Pottery wheel with your own hands from an electric screwdriver

Gathering materials

Here’s a video from the first day of assembly and test the potter’s performance. Everything was strange and incomprehensible until I eliminated the hesitation.

A little about the clay

There are many different kinds of clay, which differ in origin, impurity content, composition. According to the technical classification, they are divided into shale, refractory, kaolin. Also clays have their own so called fatness. The greasier the clay, the more malleable it is, and the thinner it is, the more crumbly it is. Thinner clay is worse to mold, and products from them are cracked during firing. Fat clays are much better in this case. And the thinner the piece is to be made, the fatter it should be. The clays also differ in their color, which depends on their metal oxide content. When the clay contains no more than 1% of impurities, then the product made of it will be white, and if more, then after firing it will turn red regardless of the original color of clay.

It is much easier for a novice potter to begin work with prepared clay, which is easy to buy. When the hands are trained on the right clay, then it will not be very difficult to find in other places that clay, which is also suitable for work.

Types of equipment

Nothing should be done without preparation, each new case is recommended to think carefully and without haste, to make a preliminary plan of action, assess their material capacity and practical skills. Before you start making a potter’s wheel, you should know its types, technical features, strengths and weaknesses.

As the excavations of historians show, the potter’s wheel can be called one of the first machines invented by mankind. And the solution was so successful, then and today there are no fundamental changes in the design, it has the same individual elements. Only the drive is different, and professional potters still prefer the foot drive. These wheels have been used for many hundreds of years.

Potters used the same machine hundreds of years ago

Machine assemblies

• Handwheel. Made of stone, metal or heavy wood, can be up to one meter in diameter. Its purpose is to accumulate kinetic energy and release it gradually, as needed, to form the clay.
• Vertical axis. Transmits rotation from the flywheel to the potter’s wheel. To reduce the friction forces, roller bearings or special bushings with a low sliding coefficient are used.
• Potter’s wheel. It is made of clay.
• Bench for sitting. Can be made on one frame with the machine or be separate.

Additionally sometimes a bowl for collecting waste and residual clay is installed.

Regardless of manufacturing material, drive, size and other factors the basic engineering principle of the potter’s wheel does not change.

What types of circles by type of drive are currently used?

In this article we will consider the technology of making only the simplest and most reliable circles.

Potter’s wheel with his own hands DIY

Where to start the development of pottery. this is the question facing the entrepreneur, who has decided to engage in the production of ceramics. You need to learn the technology first. It is best to find pottery training courses. That way you will understand in practice whether this type of business is suitable for you. Even if you are not going to work in a workshop, and expect to hire employees, you must understand the stages and nuances of production.

To make your product sold, it must be special, not like the mass-market. For this you need to develop original products, the concept of design.

Study the work of your competitors: the quality of products, pricing policy, level of service. Find the advantages and disadvantages and make a business plan with this information. It will allow you to see the ways of development of your business:

• Develop an assortment;
• Understand what raw materials and equipment are needed;
• Calculate the profitability of production;
• Determine the markets for the finished product.

Technology

Master the technology of manufacturing products from clay is not difficult:

• First the mixture is prepared on special equipment.
• Then remove excess air from it by rolling and twisting the clay on a board.
• The mass is formed on a potter’s wheel or by hand and left to dry.
• Firing the finished product in a professional furnace, which is heated to 900-950 degrees. This is the most time-consuming process: the more time is spent on it, the more durable the ceramics will be.
• Finish, give the objects an attractive appearance. treated with a special solution, varnish and paint.

Equipment

Pottery business does not require large investments in equipment. To start you will need:

• Muffle kiln for firing;
• Device for kneading clay;
• scales;
• molds, molds and templates;
• A set of hand tools for pottery;
• Decorative materials like paints, glazes, glass, etc.п.

Cabinets, shelves, racks, tables, and chairs will be needed to set up the workshop. You don’t have to buy new equipment: used ones will do for a start.

Raw materials

Clay is a common natural material, it is found everywhere. You do not even have to buy the raw material, if you know where there is a deposit. The clay can be red, black, yellow, white, blue, etc. Potters usually use red.

Before use, natural clay is cleaned of impurities of sand and small stones. You can buy ready-made potter’s clay, but it is not difficult to prepare it yourself by kneading. You can also model products from polymer clay.

Pottery registration

To work legally, register your pottery with the tax authorities, choose the taxation system. For a small private shop fits IP: a minimum package of documents for registration, easy accounting. The main code on OKVED for you will be 23.41.

“Production of Household and Decorative Ceramics”. As an option, specify 46.44.1 и 47.78.3. This allows you to engage in the sale of products.

Practical tips for making a foot ring

It will not be difficult to make such a potter’s wheel, if one knows the basic principles and requirements. That’s what we’ll focus on. What are the components that make up a potter’s wheel and what are the requirements for them?

Frame

Bearing frame, to which all other parts of the mechanism are attached. The main requirements for the frame. rigidity and stability. It is subjected to high loads, also dynamic ones. If the machine jerks during the manufacture of clay crafts, it becomes the cause of defects.

Two meters of 40×200 mm boards and seven meters of 40×50 mm timber were needed for our frame. The strength of the legs of the machine is increased by crosspieces, all connections are made in a half-tree, from metal hardware used screws and bolts. For the flywheel with a diameter of 1 m distance between the legs of the frame should be at least 60 cm, otherwise it will not fit in the free space and you will have to make adjustments in the design.

We make it out of a tube Ø 25 mm, it fits the bearings just perfectly. Axle length 83 cm. The upper bearing is in a sealed case and fully hermetically sealed, such are used in agricultural machinery of domestic production. They are not a problem to find in the village. Bottom roller thrust bearing. The resource of work of such bearings is huge, on a potter’s machine they will work forever, if not to pour water and not to hit with a sledgehammer deliberately.

The shaft is made of metal pipe

Under the lower bearing the seating hole Ø 52 mm is drilled and the cage is firmly hammered. A through hole is made in the upper bar of the frame and the upper bearing, along with the housing, is fixed to it.

Working disk

Made of several layers of plywood, the total thickness of the disk not less than five centimeters. If it is thin, the axle is only held in place on the outside, and the disc wobbles during operation. As practice shows, the axle should go at least three centimeters deep into the disc, which is the only way to ensure a firm grip.

You drill a pilot hole in the center for the pipe (not through) and screw in a metal flange with a stopper. Due to this element, the upper disc is firmly fixed to the pipe end and rotates with it.

Handwheel

It can be made solid from boards or empty of sheet plywood. The first option is expensive and time consuming, the second is much easier. Subsequently, the empty cavity of the hand wheel is filled with sand, it becomes heavy and does its job well.

The flywheel can be made hollow and then filled with sand

Use an electric jigsaw to cut two identical circles from 9 mm plywood and fasten them together with small wooden bars. Their dimensions determine the thickness and, therefore, the weight of the handwheel. Screw a 4 mm thick strip of plywood along the perimeter with self-tapping screws. Before screwing, you must lubricate the surface with wood glue. The heavier the flywheel, the more kinetic energy it stores, which is very important for the work on the machine. The element is secured to the axle with a metal flange set exactly in the center of the wheel.

The metal flange must be exactly in the center of the handwheel

Tips for assembling the machine

Once all components and parts are prepared, you can begin assembling.

Attach the bottom plank of the frame to the feet. It is fixed with bolts, do not tighten too much, this is done only after assembling and checking all the elements.

Bolt the board to the bottom of the frame

Install the bottom thrust roller bearing collar in the bore.

Insert bearing cage into hole on bottom board

Put an axle on the flywheel, put a washer to adjust the height. Put the assembled assembly back in place.

Install the upper slat. Put it on the axle, bolt to the legs.

Bolt the upper slat as well

Screw the upper ball bearing to the bar, lock the axle in the flanges.

Attach the upper work disk to the axle. Install the foot stopper.

Tighten the lower bolts as far as they will go. Put another stop along the diagonal to make it more rigid. You can use an ordinary wooden pick from a bayonet shovel.

Fill the flywheel with sand and close the hole. You can start working on the machine.

Cover the hole in the handwheel with this strip

How to make a foot potter’s wheel with your own hands

Everyone who is interested in pottery has ever thought about getting a potter’s wheel. But as you know, a circle is not cheap. Although a professional tool justifies the money invested in it, not every beginner can afford such a machine tool at the beginning of the creative path.

Pottery or potter’s wheel is a machine, which is not difficult to make yourself with your own hands and which gives the opportunity to receive from the clay pottery products correct round shape.

The general view of the machine on the bed is shown in Fig. 1. From this it is quite clear how it is constructed. The dimensions of the frame in the figure are approximate. Everybody can change it in some way, as well as change the construction of separate parts according to his own conditions.

This applies also to the rotating parts of the machine, which are the main. Machine tool spindle (det. 1) is made from a wooden bar on a lathe, but you can make it a square cross section, respectively, changing the parts associated with the spindle.

The upper, slightly tapered, end of the spindle is fastened by the ring “a” and an iron rod is inserted through the bearing (detail “a”). 4).

The bearing is made of a metal plate and is reinforced in the upper joist of the frame. The figure shows how it is done. II. The extruding end of the spindle is forged or sawn on four faces that meet at the top. This is the end on which the machine table (parts 15, 15) is mounted. 5).

How to Make a DIY Pottery Wheel | I Like To Make Stuff

The table is also best turned out, but can be sawed out with a saw. In this case, the workpiece for the table is first drilled from below, then put on the end of the spindle, turn the spindle and outline a circle on the workpiece in motion.

Having sawn the workpiece, they put it on the spindle again, turn it, mark the plane of the table along the sawn edge and bend the surface of the workpiece according to this mark. This method is used to make a table when everything else is ready and the spindle is in place.

At the bottom of the spindle is a thickening on which lies the heavy flywheel (part 2). 2). This wheel consists of a wooden rim, a wooden hub, and two plywood discs. All these parts are joined together with glue and nails.

The rim can be made of four pieces joined together with wooden or plywood dowels (fig. III). The wheel must be built carefully and firmly, as it will be quite heavy: its cavity is filled with dry sand through the hole “c” in the upper disc.

Having filled the wheel tightly, close the hole with the plug and put the hand wheel on the spindle. To prevent it from turning, it is to be wedged in with two wedges (Fig. 8). 3), entering into the grooves “6” on the spindle and sleeve.

The lower end of the spindle is also secured by a ring “a” and has a tapered iron rod. This is the “heel” of the spindle, which rests on a “footplate”, a metal plate with a corresponding recess, mounted on the bottom beam of the bed (Fig. IV- General view and cross-section of the plate).

Thread the finished spindle with the handwheel onto the bearing with the upper pin (det. 4), put the heel in the thrust bearing and set the bottom beam of the frame in place. The spindle must be set absolutely plumb.

On the outgoing end of the rod a table is put on tightly and the whole installation is checked, not forgetting to lubricate the bearing and the thrust bearing pedestal with oil or vaseline. If everything is done correctly, the spindle should rotate easily and evenly by pushing on the handwheel.

Uneven rotation is caused by poor alignment and misalignment of the handwheel. In turn, the table must also rotate strictly in the same plane. The twist can also be caused by the incorrect installation of the rods, upper and heel, which should lie in one straight line. Before installing the handwheel it is best to check the spindle first and correct any deficiencies, if any.

It remains to make some more tools for work. They are very simple. This “string” is a thin wire, tied to the handles (fig. V). It is necessary for cutting products from the table.

“Stacks” or differently shaped sticks (Fig. VI) are used to level the surface of the clay and draw lines and patterns on it.

Templates may be needed (Fig. VII), cut from cardboard, plywood or tinplate. They are used for form alignment, especially when several identical items need to be made.

Work on a potter’s wheel, sitting on a high stool or a bench. The height of the seat should be such that the leg with which the handwheel is rotated hangs down. The second foot can rest on the frame.

The wheel is set in rotation and a piece of clay, very well kneaded, is thrown into the center of the wheel. After fixing the clay in the centre of the stage, using the thumbs of both hands, rotate the stage to squeeze out the pit and gradually form the walls of the piece.

To prevent the clay from sticking to your hands, moisten them with water. This case, of course, requires a certain skill, so you should start with the low plates, which “sharpen” quite simply, gradually complicating the shape of the product.

The surface of the finished product is smoothed with a wet rag and, if necessary, a pattern is drawn on the wet clay. The ready thing is cut from the table with a string. If the thing is very soft, it is dried on the table for a while, and then cut off.

The cut pieces are dried gradually in the shade so they don’t crack, and then fired. If burning is not possible, the dried “crock” can be painted with oil or enamel paint, but, of course, we must remember that such crock is not resistant to water.

In pottery work special attention should be paid to the quality of the material. The clay must be malleable and very thoroughly mixed into a perfectly homogeneous and suitable density of dough.

Construction of an electric potter’s wheel

The design of the electric potter’s wheel is quite simple and its installation is not particularly difficult. Skills in handling electrical appliances, installation of electrical equipment, welding work are needed to bring the project to life. If you have all this, you can take up the work.

The design of the wheel consists of several basic units:

• Stand. Welded metal construction, on which all knots of the machine are mounted.
• Electric actuator. Low power electric motor for shaft rotation.
• Master and idler pulleys. Designed to transmit torque from the electric motor to the potter’s wheel. Pulleys are connected by a V-belt.
• Wheel. Steel disk of the required diameter, on which directly occurs processing of the workpiece.
• Electrical equipment. Frequency converter, power controller, circuit breaker.
• Drive shaft with hub and bearings. Transmits the torque from the pulley to the wheel itself.
• Production bowl. Designed to protect the room from dirt during clay processing. Centrifugal forces from the rotation of the wheel can cause poorly fastened pieces of material to fly off. To prevent this from happening, the wheel is placed in a production bowl, most often made of plastic.

Types of equipment

Three conditions must be met for a successful class.

• Have the clay. Even for city dwellers this task is doable, you can always find tips on the Internet for finding clay. And in the villages, clay is underfoot in almost every yard.
• Have a potter’s wheel. There can be difficulties. For the more affluent part of our society it is not a problem to buy such a device, although it is not cheap. As for the rest, they can make a circle on their own, below in this article we will give detailed recommendations.
• Be willing. This is where unexpected troubles can arise. Unfortunately, many people quickly lose the desire to do something with their own hands. The reasons are varied, from physical and mental fatigue, to ordinary laziness and unwillingness to show strength of character.

If you are sure you can fulfill all three conditions without any problem, you can get down to the main thing. making the potter’s wheel. As the excavations of historians show, the potter’s wheel can be called one of the first machines invented by mankind.

The solution was so successful that even today no radical changes have occurred in the design, it has the same individual elements.

Only the drive is different, and professional potters still prefer the foot drive. These wheels have been in use for hundreds of years.

machine assemblies

• Flywheel. Made of stone, metal or heavy wood, can be up to one meter in diameter. The purpose of the handwheel is to accumulate kinetic energy and release it gradually as needed to form clay products.
• Vertical Axle. Transmits rotation from the handwheel to the potter’s wheel. To reduce the friction forces, roller bearings or special bushings with a low sliding coefficient are used.
• Potter’s wheel. Clay products are made on it.
• Bench for sitting. Can be made on the same frame as the machine or be a separate one.

In addition, sometimes a bowl is installed to collect waste and clay residue.

Regardless of the manufacturing material, drive, size and other factors, the basic engineering diagram of the potter’s wheel does not change.

What types of circles are currently used by type of drive??

Type of drive Brief description of features

Foot operated	Traditional potter’s wheel, history of use goes back many hundreds of years. The craftsman uses one foot to turn the flywheel, while his hands are free to make handicrafts. The flywheel has different sizes and weights; the values of the stored energy depend on these parameters. It should be understood that the heavy wheel is more difficult to rotate with the foot, it has a large force of inertia. These are easier to make on their own and easier to learn. In addition, foot-operated mechanisms are almost unbreakable. The reason is very simple. they have nothing to break. The fewer parts a machine has, the more reliable it is, it is an axiom of the constructors’ actions.
Mechanical	Manufactured in England during the development of industry. The design at that time was advanced and successful, in the middle of the century before last even began mass production. The author of the mechanical potter’s wheel is well-known; it was the potter Bernard Leach. The flywheel was driven by a pedal and the pedal was connected to the axle by a crank mechanism. Disadvantages of the device. it is quite difficult to remove the heavy handwheel from its resting state.
Electric	This greatly simplified the labor of craftsmen, all the mechanical work was performed by an electric motor. The machine worked without a heavy and large handwheel, the size and weight were significantly reduced. Disadvantages of the machine. it is tied to the electric network, mechanical complexity of design, a rather high cost. Pottery is always associated with water and clay, and these are the main enemies of mechanisms. Electric wheels were much more likely to fail, requiring periodic maintenance. In addition, in wet areas the risk of electric shock to people increases significantly.

The frame

Bearing frame to which all other parts of the machine are fastened. The main requirements for the framework. rigidity and stability. It is exposed to high loads, including dynamic. If the machine jerks when making clay molds, it causes defects.

To make our frame, we needed two meters of 40×200 mm board and seven meters of 40×50 mm bars.

The strength of the legs of the machine is increased by crosspieces, all connections are made in a half-tree, self-tapping screws and bolts are used for hardware.

Under the flywheel with a diameter of 1 m distance between the legs of the frame should be at least 60 cm, otherwise it will not fit into the free space and you will have to make adjustments in the design.

We make it out of tube Ø 25mm and the bearings are just right for it. Axle length 83 cm. The upper bearing is in a closed housing and fully sealed, these are used in agricultural machinery of domestic production. Find them in the village is not a problem. Lower roller thrust bearing.

The service life of such bearings is enormous, they will work forever on a potter’s machine if they are not deliberately poured with water and not beaten with a sledgehammer.

Drill a pilot bore Ø 52mm for the lower bearing and hammer the cage down firmly. A through hole is made in the upper bar of the frame and the upper bearing along with the housing is fixed to it.

Working disk

Made of several layers of plywood, the total thickness of the disk not less than five centimeters. If it is too thin, the shaft is only held in place on the outside, and the disc is wobbly during operation. As experience shows, the axle should go at least three centimeters deep into the disk, which is the only way to ensure a firm grip.

In the center of the drilled technological hole for the pipe (not through) and screwed metal flange with a stopper. Due to this element, the upper disc is rigidly fixed to the end of the pipe and rotates with it.

Flywheel

It can be made solid out of boards or hollow out of sheet plywood. The first option is expensive and time-consuming, the second is much simpler. The empty flywheel cavity is subsequently filled with sand, it becomes heavy and does a great job.

From 9 mm thick plywood, cut two identical circles with an electric jigsaw and fasten them together with small wooden bars. Their dimensions determine the thickness and, therefore, the weight of the flywheel.

Screw a 4-mm-thick strip of plywood along the perimeter with self-tapping screws, and before screwing, you need to lubricate the surface with carpentry glue. The heavier the flywheel, the more kinetic energy it stores, which is very important for machine operation.

The element is fixed to the axis by a metal flange set exactly in the center of the circle.

Tips for assembling a machine

After all the parts are prepared, you can begin assembling.

Attach the bottom frame board to the legs. It is secured with bolts, do not tighten too much, this is done only after all elements have been assembled and checked. Bolt the board to the bottom of the frame.

Install the lower thrust roller bearing cage in the bore. Insert the bearing sleeve in the hole on the bottom board.

Put the axle on the handwheel, put the washer to adjust the height. Reassemble the assembled unit. Fit the flywheel and shaft into the frame.

Put on the upper bar. Slide it onto the axle and bolt to the legs. Bolt on the top ledge as well. Screw the upper ball bearing to the rail and fasten the axle to the flanges.

Fit the upper pressure plate to the axle. Install the leg stop bar. Installation of work disk.

Tighten the lower screws as far as they will go. Install another stop along the diagonal to increase rigidity. You can use an ordinary wooden pick from a bayonet shovel. Reinforce the frame with spacers.

Fill the flywheel with sand, close the hole. You are ready to begin work on the machine. Cover the hole in the handwheel with a slat.

Making the Upper Circle

Weld the metal to the flange of the axle, the joint must be strong, this determines the safety of working on the potter’s wheel. Weld the sheet metal to the flange of the axle.

Assemble the machine and turn on the motor. Use the angle grinder on the rotating metal to mark the circle. Stop the machine and cut off the excess metal.

While the plate is turning, use an angle grinder to mark the cut line

Turn the machine on again and remove all rust from the surface of the sheet metal. First work with an angle grinder, then with an emery cloth, remove burrs and sharp edges. Grind the metal carefully.

How to make a foot potter’s wheel with his own hands. instructions for assembling the machine from a bucket

Just find a 360 degree rotating bucket, use a few items from home and you’ll be all set in 10 minutes. The project is inexpensive and works as efficiently as any potter’s wheel. After a little practice I can center, twist and turn this potter’s wheel well. After correcting the wobble, centering is now automatic thanks to the concentric circles on the potting tray.

The foot-powered potter’s wheel is inexpensive, lightweight, portable and takes up little space. What’s great is that there’s no soldering, no heavy equipment, and it works on its feet. The best part is it doesn’t require electricity.

Here’s a recap of all my videos after I learned how to throw mop buckets on the potter’s wheel after 50 throws in 14 days.