Ron Roy on mon 28 jul 03
I am helping someone to clear out his mothers old studio.
There is a Leach sit down treadle in good working order - built by Woodleys
in Newton Poppelford - Devon.
It is in Toronto.
Any one interested? Contact me!
Anyone have any idea what such a wheel would be worth?
RR
Ron Roy
RR#4
15084 Little Lake Road
Brighton, Ontario
Canada
K0K 1H0
Phone: 613-475-9544
Fax: 613-475-3513
Steve Mills on tue 29 jul 03
Current UK value on a Woodley's Wheel in good condition is about 250 to
300 GBP ($403.50 to $484), Buyer collects.
Copper lined tray version is worth more than the zinc lined one.
Steve
Bath
UK
Who would like to be buried in his, but his Daughter has other ideas!
In message , Ron Roy writes
>I am helping someone to clear out his mothers old studio.
>
>There is a Leach sit down treadle in good working order - built by Woodleys
>in Newton Poppelford - Devon.
>
>It is in Toronto.
>
>Any one interested? Contact me!
>
>Anyone have any idea what such a wheel would be worth?
>
>RR
>
>Ron Roy
>RR#4
>15084 Little Lake Road
>Brighton, Ontario
>Canada
>K0K 1H0
>Phone: 613-475-9544
>Fax: 613-475-3513
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
Jan L. Peterson on tue 29 jul 03
Do you have a Kovell's Antique book around anywhere, or know any one who
does? It should be in one of the books, and it will give the price and the rarity
and the history of the wheel. Jan
Marek and Pauline Drzazga-Donaldson on wed 30 jul 03
Dear Clayarters,
I cannot hold my breath any longer, and I have to put my pennyworth in.
I always wonder about treadle wheels and how they are a bastardisation =
of the momentum wheel - which I freely admit I adore. You have a perfect =
system of lightly kicking the flywheel and away you go (you do not need =
speed - just momentum), whereas the treadle almost takes away the =
momentum and gets the potter to input all the energy. It seems a really =
daft situation that you treadle away moving your body and then adapt a =
body stance to counter the movement of the body so you can throw. Worst =
invention - to my mind - that ever there was.
I admire and am in awe of the Stalwarts who insist on using a treadle =
wheel, and am amazed at the mind that took a great idea and made an =
engineering nightmare into a reality as a potters' wheel.
happy potting Marek http://www.moley.uk.com =20
John Baymore on thu 31 jul 03
Marek,
You have a perfect system of lightly kicking the flywheel and away you go=
(you do not need =
speed - just momentum), whereas the treadle almost takes away the =
momentum and gets the potter to input all the energy. It seems a really =
daft situation that you treadle away moving your body and then adapt a =
body stance to counter the movement of the body so you can throw. Worst =
invention - to my mind - that ever there was.
I have one treadle wheel set up outside. It is my "toy". I use it now a=
nd
then on a nice day.
I think the roots of your bad experience with the treadle wheels might be=
reflected in the statement....... "adapt a body stance to counter the
movement of the body so you can throw." One of the beauties of the
treadle wheel is the tendency to very slow rotation and the fact that the=
movement of the potters body is an integral part of the throwing process.=
=
If one aggressively and overtly tries to "counter the movement of the
body", it often results in the body not working very efficiently...... so=
rt
of tending to be all locked up. And the term "stance" implys more of a
static position...... and that is not something that is easily accomplish=
ed
on a treadle wheel. I can see how this could end up in a "fight" with th=
e
tool.
One uses the lack of tension and the looseness and movement of the body o=
n
a treadle wheel to enhanse the throwing. It is a collaboration with the
tool, and the clay. A dance, if you will. It is not about power, it is
about finese.
I find that if you think something like "..... ok...... 1....2.....3....
BRACE!" when trying to center on a treadle wheel....... you are going to
have a rough ride.
In many ways, the treadle's constant motion with one leg is similar to th=
e
constant "kicking" (more correctly maybe called pulling) motion when usin=
g
a traditional wooden Korean/Japanese kickwheel with its very low momentum=
wood flywheel and head. This is unlike a western style kickwheel where t=
he
wheel is typically kicked quite infrequently. On these wheels, for
anything other than very small forms.... the kicking is almost constant a=
nd
the wheel speed varies with each "kick".
I agree that a treadle wheel sometimes has a bit of "mechanical noise"
involved that is not present with a western style momentum kickwheel. Bu=
t
then again an electric wheel does too.
I think that the biggest advantage of ALL of these human powered tools
however is the slow speed at which they tend to rotate. You hit that poi=
nt
dead on. Hard to turn them into a "lathe".
So.... my $0.02 worth. Just one person's opinion.
best,
..................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086-5812 USA
JBaymore@compuserve.com
http://www.JohnBaymore.com
603-654-2752 (studio)
800-900-1110 (studio)
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop: August 15-24,
2003"
Marek and Pauline Drzazga-Donaldson on thu 31 jul 03
Dear John,
I agree with you entirely that throwing is a matter of total body and =
machine co-operation, being in tune etc. This is why I feel that the =
treadle is a killer in respect of the momentum wheel. With the momentum =
wheel you are in direct contact with the fly wheel, with the treadle it =
is an indirect contact through another mechanical device, so you loose =
the subtlety. I never throw with the attitude of tenseness, always =
relaxed and in direct control, body and clay together.
On these wheels (Korean with little momentum), for
anything other than very small forms.... the kicking is almost constant =
and
the wheel speed varies with each "kick".
I can throw 120 lbs + on my wheel, and after a little persuasion, I =
treat the throwing with a minimum of kicking. All the weight of the =
flywheel should be at the extremity so as to have maximum torque for the =
minimum of effort. The beauty of the momentum wheel is that the kicking =
is NOT constant, the fly slows down gradually and is in tune with a =
slower speed the further into the form you get - so it is a natural =
slowing in tune with the pot you are throwing - no matter what weight of =
clay you are using. Maybe you have not used a continental kick wheel as =
proposed by Cardew in "Pioneer Pottery", these beauties are just magic, =
made mine over 33 years ago and I love every inch of it. I have done =
throwing marathons on it 72 hours, 36 hours and 24 hours without =
constant kicking and with average weights in excess of 12 pounds. I =
would recomend anybody to learn to throw using them, they are easy, =
simple, efficient, quiet and totally versatile.
happy potting Marek http://www.moley.uk.com=20
piedpotterhamelin@COMCAST.NET on thu 31 jul 03
I have worked on two types of treadle wheel for over 12 years but needed to
commit to the electric wheel for health reasons. The cause of much pain and
the weakening of my ankle was due to my leg having to take the weight of my
body as I stood at this wheel.
Otherwise I would have stayed with the treadle wheel. I know that if the
flywheel is too small, that the potter must always be keeping the wheel going.
The first wheel I used had a simple two inch thick oak flywheel of about 18-20
inches in diameter. This was suitable for up to 12 pounds of clay. It offered
speed control but was truly not a continuity of clay to potter to wheel.
I later constructed a treadle wheel that used a 4 inch thick hollow lidded
flywheel that I filled with sand. It was self balancing and spun forever. It
was gorgeous to throw on and a dream to change speeds. I felt that it was the
zen of wheels. Twenty five pound of clay could be thrown.
If it were not for the aging and injury of my ankle, I still would be using it.
Rick
Maggie Towne on fri 19 aug 05
HELLO ALL~~
i've got a used leach treadle wheel for sale. it was judy miner's and i
got it, thinking it might change my life. well, it didn't ! hah.
it's in really good shape. i've had it for 3 months or so.
i think i should have started using one in my youth. not now!
i'm selling it for what i paid for it. $1000.
delivery NOT included !
(and whoever wants it also has to get it out of my basement .....)
thanks!
maggie towne
claybabe@heliolux.com
www.claybabe.com
Malcolm Davis on sun 6 may 07
At the request of potter friend Renton Murray in Auckland, New Zealand I pass
along the following information. Renton will be present at Jeff Oestreich's
studio during the annual Minnesota Potters Tour, May 12/13:
"Leach Treadle wheel for sale ; Made in New Zealand [from australian
Hardwood] Made under licence to Bernard Leach in the 1960's,
by the Seaboard Joinery Factory. Has been fully restored by Renton
Murray of Hillside Pottery [New Zealand] and is available in Minnesota.
Email Renton at > renton.m@ihug.co.nz> in the first instance. Price is
$1500."
Hopefully, this is appropriate for this List. And to those of you whom I see
in Minnesota each May, I won't be there this year. I leave for La Meridiana
in ten days and couldn't also make it to Minnesota, which will be greatly
missed. It's a wonderful event and I urge you to attend if you possibly can. Check
it out at www.minnesotapotters.com
Malcolm from his WV mountaintop
Malcolm Davis Porcelain
Lee Glass Road
HC 36, Box 394A
Tallmansville, WVbygod 26237
304-472-7043
ShinoM@aol.com
**************************************
See what's free at
http://www.aol.com.
Dean on fri 14 oct 11
I'm selling a beautiful hardwood Leach treadle potter's wheel. If you're u=
=3D
nfamiliar with this =3D0Atype of wheel it is powered by an easy swinging fo=
ot=3D
lever. This style =3D0Awas designed by Bernard Leach in the '20's and is =
co=3D
mmon in England. =3D0AThis wheel is made of East coast hardwoods, walnut, =
ch=3D
erry, maple, etc. =3D0Aand is a real work of art. You can see the maker's =
we=3D
bsite here:=3D0Ahttp://www.treadlewheels.com/=3D0AThis wheel has seen very =
litt=3D
le use and is in excellent condition. It sells new for $2500, I am asking $=
=3D
900.=3DA0 I am located in Hawaii and the wheel will need to be disassembled=
t=3D
o ship.=3DA0 It is easy to put together.=3DA0 This wheel is such a work of =
art,=3D
absolutely exquisite joinery and wood.=3DA0 I would like to see it in a go=
od=3D
home. =3D0ADean McRaine=3D0A949-351-5117 =3D0A
Carl Cravens on sat 15 oct 11
A bit of trivia... In a recent video, Simon Leach explained that his grandf=
=3D
ather didn't invent the Leach-style wheel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D
=3D3DZGZ9D9CGrJ4
Simon's uncle, Dicon Nance, designed it with input from Sim=3D
on's father, David Leach. A letter from Dicon's son, Jonathan Nance, forwar=
=3D
ded to clayart a few years ago agrees.
Bonnie Staffel on sun 16 oct 11
Wow, you are bringing back some memories of the early equipment in my
studio. Having studied with Harvey Littleton at the Toledo Museum School =
=3D
of
Art back in the late 1940's my husband built my first little electric =3D
wheel
from a reconstructed Edison Phonograph works by giving me three pulley
speeds. I received a commission from a local beauty salon for =3D
personalized
cups having their name written in gold. Three firings sold at $5.00 =3D
each. I
saved up that money to buy a Leach type wheel. Being a true believer at =3D
the
time that was the ultimate of equipment. That style wheel was the =3D
standard
one used at Cranbrook during my stint there. I had to have one. George
Fetzer from I think Columbus, Ohio, was building them from oak, square =3D
in
form, with the splash pan covered with non rusting metal. On arrival at =3D
my
Toledo residence and in carrying the wheel up three flights of stairs to =
=3D
our
studio, my husband and I found that it wouldn't fit through the door. =3D
Since
it had a leaning board at the top edge, we had to sacrifice it so as to =
=3D
get
it through the door. My husband replaced the leaning board as it was a
standup kick wheel and I found it a great help.=3D20
I worked on that wheel honing my skills for twelve years until I was
introduced to an electric wheel built by Norm Schulman. The Fetzer wheel =
=3D
was
then used in the trimming and decorating area of my studio. I carried =3D
that
wheel through several moves about the country and finally gave it to an
aspiring potter when I was living down South. It never needed any fixing =
=3D
and
in some ways wish I still had it. However, it could be down there being =3D
used
by someone.=3D20
Can you imagine that I paid $150 for the wheel???? Back then, Fetzer's
Ceramic supply was the only source in Ohio outside of AMACO in Indiana =3D
that
I recall. I also started out using commercial Cone 06 glazes at the =3D
time. I
hope the potter using my old wheel is successful.=3D20
Anyone purchasing this wheel is receiving a life long tool. Good luck..=3D2=
0
Bonnie
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
DVD Throwing with Coils and Slabs
DVD Introduction to Wheel Work
Charter Member Potters Council
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