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Leveling the Wheel


Pres

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I watched the video too: in that footage the thrower knows that the wheel is not level and therefore ensures that he's working perpendicular to the wheel.

 

If he wasn't aware that the wheel was out of level and just worked perpendicular to where a level wheel should be, then one side of the pot will be longer than the opposite side, and the base won't be parallel to the top.

 

If the wheel was out of level but you were pulling straight up, the effect would be that the pot would get wider, not that you would get one side taller than the other. It's no different than if the wheel was level and you were pulling outward. Unevenness at the top is a result of poor centering or uneven pressure during pulling.

 

 

I was thinking that the extra length would be at the bottom.

 

 

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just my penny and a half here.
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Lower pieces should not be a whole lot of problem. However, as the piece gets taller that difference of the piece from center becomes greater also. Other factors involved would be if the lean of wheel is between the front two legs, or with the back leg on a 3 leg wheel. More difference in floor variation especially with taller pieces can be quite difficult. All of this a personal opinion, based on my own experience.

 

 

post-894-0-06025500-1411072214_thumb.jpg

post-894-0-06025500-1411072214_thumb.jpg

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I watched the video too: in that footage the thrower knows that the wheel is not level and therefore ensures that he's working perpendicular to the wheel.

 

If he wasn't aware that the wheel was out of level and just worked perpendicular to where a level wheel should be, then one side of the pot will be longer than the opposite side, and the base won't be parallel to the top.

 

If the wheel was out of level but you were pulling straight up, the effect would be that the pot would get wider, not that you would get one side taller than the other. It's no different than if the wheel was level and you were pulling outward. Unevenness at the top is a result of poor centering or uneven pressure during pulling.

 

 

I was thinking that the extra length would be at the bottom.

 

 

attachicon.gifoffpot.jpg

 

 

That diagram defies the physics of wheel throwing. You're thinking in 2 dimensions instead of 3. Because the wheel is turning, the piece will be symmetrical. The angle where the wall meets the wheel head is the same all the way around. You can't pull a cylinder where the angle is 85 degrees to the wheel head on one side and 95 degrees on the other.

 

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just my penny and a half here.

post-894-0-06025500-1411072214_thumb.jpg

 

Lower pieces should not be a whole lot of problem. However, as the piece gets taller that difference of the piece from center becomes greater also. Other factors involved would be if the lean of wheel is between the front two legs, or with the back leg on a 3 leg wheel. More difference in floor variation especially with taller pieces can be quite difficult. All of this a personal opinion, based on my own experience.

 

The top would be off center relative to level and plumb, but not relative to the wheel head. The pot has no relationship with the floor during throwing, only to the wheel head and its axis.

 

No matter what the angle of the wheel head is in relation to the floor, as long as you pull perpendicular to the wheel head you will get a straight cylinder. Any angle of pulling that is not perpendicular will cause the pot to get either wider or narrower, depending on the angle.

 

All that said, I can see how a wheel that is quite out of level could lead to difficulty in working since our bodies have a tendency to recognize and even prefer 'level'. Working at an angle that is too far from level could definitely make it uncomfortable or awkward enough to cause problems.

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Guest JBaymore

There's a ton of throwers in traditional indigenous potteries that have wheels that are set far from level, and also the wheelheads are not even fully centered on the wheel shaft.  Wobble like crazy (example see "Potters of Hebron" video).  They make great pots.

 

best,

 

.....................john

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Guest JBaymore

To use an off center and wobbly wheelhead... you need a potter that is quite skilled. In a sense it is simple...... don't try to use the wheelhead as a "base" or "reference"....... throw the clay ABOVE the wheelhead.  Like throwing off the hump.

 

best,

 

......................john

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