Pottery and Ceramics Tools Building a Kick Wheel

Building the Frame

Attach one 12 inch x 30 inch piece of plywood to these supports using the eight wood screws.

Next, you will secure the flange bearing in the center of the bottom crosspiece using 3/8 inch lag bolts.
Make a support for the pillow block bearing using 2 x 4's.
Then find the center of the work top and center the bearing structure here, dropping the plum-bob to the center of the bottom bearing.
Next you will insert the shaft through the bearings.
Use the 9 inch x 1/2 inch bolts to secure.

To cast the flywheel you will want to find the center of the 24 inch x 24 inch piece of plywood and make a 23 inch circle using a compass.
Cut this out and drill a 1inch hole in the center.
Next, attach the pulley 2 inches from the bottom of the steel shaft with an arc welder or epoxy glue.
Use to "U" bolts to secure the plywood circle to the shaft.

Drill four 5/8 inch holes in the plywood.
Cut tar paper to make a seven inch high mold around the plywood circle.
Put the dowel rods into the holes.
Mix the cement and pour 5 inches into the mold.
Pull the rods up and down as the cement hardens to keep them loose.
When nearly set, replace with 5 inch x 1/2 inch bolts.
It may take up to two days for the cement to fully dry and harden, but after that you kick wheel should be ready for a test drive!!

Pictured above is two store bought kickwheels, you can also buy electric potters wheels.
The store boughten wheels are pretty spendy though!!
You can also purchase ready to assemble kits for making your own potter's wheel, but they are right around $250.00 I think.
There are a number of online resources about pottery and wheelmaking.
Your local craft store or pottery studio will also be able to offer help as you learn the art of pottery.

Be to his virtues very kind and to his faults a little blind.

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Have you ever come up with a good idea while working with your handmade pottery or ceramics and thought that you would like to share it with others? You have? Well, why not send it to us and we will add it to the tips page for all to see.

Handmade pottery can be a very gratifying hobby that produces fun and satisfying results. For many people it's an enjoyable release that is created by working an inanimate mound of clay into a beautiful work of art that you made through your artistic abilities.

The best way of starting out is to take a few lessons. You will probably waste quite a bit in materials when you first get started. Figuring out how to truly make handmade pottery correctly and shape into what you want it to be can be quite an ordeal. The different tools that a normal shop will have can be fun to try. You will soon see which ones you like to use the most and then when you are ready you will know which ones to buy.

With the help of the internet, you can now purchase most if not all of your ceramic and pottery tools and supplies online. We are located far from any well supplied dealers and yet working with reliable ceramic and pottery suppliers online has allowed us to recieve most of our orders within a timely manner.

When you get all set up, just enjoy the hobby and have fun at it. Some people get pretty serious and start selling their creations at craft fairs and small stores, but others just like to create items for themselves, relatives, and friends. Whichever kind of handmade pottery you desire to endeavor, enjoy the hobby and have fun doing it.

Pottery and Ceramics Tools

Building a Kick Wheel

All you'll need is:

Building Materials

Building the Frame

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