick wheel.

The traditional Japanese wheels, the Korean keiyaki wood wheels (what
I split my time on with a Woodley treadle) go many speeds. From Slow,
to slower, to very slow. They are lighter than our kickwheels and
have very little momentum.

You don't need a strong or fast wheel to throw big either.
Traditionally, larger work is coil, coil and paddle, coil and throw,
or thrown in sections.

When I visited Shiho Kanzaki in 2003, I found that he even threw
yunomi in the coil and throw method. He said this was traditional for
the ko-shigaraki clay filled with stones. See his work here:
http://www.the-anagama.com/

Me and JD Jorgenson are teaching a class on Japanese pottery
methods at Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis this winter. J.D.
teaches the first 5 weeks and I the last 5. We both work on the
traditional wheel and we both use variations of the coil and throw
technique. I will bring my Korean wheel to class if you would
like to learn.
http://northernclaycenter.org/
--
=3DA0Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/

=3DA0"Ta tIr na n-=3DF3g ar chul an tI=3D97tIr dlainn trina ch=3DE9ile"=3D9=
7that is, =3D
"The
land of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent
within itself." -- John O'Donohue

douglas fur on sat 15 oct 11


"only bad things can happen when a wheel is
set to go too fast.
the speed up was used by kick wheel potters to
gain momentum for centering larger pieces, and that
instruction followed when power wheels came on the scene.
of course, like bad firing practice....it had no basis of fact.
high speed centering usually kicks the center back out.
no control.
i use the term...`balance` get in balance...stay in balance.
throwing and firing. same, same.
mel


Speed and force make centering hard work. Forcing the clay to go where you
want.
Slow and flow seens a better paradigm. Moving with the clay and almost
unintentionally ending where you want to be.

DRB
Seola Creek

Steve Mills on sat 15 oct 11


I took the rubber bump stop off the pedal on my VL and substituted a "stop =
b=3D
olt" so that the max speed now matches my old Woodley Leach treadle. A vast=
i=3D
mprovement.=3D20

Steve M


Steve Mills
Bath
UK
www.mudslinger.me.uk
Sent from my Ipod touch

On 15 Oct 2011, at 15:52, douglas fur <23drb50@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> "only bad things can happen when a wheel is
> set to go too fast.
> the speed up was used by kick wheel potters to
> gain momentum for centering larger pieces, and that
> instruction followed when power wheels came on the scene.
> of course, like bad firing practice....it had no basis of fact.
> high speed centering usually kicks the center back out.
> no control.
> i use the term...`balance` get in balance...stay in balance.
> throwing and firing. same, same.
> mel
>=3D20
>=3D20
> Speed and force make centering hard work. Forcing the clay to go where y=
o=3D
u
> want.
> Slow and flow seens a better paradigm. Moving with the clay and almost
> unintentionally ending where you want to be.
>=3D20
> DRB
> Seola Creek

Philip Poburka on sun 16 oct 11


I think a lot of this 'Speed' thing came from people using Bag Clay which
they merely Ball up with a little kneading, and, have not Wedged properly
and or which is not of a soft and friendly consistency promoting easy
Centering at low Wheel RPMs.


And, in Trimming, a very fast Wheel is about the only way in which a poor
Pilgrim using dull Tools can experience something like the work being
Trimmed.


So, as with so much in 'life'...the Tail wags the Dog...




----- Original Message -----
From: "douglas fur"

> "only bad things can happen when a wheel is
> set to go too fast.
> the speed up was used by kick wheel potters to
> gain momentum for centering larger pieces, and that
> instruction followed when power wheels came on the scene.
> of course, like bad firing practice....it had no basis of fact.
> high speed centering usually kicks the center back out.
> no control.
> i use the term...`balance` get in balance...stay in balance.
> throwing and firing. same, same.
> mel
>
>
> Speed and force make centering hard work. Forcing the clay to go where
> you
> want.
> Slow and flow seens a better paradigm. Moving with the clay and almost
> unintentionally ending where you want to be.
>
> DRB
> Seola Creek

Taylor Hendrix on tue 1 nov 11


So, Ivor, what does that FEEL like? Any guidance would be appreciated.

Taylor, in Rockport TX
wirerabbit1 on Skype (-0600 UTC)
http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/



On Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 10:16 PM, ivor and olive lewis
wrote:
... I would suggest that a
> fraction less than two kilograms per square centimetre is necessary. ...

ivor and olive lewis on tue 1 nov 11


A rider to what mel jacobson about the low velocity at which plastic clay
can be centred. Success comes from having clay that has the right
consistency, one with a low modulus of rupture. I would suggest that a
fraction less than two kilograms per square centimetre is necessary. Going
below this range and you will never gain height. Go above this range and
more torque is needed to achieve plastic deformation.

Regards,

Ivor Lewis,
REDHILL,
South Australia