The Potter's Craft: A Practical Guide for the Studio and Workshop

by Charles Fergus Binns

The simplest wheel is that used by the Chinese. A circular plate with a heavy rim is set upon a spindle so that it will revolve freely and run steadily. As the workman sits or kneels upon the floor the surface of the wheel is about at the floor level. Around the periphery and upon the upper surface four holes are sunk and the workman, inserting a short stick into one of these, gives the wheel a rapid motion. Then while it is revolving by its own momentum the clay is centered and shaped. As the motion is lost the stick is again inserted and the wheel spun. This method, of course, involves much skill on the part of the workman.

In the next form, one which is only adapted, however, for crude experimental work, the wheel is set upon the frame of a sewing machine and operated by the treadle. A beginning may be made upon such a wheel but the operator will soon wish for something better.

A common factory form and one which is well adapted for studio work is the kick wheel. The wheel head is set at the top of a spindle and in the upright shaft there is a crank to which is attached a horizontal moving treadle. This is worked continuously by the left foot, the weight of the body being supported by the right. The action is strenuous and scarcely fitted for persons of other than robust physique but it can be used successfully after practice. This wheel is made by the manufacturers of potter's machinery.

Another form of the kick wheel is used in Europe and is, in fact, the original wheel used by the French and German potters in the seventeenth century. The head is set on a spindle as usual but instead of the crank there is a large heavy disc on the bottom of the shaft and revolving in a horizontal plane. This is within reach of the foot and the operator, being seated, imparts a rapid motion by pushing, usually with the ball of the right toe. The momentum is kept up by the weight of the disc and there is a great advantage in that the foot need not be in continuous motion. On the other hand it is difficult to acquire sufficient speed and power for the work.

There are several forms of machine wheels which are entirely satisfactory but which need the application of power. If a gas engine or a water motor or electric current be available, every effort should be made to obtain a wheel of this description. The prime motion is imparted to a short horizontal shaft which moves at a constant speed. Then the operator, seated in comfort, regulates the speed of the wheel itself by pressure upon a treadle. No action is required but a simple pressure, light for a slow speed and heavy for rapidity. Where the electric current is available, nothing could be better. Self-contained motor-driven wheels are available but are rather expensive.

One more plan may be mentioned in which the wheel is simply a vertical lathe with a belt and handle to be turned by an assistant. This may be convenient for some but it is not always possible to secure help at the moment when the wheel is to be used. Moreover the cost of labor would soon pay for a mechanical wheel.[G]

Whatever type of wheel is selected it should be arranged with a head which can be removed. There are two methods of constructing this; the head may be screwed on to the spindle, or the latter may terminate in a cone-shaped plug upon which the wheel head is made to fit as in the illustration (Fig. 14). The latter plan is to be preferred as the head can be removed more quickly and is not so likely to work loose. Several heads for the wheel can then be provided, one for regular work, one for making plates, one for finishing and so forth.

The regular operation performed upon the wheel is termed either throwing or turning according to the industry in which it is employed, but in this description the word "throwing" will be used because the subsequent operation in which tools are employed is best described as turning.

The best head for the wheel to be used in throwing is made of hard wood or brass because the ball of clay can be easily centered upon a smooth surface. This, however, involves that the work shall be cut off with a wire and removed while soft. This is commonly done by professionals but is beyond the skill of the beginner. It is best, therefore, to use a head like that illustrated for plate making and to have a number of specially shaped plaster bats to fit the recess (Fig. 17). Then when the piece is formed, the bat with its burden can be set aside for the work to harden.