Kathy Maves on fri 28 dec 01
Hi Carol,
Wow! Buying a wheel, especially the first one, is a
really big deal. Kick or electric? Korean style
throwing rings or an electric wheel and dreams of
boards upon boards filled with fresh pots and massive
creations? Which one!
I'm sure this is old hat to most people on the
list, but here goes.
I know, and am in awe of, a fellow Wisconsinite
potter, Willem Gebben. He throws on a handmade Korean
style Kickwheel. The flywheel and wheelhead are four
inch thick circles of solid mahogany, the same size
and weight. The wheel has four spindles attaching
head to flywheel. It has a collar bearing on the
flywheel and a point bearing inside the wheelhead,
with a metal shaft running from the bearing in the
base of wheelhead down into the ground. He made it
himself, maybe twenty-five years ago. Look for
pictures of a similar wheel on Lee Love's website.
Willem makes a living as a potter, and his
throwing is economical, but not sparse. It's VERY
fluid. His pots have a quality of softness and the
hand, but are not overtly loose. I'm really nuts about
his pots, really nuts.
He once told me that he chose that style wheel
because he admires certain qualities of folk pots,
which were made on similar wheels. This style of
wheel loses momentum much more quickly than a wheel
with a cement flywheel, or continental wheel. You
kick more, your movements leave a record on the pot.
Some claim they can tell the difference between
kickwheel thrown pots and electric. According to
them, there's a sort of unfurling nature to pots made
on the kickwheel, an opening of the throwing ring
spaces caused by the slowing of the wheel. See Clary
Illian's book, A Potter's Workbook, for a short
discussion of this difference.
There is a great mythos about kickwheels, enough
to make many a potter reticent about a cursory
dismissal. Read about the treadle wheel that Bernard
Leach reinvented in A Potter's Book, or the
continental wheel building instructions in Cardew's
Pioneer Potter.
I know a Japanese potter who throws overtly loose
teabowls off an electric wheel with a reverse switch.
He threw production in his youth. I don't relate to
all of the bowls, but some have a very special
quality.
Of course, there's the Lockerbie, a continental
style wheel with an extremely heavy flywheel. They
are often referred to as the Cadillac of wheels, and
cost about the same. Kidding ; ) They do sail
smoothly. However, I have found the electric
version's start-up time to be a little bit slow
compared to electrics w/o flywheels. Could be a
quality you desire. Because of the momentum, on kick
power only, they seem a little sluggish to get going
or stop compared to my first wheel, a relatively
cheap Thomas-Stuart w/ a 150ish pound flywheel.
The TS had an added bonus, I could move and
assemble it solo. The TS was a great balance between
the smooth long revolutions of a heavy flywheel, and
the immediate stop and start advantage of a treadle
wheel. Some people consider them "intermediate" level
wheels. I don't know why.
Treadle wheels are great for smaller, repetitive
pots. Unless they have a cement or cast iron flywheel
in their guts, they can't handle a lot of clay
(usually.) See Warren MacKenzie's book.
Wheels made from a kit are cheap, and often work
quite well. Cheaper still, scrounge materials and use
directions from a book. I once dove dumpsters with a
friend for parts. Two dumpsters later, we had all the
parts save the screws.
I get the impression that most professional
potters use an electric wheel with some sort of
transfer case, no flywheel. It can be a lot faster.
When I threw production, I made about 20-30 tankards
an hour on a Brent CXC in a standing position. I was
real slow compared to most of my peers.
Some people, "purists?" say pots made extremely
fast look machined. I've seen a lot of pots made
extremely slowly that look machined. Is speed an
issue? Only you can decide that. Still, it saddens
me a little to see skill mistaken for mastery.
Atrophy in one aspect of a body of work often belies
weakness in another aspect. This may sound damning,
but I speak from the issues and challenges I face now,
not elitism or blase judgement.
If you've made it this far into my post, you
deserve a medal Carol. Like the knight in Indiana
Jones "chose wisely," the skin won't shrivel from your
face on account of your choice, but it does matter.
By the way, lately I throw mostly on my Brent CXC,
some on my Thomas-Stuart kickwheel. I wake from
dreams involving a treadle wheel and nightmares
involving a Lockerbie.
Happy potting to you. I hope you and your wheel
have a happy marriage. Check out Bennett's Pottery
Supply for better prices (ads in Ceramics Monthly.)
They are consistently cheaper. Even Can. $, your
quotes seem high.
Yours,
Kathy
Barronett, Wisconsin
kathymaves@yahoo.com
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Marcia Selsor on sat 29 dec 01
Dear Kathy,
You have named about all the possible considerations I can think of when
selecting a wheel. Yes, "chose wisely". But if this is your first wheel,
it may not be your last.
Select one that matches your intentions when working. Are you a
transient person that you need to worry about moving it?
My most recent wheel is a Bailey and is it slower rpm at max. speed than
a Brent. I like that. Others may not. I developed my throwing skills
spending years on a kick wheel. I think I have economized my movements.
My students think I am very fast at forming. This is economy from
working on a kick wheel and throwing at a slower speed on an electric.
So pick one that matches your working style. Try 'em on for size. Visit
friends with different wheels and test drive. You'll find the one you
want. (That is another advantage of attending the trade show at NCECA)
Best wishes,
Marcia
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