Pyewackette

A good "BAT" discussion can be found at: 
How to Make Throwing Bats
https://www.vincepitelka.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/How-to-Make-Throwing-Bats.pdf    
an alternate to hard bats try the flexible ones: 
https://www.vincepitelka.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Throwing-on-Canvas-Bats-as-an-Alternative-to-Rigid-Bats.pdf   
I use both kinds depending on why, what, where, and when the "bat" is needed. 
LT
 

A new product out made from rice hulls is interesting, it's expensive though. Wonder how it would be for making batts with. It's good for exterior applications and can be cut with woodworking tools.

+1 for MDO. Mine are going pretty strong 20 years later. 
 I recommend the single sided 1/2” or thicker. I do have some double sided bats, but I like them less because they can slip off a bat patty, and the single sided is usually a little less expensive. If you’re using bat pins, the slippage isn’t an issue. 

I’m guessing that’s MDO panel. It’s available from lumberyards. I’m not sure how common double sided MDO is or what thicknesses it’s available in, but now you know what to look for. 

Looks like my wheel and i love it. No fancy electronics, easy to find and replace motor, the cone drive is easy to understand and adjust, and the rubber "tire " that the cone rides on is a snap to replace. I can see my weel out lasting me, I can't think of anything about it I don't like. One word of caution though, when not using it make sure to pull the lever back towards you ( or lift the toe of the peddle up) Neil is right about about flat spots on the tire making it thump.
Stay safe.
Graybeard 

Yes it is. What I'm  trying to say is that if you don't make sure the lever is pulled back ALL THE TIME, when the wheel is turned off the cone will put a dent in the "tire" and the wheel will develop the thump that Neil was talking about. It really is a great wheel IMHO
stay safe. 
Graybeard 

My throwing wheel and trimming wheel are all elevated a bit-I'm a taller person so 4-6 inches up is best for me. I have theBrent booties on one wheel and a small wood stand on my Brent model A model I use for trimming (that wheel  was is the smallest well made wheel on the market when it was around years aga) The model A is long gone. Weighs 49#s

@neilestrick Its just up on one layer of blocks, not high enough to stand unless someone is even shorter than I am (5' 2" - haven't shrunk yet). It may be high enough for someone to sit on one of the taller wooden stools there though.  I couldn't find a reverse switch but I'll look again. Just an on/off switch.  I'm pretty sure I was told it wouldn't reverse, that the Amaco is the only one that will reverse without being rewired.  It is one of the models with the built in pan.  I tried the pedal, it was VERY loose - maybe that's something that's adjustable?  Tried to talk to the other instructor about the wheels today.  He loves his Shimpo. Period. Paragraph.
@Rae Reich I can't imagine throwing standing up.  It makes my neck and shoulders hurt just thinking about it.  I guess that's one more thing I may have to learn.  But the hard plastic folding chairs they are using instead of stools are much too hard on me.  I've got some kind of strain trying to shoot its way down my gluteus maximus into my leg from perching on them.  I've got a gel cushion I need to remember to take and see if that helps but I'm pretty sure its kaput, I'll have to try to find a new one.  Not very gel-y these days, more hard and unyielding.  I looked for my Shimpo stool around the house, couldn't find it.  That may be just one more thing that got lost in the last move.  Not buying another one @$110.  The only advantage it had over any other adjustable stool I've been able to find so far is that it didn't weigh much.

I make my stamps using a 3-D printer.  It's a fairly simple process to design the printer file, and the cost of filament is only a couple of dollars. Of course, you do need to have access to a 3-D printer.

My mark tool started a square shaped piece of soft clay with a carved design on that piece; had it bisqued and start using the then hard stamp.  I have made many over time; it took more time thinking about the "design" than it took to actually make the item.  I now have different sizes for different sized objects. 
Just prior to sending all objects to the bisque firing, I also mark the bottom of the objects with an "iron oxide and water ink" applied with a fine tipped brush; the iron oxide mark has shown on all clay bodies from white porcelain to red clays for low temperature (cone 08) to cone 12 electric, gas, wood, and Raku firings; this homemade "ink" works better than any other material. 
LT
 

Have you tried throwing while standing? Is the wheel on blocks for that reason?
My Brent is on a Brent stand because the standard height (or, lowness)  is hard on my back. I don’t stand to throw, though. I have a bar stool that puts my butt at the right height and two crates for my feet and the pedal. I didn’t come to this arrangement right away - took some years of testing, using other wheels, watching other potters, and listening to my body 
Good luck on your quest - maybe the studio would be willing to sell that old thing to you! Organize a pottery sale to fund them a new one?

I am taking a class at the city sponsored "studio" and the only wheel they had that would go backwards was this really old Amaco potter's wheel.  It looks like this:

I LOVE THIS WHEEL!  Which naturally hasn't been made for decades. I've only thrown on Shimpo wheels for years now.  The only other wheel I've ever used was the bog standard mustard yellow Brent (model C I think).
Although extremely awkwardly placed, the foot pedal is responsive and easy to control.  The Shimpos at the studio are balky and don't have fine control but maybe that's because they are clogged with clay? The wheel head doesn't freewheel which has some advantages.  I don't hate that the way I thought I would.  The wheel head seems more ... substantial somehow.  I don't know why, but I like it a lot better than the way it feels when I'm throwing on the Shimpos. It makes a VERY loud hum when it runs, but that hum fades quickly into the background.  I stopped noticing it at all almost immediately, EXCEPT when I was paying attention to adjusting the speed.  Then the sound sort of ramped up and down with the speed and actually helped me to gauge the speed.  I LIKE IT. I don't know what it is about the construction of this wheel that makes it the way it is.  I've been considering getting a 2nd better wheel now that I'm making actual progress (I have the little Shimpo Whisper Lite, they have the regular Shimpos at the studio).  But I've never thrown on anything but a Brent going on 12 years ago and the Shimpos (and now this ancient Amaco). 
Is there a modern wheel that is largely similar to this old Amaco? What is it about the construction of this old wheel that is lacking in the Shimpos (which I have up to now also loved)?

That old Amaco is a cone drive. Under the wheelhead there's a large metal cone, and a small rubber wheel runs along the outside of the cone. The speed of the wheelhead is determined by the location of the wheel on the cone. Pretty simple design, and yes, they are heavy and noisy. The old Shimpo wheels were made the same way. They last forever, but if you get a flat spot on the rubber wheel it'll thunk every rotation, which is super annoying. If you want a heavy modern wheel get a Skutt with the built-in splashpan. They weight a ton and will run a lot smoother than the old Amaco, and they have a much larger splashpan and better speed control than Brent wheels.

I just sign my name with underglaze on the bisque ware before wax the bottoms.

Those old Shimpos to me are like dinosaurs -all modern wheels throw so much better. The reason is response time and ease of use. No presure to stomp on pedal or grab the knob handle to change speeds
They work on a cone drive system . And the pressure to drive the cone up and down was for me a drawback-very stiff
But I get that you like  it maybe its the compact size?  We all have our own likes

Looks like one can get closer to the wheel head (compact, as Mark points out)?
The height may be different.
Have you ever driven a Skutt?
I like mine, but I wouldn't say it is better to work on than a strong Brent.
I've the built in cast pan, which I really like for setting my forearms on...
That you like it is the main/good thing!

That Amaco is a #15 and is ancient -I could not find out the drive mechanism -belt? cone ? gear? maybe you could flip it on its side and look. There are only thses 3 types of drives. That will say alot about why you like it.
The small body size -yours and its also is a reason I'm sure it fits you so well. Tell us the drive story underneath
I have not seen a used #15 amaco for sale in decades.

It’s also helpful to learn on something that’s wider than it is tall. Shallow bowls or plates, or even regular bowls are easier than something like a cup or a mug. 

Lots of practice, that appears key, as Florian Gadsby demonstrates in his video clip on the subject*.
He's tapping on the away side, but between three and four thirty or so?
Looks like John Hasegawa is tapping on the toward side, but at less than nine o'clock, the pot is moving away from his fingertips.
Both nod to the many varied approaches, which I appreciate!
Left hand seems natural to me (I work clockwise). I haven't progressed much with tap centering, although Florian's video has inspired me to practice more.
I might yet find a way to be consistent, however, it's been like throwing a baseball is for me (now), I can do it, but every once in a while - too often - a ball goes sailing off in a wholly unintended direction, which I attribute to nerve damage. So, I can throw underhand consistently, and left-handed consistently, if not very well.
I can tap a few times effectively, then oops. The oops taps occur too often, oh well.
I hadn't seen any of Hasegawa's clips, thanks for the intro!
*Florian Gadsby
How to Tap Centre Pots on the Potter's Wheel - YouTube
 

Thanks to this guy I finally figured out why I haven't been able to tap center any more. 
I was starting to think I hallucinated ever being able to tap center.  Let alone thinking it was so easy, as I had.  But this video finally showed me where I was going wrong.  How was the woman who can't tell her left from her right and throws backwards screwing it up?
How did you guess!  That's right, I was trying to tap center a clockwise wheel with my right hand.  Switch to my left hand and voila!  Suddenly tap centering was easy again.  I can tap center even my off kilter stuff in nothing flat.  I tap centered a chuck the instructor made for me (so its as close to perfectly round as is humanly possible) in two taps.
The slow motion stuff in the beginning while he talked about the direction of your hand in relation to the direction of rotation had it clinched for me in the first few minutes.
I'm so full of myself now!

@Hulk Put a slab of closed cell foam in the bottom to protect sharp bits.  It won't get soggy like other kinds of foam.  I'm talking the black or grey stuff like they use to make pipe insulation.  It is sometimes used as packing material.  I try to snag it whenever it appears.  SOOO many uses.

Thanks to this guy I finally figured out why I haven't been able to tap center any more. 
I was starting to think I hallucinated ever being able to tap center.  Let alone thinking it was so easy, as I had.  But this video finally showed me where I was going wrong.  How was the woman who can't tell her left from her right and throws backwards screwing it up?
How did you guess!  That's right, I was trying to tap center a clockwise wheel with my right hand.  Switch to my left hand and voila!  Suddenly tap centering was easy again.  I can tap center even my off kilter stuff in nothing flat.  I tap centered a chuck the instructor made for me (so its as close to perfectly round as is humanly possible) in two taps.
The slow motion stuff in the beginning while he talked about the direction of your hand in relation to the direction of rotation had it clinched for me in the first few minutes.
I'm so full of myself now!

Thanks to this guy I finally figured out why I haven't been able to tap center any more. 
I was starting to think I hallucinated ever being able to tap center.  Let alone thinking it was so easy, as I had.  But this video finally showed me where I was going wrong.  How was the woman who can't tell her left from her right and throws backwards screwing it up?
How did you guess!  That's right, I was trying to tap center a clockwise wheel with my right hand.  Switch to my left hand and voila!  Suddenly tap centering was easy again.  I can tap center even my off kilter stuff in nothing flat.  I tap centered a chuck the instructor made for me (so its as close to perfectly round as is humanly possible) in two taps.
The slow motion stuff in the beginning while he talked about the direction of your hand in relation to the direction of rotation had it clinched for me in the first few minutes.
I'm so full of myself now!

Without knowing Michael Casson, and his work, the average person seeing those videos now, …well… I have no idea what it conjures in the mind. To me, it’s a hero, gracing us dreamy clay makers with his expertise, along with the rebellious yet stylish attire and personal vibe. And doing so in an impeccable way. Definitely a hoot. Brings me joy. Definitely not a joke. 
 
Michael Cardew next.

Pye, the only difference between someone who can throw a 3 minute cylinder and the place you’re at is practice. That’s it. Just. Repetition.
It will come, I promise. Throwing is one of those 10,000 skills, like playing a musical instrument. Making cylinders is like learning scales, and you’ll be able to do it on sheer muscle memory in a matter of months. It’s really easy to brush off the small wins in your process because of this. Once you can do something without thinking about it, you stop thinking about it. It’s really, really important to take a moment to acknowledge your progress.
I’m going to DM you about some video platform options. I’ll help you figure that end out.