T S wheel users...

[clay lover]

Have any of you struggled with how far the front of that wonderful big splash pan is from the center of the wheel?   When I am throwing smaller things, like mugs, I feel like I am bending and reaching Waaaay out in front of me.  Other wheels, like the Brents , are almost 2" less distance from the front to the center of the wheel head, but I LOVE my TS motor and smooth responsive foot pedal and don't want to change wheels.  I have tried taking the pan off, but the steel undercarriage still limits how close I can get my stool. 

Have any of you made any modifications to the pan to get closer to the center of the wheel?

[Russ]

I have the pro model so the pan is not removable.  I haven't even thought about the distance as it seems comfortable to me.   perhaps if you sat higher???

[clay lover]

I have rather short arms for my height, so it is a struggle for me.  I am considering getting the wheel shaft extender, since if I sit high enough to get the stool over the metal base, then I have to bend WAAAy over to getmy stubby arms and hands down  to the wheel.  Hoping for some others to chime in with their ideas.

[Mark C.]

Some of those TS wheels have huge pans-just part of the design. I would go with the shaft extender.

[neilestrick]

If you raise the shaft, then much of your splatter may not land in the pan. Just sit as close as you can to the wheel. Gotta get up close to reduce that distance. Sitting super close will also give your arms better support.

The thing I like about the TS pan is that it's far enough from the wheel head that stuff can actually get into the pan.

[GEP]

@clay lover I have a Thomas Stuart “Classic” wheel. It’s old (I bought it second hand) so I don’t know if it’s the same size as yours. I have short arms too. I put pieces of pipe insulation on the splashpan rim so I can rest my arms comfortably on the splashpan instead of my legs. I don’t have a problem throwing small pots this way.

 

[clay lover]

Thanks, I have foam around mine, for the same reason.  I am very tall through my body, so coupled with the short arms,, this set up is still a struggle for me.  I have to bend over a lot to get down to the wheel,  May need to try throwing with the wheel head higher than my butt,   I sit much more comfortably on the Brents,  but don't want to give up the great foot pedal on the TS. 

[GEP]

1 hour ago, clay lover said:

May need to try throwing with the wheel head higher than my butt

Yes, but instead of extending the wheel shaft, try raising the entire wheel by a few inches. Putting bricks under the feet is a quick way to try it. If you have a long torso with short arms, the top half of your arms need to reach all the way down to hip height, before the bottom half of your arms can reach forward to the wheel. That’s gotta be uncomfortable. Raising the splashpan rim will help your arms (and your back). 

I am average height (5’5”) and I find that my lower back gets very tired when I throw on a hip-height wheel. Possibly because my arms are short so I need to hunch in order to have my elbows at hip height. A belly-button height wheel is far better for me all around. I built leg extenders out of PVC pipe parts, so I could make them the exact right height.

[neilestrick]

Yes, raise the wheel up on bricks, or pieces of wood or whatever, to figure out what height is best. There's also the option of throwing standing up, where you can raise the wheel to whatever height you want.

[clay lover]

For those who throw with a higher wheel head, what do you do when throwing a tall slender piece, stand up after centering , opening and making the first couple of pulls?   I tried standing early on and could never get the clay center without being able to get over it.

[neilestrick]

1 hour ago, clay lover said:

For those who throw with a higher wheel head, what do you do when throwing a tall slender piece, stand up after centering , opening and making the first couple of pulls?   I tried standing early on and could never get the clay center without being able to get over it.

Whatever it takes. I f that means standing, go for it.

When throwing standing, it's a whole different ball game in terms of bracing your arms. You have to rely a lot more on arm strength, because you can't brace against your thigh or hip the same as when you're sitting. But you can brace to some degree against your ribs or the splash pan or wherever you can. It takes a little getting used to.

[GEP]

I remain seated until I can no longer reach into the pot as far as I need to. Then I stand up for the rest. 

I can throw a 12 inch tall pot while sitting down. Anything taller than that, and I'll need to stand for the later stages.