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wheel throwing problems ?

updated tue 2 apr 02

 

Brenda Shepard on fri 29 mar 02


I have been reading with interest all the great tips
on how to throw that perfect cylinder on the clayart
list. I have been having a problem with my wheel
throwing for the last 3 months. I have tried
everything from putting my wheel up on brick, changing
my position with my hands, and change my chair.
However, my pots are all off center or out of round. I
had hope that when I went to the conference I might
pick up some hints on my problem. Also, it's getting
close to the end of the semester and I have no pots. I
was at the point of tears!
But,today as I was going at it again,a friend came in
to the university studio and was watching me and she
mention did I know my wheel head was not level!
duh!!!!! Sure enough when I put a level on the wheel
head it had a bad tilt to it. No wonder I couldn't
throw a decent pots. I was beginning to wonder if I
should change the name of my pots to crap pots!!
Of course as soon as I change to another wheel I
didn't have any problems at all. The first pot was
perfect! (finally)
So the moral of this story always, always, check to
see if your wheel is level. I feel really stupid for
not seeing this before now. Thanks for all the great
tips on how to throw a pot, now maybe these hints will
work for me.

Brenda :>)


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Marianne Lombardo on sat 30 mar 02


I had the same problem. I put a level device on the wheel, and kept shoving
thin pieces of wood under the wheel's feet until the wheel was nice and
level. Oh, I removed the wheels off of the feet first so it wouldn't
continue to slid around. In my case, my wheel sits in my laundry room and
the poured concrete is not level.

Marianne

----- Original Message -----
From: "Celia Littlecreek"
To:
Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2002 11:48 AM
Subject: Fw: Wheel throwing problems ?


>
> duh!!!!! Sure enough when I put a level on the wheel
> > head it had a bad tilt to it. No wonder I couldn't
> > throw a decent pot.
>
> So, I can't move to another wheel. How do I make my wheel head level?
>
>
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potterybydai on sun 31 mar 02


Hi, Brenda - the first wheel I had was a home-made kickwheel with a
second-hand head (aluminum, I think). I had a horrible time trying to throw
on it till I realized that the wheelhead was warped. I took it to a machine
shop and they put it on a shaft and tooled it flat again. It was so warped
that when they'd finished tooling it, there were no circular grooves on one
side. After I got it fixed, I had no problem with thick-thin sides, uneven
rims, etc. Well, not much, anyway ---I was a beginner!
Dai in Kelowna, BC, recuperating from surgery (as a handbuilder till I can
get back on the wheel). And, celebrating the sale of our house and the
purchase of one in Armstrong (goin' back home!)
potterybydai@shaw.ca

Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you
respond to it.

Michael McDowell on sun 31 mar 02


Brenda,

I am not sure I understand in just what way your wheelhead is out of level,
and how that is creating problems for you throwing. Is it simply that the
floor
is not level, or the legs of the wheel are different heights? This would
necessitate that your cylinder's central axis be similarly tilted, but that
should not really pose too much of a problem as long as the wheel is firmly
sitting on the floor. Wheels usually have a three point stance, or an
adjustable leg or two to compensate for any unevenness in the floor. The
spinning platform of the wheelhead should serve as a correct point of
reference to what is perpendicular to it. A greater problem, but still
surmountable, is if the wheelhead is not perpendicular to the shaft on which
it is mounted. This would be experienced as changing levels of the wheel
surface as it spins. This can be vexing, as long as you are referencing the
wheelhead in your throwing, and it certainly bears dealing with if the means
is at hand. But you should be aware that as you become more comfortable with
the whole process of throwing, you will find it is quite possible to throw
well off such a wheel. You must simply raise your starting point with the
spinning mass of clay up off the wheelhead. A little clay is lost at the
bottom to get away from the unevenness of the wheelhead, but not a lot. The
only thing that you "really need" in order to throw is a firm central axis. If
there is some wobble in that central axis (and it is not coming from wobbly
seating of the wheel on the floor), it would indicate that the central bearing
is worn or poorly attached. This is a problem that would limit even an
experienced potter's output. Such a wheel is in need of rather immediate
mechanical attention.

Now I'm not saying that you are in any way "wrong" to deal with your
difficulty by moving to another wheel, or switching to another clay, or doing
whatever it takes to get started having successes. Your problems may indeed be
due to serious problems with that wheel. Just allow that some of these
difficulties you are having now may seems less serious with more experience.

Michael McDowell
Whatcom County, WA USA
michael@mcdowellpottery.com
http://www.mcdowellpottery.com

iandol on sun 31 mar 02


Dear Brenda Shepard,

>From what you write, are we to understand that the plate of the =
wheelhead had been tilted as though the axle was bent? This would make =
the plate of the wheelhead oscillate up and down making throwing almost =
impossible. No wonder you were frustrated.

Hope you get your quota of pots completed on time.

Best regards,

Ivor