Allen Steen on tue 25 may 04
Hi,
I posted a message earlier about buying a Thomas Stewart wheel.
Another question: What are the main types of wheels?
What are the main features?
Thanks for your patience. As you can tell, I have never owned a wheel
before.
Allen Steen
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Steve Slatin on tue 25 may 04
Allen --
Go to http://www.thomasstuart.com/ -- you will find all the info you need about TS
wheels there. You'll find that the answers to questions on ClayArt are more meaningful
if you can narrow the question. When you can be as specific as asking how good a
particular type of bearing is at holding up in real-life studios, or whether a particular
sort of electric foot-controller really holds wheel velocity under drag, the answers will
be more meaningful.
Buying a wheel is a big step; a wheel can easily be a lifetime investment. If you're
serious about pottery and you can afford it, don't skimp. This tool will be your constant
companion.
Good luck --
Allen Steen wrote:
Hi,
I posted a message earlier about buying a Thomas Stewart wheel.
Another question: What are the main types of wheels?
What are the main features?
Thanks for your patience. As you can tell, I have never owned a wheel
before.
Allen Steen
__________________________________
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-- Steve Slatin -- Entry-level potter, journeyman loafer, master obfuscator
No website, no sales room, no scheduled hours
All talk, no action
Sequim, Washington, USA
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Carol Tripp on wed 26 may 04
Hi Allen,
Try this site
http://www.potters.org/categories.htm
There is an entire section titled Wheels. (This site, along with the
official Clayart Archives, is
icredibly useful.)
No waiting for responses to trickle in and LOADS of information. Just
remember, for every opinion about a particular wheel, you will probably find
the exact opposite one if you read long enough.
See if you can try out wheels at you local art center or university or
where-ever; though this isn't absolutely necessary. I bought my Bailey sight
unseen and from thousands of miles away. And I am very happy with it.
Happy hunting.
Carol
Dubai, UAE
Allen wrote:>
>I posted a message earlier about buying a Thomas Stewart wheel.
>
>Another question: What are the main types of wheels?
>
>What are the main features?
>
>Thanks for your patience. As you can tell, I have never owned a wheel
>before.
_________________________________________________________________
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Allen Steen on wed 26 may 04
Carol, thanks for the link to the archives. I spent hours yesterday
doing a general search in the Clayart archives before getting your
link. I hadn't known about the link to Clayart topics.
From my research, I've learned that people have personal preferences
about wheels. For instance, Mel *hates* Shimpo wheels. Others love
Shimpo wheels.
After all that research, I'm no closer to making a decision.
What are the 4 major brands, and how do they compare with each other?
Thanks,
Allen
--- Carol Tripp wrote:
> Hi Allen,
> Try this site
> http://www.potters.org/categories.htm
>
> There is an entire section titled Wheels. (This site, along with the
> official Clayart Archives, is
> icredibly useful.)
>
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Allen Steen on wed 26 may 04
Thanks Steve.
The Clayart archives can teach me how to remove a wheel head or fix a
pedal, or even stop a squeak. What I'm looking for though is a basic
comparison between major brands.
How do the major brands differ? How is a Brent different from a Shimpo,
a Pacifica, and a CI?
Thanks,
Allen Steen
--- Steve Slatin wrote:
When you can be as specific as
> asking how good a
> particular type of bearing is at holding up in real-life studios, or
> whether a particular
> sort of electric foot-controller really holds wheel velocity under
> drag, the answers will
> be more meaningful.
>
> Buying a wheel is a big step; a wheel can easily be a lifetime
> investment. If you're
> serious about pottery and you can afford it, don't skimp. This tool
> will be your constant
> companion.
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Yahoo! Messenger.
http://messenger.yahoo.com/
Carol Tripp on wed 26 may 04
I just remembered something - but only vaguely - didn't Pottery Making
Illustrated run a wheel try out at Jonathon Kaplan's studio in the last year
or so? I seem to recall that the results were published as a table showing
the features of each type of wheel. No opinions were published I must
admit thinking at the time that a rating of each wheel would have been
interesting but I think that would have been a case of biting all the hands
that feed the magazine;-)
Best regards,
Carol
Dubai, UAE
Allen wrote:
>After all that research, I'm no closer to making a decision.
>
>What are the 4 major brands, and how do they compare with each other?
>
>
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claybair on wed 26 may 04
Allen,
It has been my experience that no amount of reports
& comparisons will get you the right wheel.
Yes, you will get details about motors, torque,
foot pedals, wheel head, splash pans, prices etc.
BUT the real test is the one you must make yourself.
Each wheel has a different "feel" and you should find the one
that is most comfortable for you.
I suggest you go to your local clay supplier, school or teaching studio
where you hopefully will find a number of different wheels. Test them out.
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Allen Steen
The Clayart archives can teach me how to remove a wheel head or fix a
pedal, or even stop a squeak. What I'm looking for though is a basic
comparison between major brands.
How do the major brands differ? How is a Brent different from a Shimpo,
a Pacifica, and a CI?
Thanks,
Allen Steen
Maurice Weitman on wed 26 may 04
At 5:17 -0700 on 5/26/04, Allen Steen wrote:
>The Clayart archives can teach me how to remove a wheel head or fix a
>pedal, or even stop a squeak. What I'm looking for though is a basic
>comparison between major brands.
>
>How do the major brands differ? How is a Brent different from a Shimpo,
>a Pacifica, and a CI?
Allen, with all due respect, Carol and Steve answered as well as
anyone on the list can.
Just as owners of various cars would say to a similar query, your
question will have as many answers as there are users of the wheels.
We don't know what is important to you, or what kind of use you will
make of the wheel. Maybe you don't either.
If you are asking the list members to do research for you, I think
that's unreasonable.
If you are asking the list members to tell you which to buy, I think
that's foolish.
As others have said, this is a significant investment and decision,
and it's a highly personal one. We all have our favorites and values
and at least 75% of them will differ from yours.
The only way to find the wheel that's best for you is to use them
yourself. Go to schools, workshops, and stores where the different
wheels are. Then decide what features are important to you and buy
the wheel that does the best with those features.
Regards,
Maurice
Steve Slatin on wed 26 may 04
Allen -- My personal observation is most potters can tell you all about their wheel
but not too much about others. Mel's comments are informed, mine are maybe
just opinion. Nevertheless --
Most wheels come with removable splash pans. This makes it easier to clean
them, many people think. Some Thomas Stuart wheels come with removable wheel
heads; you pull the head off and can clean the (sturdy, lifetime, metal, immovable) splash pan in situ. They also have one design I saw with a round splash pan
that I guess you can pull by removing the wheel head, and then wash it separately.
CI, Pacifica, Brent, newer Shimpos, use removable splash pans. Sometimes these
(plastic or whatever) pans crack or simply wear out. That's bad, but they are fairly
cheap to replace. Lockerbie makes an electric wheel with a removable metal splash
pan, both durable and easy to clean, but it's small and doesn't catch as much splash as
some other wheels.
How important is the splash pan to you? Which style do you prefer?
For some people, vibrations and noise are a big issue. Shimpo makes some really quiet wheels. I think Thomas Stuart makes a very smooth wheel (they have a BIG honking motor) but it doesn't seem to be as quiet as the Shimpo. The electric Lockerbie is pretty smooth, pretty quiet, and pretty expensive.
Vibration and noise may or may not be important to you -- it's your call.
Wheels also have different amounts of torque. You want a motor strong enough not to have unwanted speed changes when you center, throw, etc. Almost all manufacturers have multiple models with different size motors. Most modern controllers (foot pedals)
have feedback circuits, and adjust power to control velocity reductions. There are also
different types of pedals, some have physical connections to rheostats, others have
the speed control governed by the distance a magnet is moved from a circuit -- so the dust and dirt in your studio won't interfere with a smooth pedal motion.
CI makes a very small wheel that's portable, and doesn't come with legs -- it has a controller on the side that you move by hand -- some folks like it, others don't. If you need to put your wheel away, it's pretty much the only game in town. It's also quite
inexpensive. Brent makes a range of wheels; the least expensive is light but not built
as sturdily as the heavier units and seems to vibrate more than I like, but it's light
enough to move. The more costly Brents are sturdy and powerful, and are used in many teaching environments because they are nearly indestructible.
For some people it's important to have a wheel that moves freely without power (i.e.,
you can turn it a little by hand with the motor off). There's only a few that do this.
Probably more important is wheel height and position. The shape of the work surface
of a wheel governs how closely you can sit, and the height of most wheels is fixed.
If you don't 'fit' the wheel, you won't be comfortable with it no matter how good the wheel may be in the abstract.
Then, some wheels have better workspace than others. The Lockerbie has a big,
rounded aluminum surface. The Shimpo Whispers have a nice workspace.
The Bailey design has a really big splash pan, and an optional shelf that fits above the
wheel.
For myself, I have a Pacifica and I am very used to it and can hardly think of working
with anything else. It is the right height for me, and I can get close enough to get
into the position I need to throw comfortably. I find it quiet and smooth, and the pedal
works so smoothly that I don't think about my speed while I'm throwing something
tall, I just adjust it as needed and it seems like it's no effort.
But I've only thrown extensively on the Pacifica, Brent B's, and old (ring-cone) Shimpos.
Go to the nearest pottery dealer with a good display, and sit at a few wheels. See how
they differ, turn them on and see how the speed controller works. Make sure you're
comfortable with a wheel before you buy. This is one of the advantages to working with
a local dealer. You might even save as much on shipping buying locally as you spend
extra with a local dealer.
For pretty much any of the major manufacturers, you can consider it a long-term to
lifetime investment.
Good luck --
Allen Steen wrote:
Thanks Steve.
The Clayart archives can teach me how to remove a wheel head or fix a
pedal, or even stop a squeak. What I'm looking for though is a basic
comparison between major brands.
How do the major brands differ? How is a Brent different from a Shimpo,
a Pacifica, and a CI?
Thanks,
Allen Steen
-- Steve Slatin -- Entry-level potter, journeyman loafer, master obfuscator
No website, no sales room, no scheduled hours
All talk, no action
Sequim, Washington, USA
48.0937°N, 123.1465°W or thereabouts
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Yahoo! Messenger
R. Ravenal on tue 27 sep 05
A friend is buying a new wheel, and asked me for advice. It's been so long
since I have purchased one, that I don't really know what's out there
anymore. Can anyone give us some input? Here are the criteria:
1) 1/2 hp- good for working with up to 80 lbs of clay
2) reversible- preferably with switch so I don't have to go inside the motor
area to reverse
3) good speed control
4) splash pan around wheel head only- ie: not a big difficult-to-remove pan
5) reliable
6) less than $850, if possible.
She was looking at the Pacifica GT400 and the Shimpo VL-whisper but open to
all suggestions!
Thanks!
--Rebecca R.
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