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level a wheel

updated mon 1 apr 02

 

mel jacobson on sat 30 mar 02


head.

there are several options.

one. check to see if is the wheel head that is crooked, or
the shaft.

if it is the wheel head.
rotate the wheel slowly.
find the high point....as it passes you.
make a mark on the wheel head as it passes the
high point. felt pen)

take a rubber hammer and smack the high point.
once, then check, again, check...again...right on.
it takes a pretty good smack to get it to bend back.

the big question is;
how in the hell did it get bent?
was someone messin on your wheel.
doing naughty things.
`what the hell is goin on harry`?

if it is the shaft...well, big problem.
a rubber hammer will not fix it.
goes to a shop.
mel
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: http://www.pclink.com/melpots

Michael Wendt on sat 30 mar 02


Leave the level on the head, rotate it slowly by hand and check to see if
the head is level in any direction. If it is, leave the head in that
position and mark where the level was with a felt tip. Turn the level 90
degrees left or right and check that position. Now rotate the wheel head
with the level in that position 90 degrees and see if it is level now. If
so, the wheel legs need to be shimmed so that the wheel head is level in
every position. If not, the head or shaft may be bent and that requires
Mel's suggestions. (See Below)
Regards,
Michael Wendt, wendtpot@lewiston.com
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Avenue
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
1-208-746-3724
wendtpottery.com
Mel wrote:
head.

there are several options.

one. check to see if is the wheel head that is crooked, or
the shaft.

if it is the wheel head.
rotate the wheel slowly.
find the high point....as it passes you.
make a mark on the wheel head as it passes the
high point. felt pen)

take a rubber hammer and smack the high point.
once, then check, again, check...again...right on.
it takes a pretty good smack to get it to bend back.

the big question is;
how in the hell did it get bent?
was someone messin on your wheel.
doing naughty things.
`what the hell is goin on harry`?

if it is the shaft...well, big problem.
a rubber hammer will not fix it.
goes to a shop.
mel

Earl Brunner on sat 30 mar 02


I think Mel explained this clearly, HOWEVER, if the floor is not level and as a
result the wheel on the floor is not level, attempting to do this will only
aggravate the problem. There is a difference between level nd "true".


>
>
> there are several options.
>
> one. check to see if is the wheel head that is crooked, or
> the shaft.
>
> if it is the wheel head.
> rotate the wheel slowly.
> find the high point....as it passes you.
> make a mark on the wheel head as it passes the
> high point. felt pen)
>
> take a rubber hammer and smack the high point.
> once, then check, again, check...again...right on.
> it takes a pretty good smack to get it to bend back.
>
> the big question is;
> how in the hell did it get bent?
> was someone messin on your wheel.
> doing naughty things.
> `what the hell is goin on harry`?
>
> if it is the shaft...well, big problem.
> a rubber hammer will not fix it.
> goes to a shop.
> mel
>
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--
Earl Brunner
http://coyote.accessnv.com/bruec
mailto:bruec@anv.net

OWLPOTTER@AOL.COM on sun 31 mar 02


I missed the original post on this, but I must tell this story:

In 1976 the "Art Train" was traveling across the country and made a stop in
the small town where I had my studio. They asked me to come and give a
throwing demostration as a featured artist. I couldn't resist, so bags of
clay in hand, I boarded the train just as another guest potter was leaving
having concluded his demo.

"Watch out for that wheel," he said, "it is terrible off-level, or the shaft
is bent. I had an a really hard time keeping my pots on center."

So, as I sat down at their wheel, wondering if I could deal with its
problems, I reached for one of their pre-drilled bats from the stack and as I
stuck it on the wheel head pins -it soon became evident that the holes were
worn or drilled too large and didn't fit snugly onto the bat pins. This
caused a kind of regular slip-slop that felt like the wheel's shaft was bent!

Whenever I hear someone complaining about an off-level wheel, or a bent
shaft, this experience springs to mind. -Carolynn Palmer, Somerset Center,
Michigan

(I just removed the bat, put wads of clay beneath it to hold it in place and
did my demo.)