Pyewackette

Deck? I built a two story HOUSE with corded or unpowered tools and one cordless DeWalt drill.  I'm 5'2" tall and female, I had little or no help during construction (and no nail gun either, way too heavy to handle, corded or not, for me). I mean really - what's the big deal about a cord??? 
My issue with the plans for a hydraulic jack powered extruder per the OP is that they seem to require use of a 3d printer.  I'll run the device past my brother the machinist and see if he thinks he can build it for me sans a 3d printer.  It looks like it would have to be table mounted which is a shame - a wall mounted extruder would have more room for extrusions and just generally take up less real estate.  When we get moved - which may be in the offing, it'll be a little while before we're sure - and I set up my "real studio" I'll have a Peter Pugger, which has extrusion dies.  But it does seem a bit of overkill just to extrude some handles.
This guy's extruder sure looks like a good possibility, though I'd go with something a bit sturdier than bolts for the leverage point. Seems like a small target to use as a lever point for the business end of that handle. Still, simple, to the point, and uses off-the-shelf easily available parts:
The other possibility (for my immediate use) would be to come up with some strap molds for handles.  I'm doubtful of my ability to make pretty ones, though.

@Pyewackette, I drag heavy things across the floor a lot, and it does not scuff at all. 
If I had the choice of bare concrete, I would prefer that. I needed some kind of covering because my basement came with asbestos tiles. Best way to mitigate those is to cover them up. 
I would not put ceramic tiles in a pottery studio. Lots of heavy things get dropped, and the tiles will be cracked in no time. 
I don’t think the G-Floor makes the floor warmer or softer, it’s not like a residential vinyl floor. I wear very cushy shoes to keep my feet happy (brand name OOFOS sandals, designed for runners).
If you have the option for wood or concrete, those would be best. Like others here, you can use foam mats where needed if you need some softness. 

Being an older, smaller person, I have to agree with @Pyewackette that rechargeable batteries make some tools too heavy for me to use easily. However, with enough spare batteries and efficient recharging protocols they can make big complicated jobs much easier.
Also agree that battery expense and lack of interchangeability is a huge complication. I would be grateful if some industry standard were devised and applied - it’s been a few decades since they came into use.
So, I guess it depends on frequency and convenience …

Batteries are NOT interchangeable except in a limited way.  Even the same brand tool often uses a different battery from the tool you bought 2 years ago.  And they vary wildly in storage/charging/usage rules.  My DeWalt flashlight, which takes the old batteries, you  can leave the battery IN the tool.  My DeWalt drill, if you leave the battery IN the tool it will run it down and damage the battery (so they say). Some other DeWalt tools have different rules - it doesn't even carry over within the brand. My son's black & decker cordless weed whacker currently has 7, count them, SEVEN batteries, 4 of them B&D batteries.  None of them, including the new off brand batteries (because the B&D batteries cost more than the tool) lasts more than 20 minutes in use.  I would MUCH rather haul a 100' extension cord around.
No thanks, I've had it.  Give me a corded tool that I pay for ONCE and then its good to go for the next 20 years.  And no spent batteries clogging up landfills, leaking highly toxic stuff, not to mention the mining and rights violations that go along with that in most of the places the battery stuff comes from.
I built a house in the 00's using DeWalt cordless tools and hand tools.  Given my experiences since, I'll stick with corded, and wish I had then as well.  Its not THAT much trouble to deal with the cord.  Beats spending hundreds of dollars on a tool that after 2 or 3 years, you have to essentially re-buy because the batteries have gone south.
I already use corded drills for mixing glazes etc.  I don't have any issue with the cord knocking anything over.  Also they weigh far less than similar battery powered drills - those batteries are HEAVY. And if you're running anything off a compressor, not only is there a cord (for the compressor) there are hoses.  We can deal with those as well.

It’s called G-Floor, a heavy duty vinyl flooring meant for garages. It has held up very well at the 10 year mark. The only deterioration is some minor buckling around the legs of the kilns, I guess from the heat of the kilns. But overall I am very happy with it. 

John Hasegawa https://www.youtube.com/@JohnHasegawaCeramics/videos
Florian Gadsby https://www.youtube.com/@floriangadsby/videos
Melanie Tomaszewski aka Mudgirl https://www.youtube.com/@MudgirlPottery/videos
I love Hsin Chuen Lin - I just enjoy watching him.  I'd enjoy it even more if I could filter out that annoying Brent wheel whine.  On the other hand, I can play his videos at the studio and it does help to drown out the country music that inevitably starts as soon as the studio manager leaves for the day.

I've made a firm decision NOT to buy any more battery operated power tools.  The batteries are not interchangeable, they die, and then you not only have to replace them (at great expense) you also have to safely dispose of the dead ones.  They USED to make corded models of caulking guns, I saw a guy who used one to do exactly what you're talking about, but I couldn't find a single corded model.  I bought a Dewalt drill 2 or 3 years ago and discovered that they had already discontinued the battery for it when I bought it.  I ended up having to buy a new drill with 2 new batteries and an adapter because it was actually cheaper than the adapter by itself.  I wouldn't have bothered but I need the drill to work the cutters for the hardiebacker.
What a waste!

I've made a firm decision NOT to buy any more battery operated power tools.  The batteries are not interchangeable, they die, and then you not only have to replace them (at great expense) you also have to safely dispose of the dead ones.  They USED to make corded models of caulking guns, I saw a guy who used one to do exactly what you're talking about, but I couldn't find a single corded model.  I bought a Dewalt drill 2 or 3 years ago and discovered that they had already discontinued the battery for it when I bought it.  I ended up having to buy a new drill with 2 new batteries and an adapter because it was actually cheaper than the adapter by itself.  I wouldn't have bothered but I need the drill to work the cutters for the hardiebacker.
What a waste!

I don't think it's reasonable for you to have to fix a ton of unworkable short clay. I would show them it's short; roll out some coils about the thickness of a pencil and bend it around your finger, if it cracks badly it's short. Make a 1/4" thick slab and bend it at right angles and look for cracks. Take some photos and email them, offer to send them a sample. Take photos of the batch numbers on the boxes. Let them know it's unacceptable to work with and ask them what their solution is.

When I built mine my husband had a extra one in the garage,  I told him what I was going to do build.   He said I will get you one from a car salvage that is in better shape,   he couldn't find any.   It  works but there is worn out teeth on the rachet.   I have a caulking gun extruder that I use for small molding and a cookie press gun that also works well.   Fortunately they all take the same size die,  I make my own dies out of clear cutting boards.  Denice

@Pyewackette, not trying to hijack this thread but there is also the electric caulking gun extruder option too. I came up with the idea and Pres made it work. We collaborated on an article for it, link from Pres' website to it here. https://picworkspottery.blogspot.com/

Much of all of the above from all of the posts, tailored to home studio/low production.  While not a "tool" per se, my most crucial non-pottery-intended item is my  UpCart that "climbs" up and down stairs-a dolly-the econo model can handle over 100 lbs...had it for years and it is essential for getting things in/out of my house & studio. I can barely lift 50 lbs of clay anymore-and even 25 is hard on a bad day, so this thing is a real blessing. 

I would have told myself I had less time than I thought and not to wait for "permission" - also to find a doctor who would start treating my Addison's disease IMMEDIATELY and not 40 years later, LOL!

Well I finally got around to measuring this today and I was WAY off.  It was 21" tall.  To be fair, that is more than 1/3rd of my height!  At any rate I smooshed it and discovered a couple of things, firstly the coiled sections were much more even than I would have thought but very thick at 1/2".  And the bottom thrown part was also very even, but only a scosh more than 1/4".  Also as I pulled it apart it came apart along the coils.  Not sure if that means anything.
The Armadillo order has yet to arrive but when it does get here I plan to score some light stoneware and try again.  I COULD use the studio clay but ... all the new clays (not counting the Raku) so far have been so much easier and more pleasant to work with.  Looking forward to doing it again only better LOL!

I actually just realized - well I realized Sunday morning, I've been playing catch-up with housework today due to spending all the open studio hours at the studio (closed on Mondays) - that ALL the clay bodies I ordered are cone 6, including both the speckled clays.  So I should have known.  They do say those are good for cone 4 to 6 so I should be ok at cone 6 with those.
As of Sunday the Alligator order was  not yet in, hoping it will be there when I go in tomorrow afternoon.  There should be a couple of cone 10 white stonewares on the studio order, and then the clays I ordered.  Looking forward to both.
I'm throwing a lot better and a lot faster these days.  Still a long ways to go but I can see light at the end of the tunnel, and its not a train for a change LOL!
At any rate when I get some cone 10 stoneware I'll see about going big again.  That's been a goal, but it seemed out of reach until just the last couple of weeks.
@Kelly in AK It's so weird, I was just reading about Isaac Button somewhere or other - or had been just before I read your posting.  I've already forgotten what the exact context was but it was in regard to throwing big. 

And yet another suggestion: metal window screen.
Lay a piece of metal window screen, presumably aluminum?, on a flat surface and gently move the unfired pot back and forth. When you're done simply lift the screen and gently sponge away the dust. If the screen becomes clogged simply pull it in opposite directions and the particles fall out.
This works especially well when wanting to get a flat surface on a plaster form but I also use it with pots occasionally.

I agree with everyone above: most low volume creators shouldn’t have major dust risks, but working as dust free as possible is just good practice.
If the piece is still green, an old trick is to wet down any canvas surface you work on, and work the pieces in a figure 8 over it to get rid of any wobbles in the base. If you don’t work on a canvas surface (there’s better things imo), something like a smooth cement surface will work. And be easier to clean. 

And don't sand over the sink!  That will plug up your drains in no time.  Sand outside if possible.  wear a mask and just be aware of the negatives of dust.  Lin

Adjusting bottled glazes is tricky, because in addition to not knowing what’s in the recipe to start with, they add gums and brushing agents that change how a glaze dries. Adding material can affect how well those things work, because you’re diluting them. Some commercial dry glazes will have them, some won’t. Usually if a manufacturer doesn’t recommend sieving or recommends minimal mixing, or specifies the amount of water to use, there’s some suspension agents or gum of some kind. 
This is not me trying to dissuade you, it’s only things to keep in mind as you test. All things are possible if you have the time and energy to figure it out. It will just be easier to adjust a dry base glaze from Plainsman (who provides the recipes of their base glazes) than a bottle of Mayco. 

ALL my tools are essential!  ALL of them I say!
I have the angle grinder, the dremel tool, the Opti-visor.  I have a bullseye level - which runs $3 or $4 at a hardware store but I saw on either Amazon or some pottery supply place for $15 !!!!
I have a dent puller for dipping stuff in glaze, but a lot of my stuff is too small for it to be useful.  And you have to wax the bottom for it to work.
I use a mister from Sally Beauty - works way better than any other sort I've seen.  I picked up a similar mister in the studio and started pumping away and was immediately admonished that if I used it that way I would break it.  Well I've had these for years, I pump away with them for whatever task they are currently set to, and I've never broken one.  They're also cheaper than the ones I've seen on Amazon and elsewhere.

That's the one I currently have (several actually, I use them to mist plants, pots, and sometimes even my hair) in purple, black and white.  They now have a larger one - 24 oz instead of 10 oz - which I am going to try and see if its as durable/useful.

I made a long reach sponge from a chopstick and a small section of sponge cut from a big tile sponge (Armaly Pro Plus Mortar and Grouting sponge). I also cut my regular sponges from the big one.
I used an upholstery awl to poke a hole in the folded over edge of a strip of chamois, then I made a chamois float by screwing the chamois to a cork through the poked hole and a washer to make sure the chamois didn't tear out around the screw.
I have a cheapie Dollar Tree desk organizer I use to hold my trim tools and ribs - I cut out the front of it so my ribs are more reachable, otherwise they fall down into the bottom and I can't see to grab the one I want.  Mine is turquoise, my store didn't have those colors and it was in the office supply section, not the craft section.

I have this toolbox from Harbor Freight that holds my most often used tools.  Keep in mind I have to schlep from home to either of two studios.  This is lightweight and fits perfectly in one end of a Sterilite crate, which I use to corral my tools and accoutrements when schlepping.

I'd post a few pics of how I've got that organized but its in the trunk of my son's car (he lets me drive it nearly all the time because he rarely needs it) and he has the car today.  Imagine that, he wanted his own car for the day LOL!
A reusable grocery bag from Dollar Tree fits PERFECTLY in the other end of the crate and holds all my other tools in their containers.
I schlep my crates on this foldable cart from Harbor Freight.  The crates don't fit inside the edges and the edges are slippery so I am getting some stair tape (the gritty stuff) to fix that.

The sterilite crates are wide enough to fit my bats in.  I use pool noodles (pipe insulation also works) as rim protectors for bats in the crate.  I can't stack either of my 2 current crates because the tool box needs one crate and it sticks up too high, and the bats go in another crate and they ALSO stick up too high.  So I'm getting another crate which I will cut in half, slide the top into the bottom, cutout the bottom, and stack/zip tie it to my bat crate to make a deeper crate that I can now stack the other crate on top of.  Then I have room for a heavy duty milk crate with my clay and reclaim buckets in it (I have to schlep them as well).  I'm using 1 gallon buckets with lids from Home Depot when schleppage of reclaim is required.
This works way better than what I was doing before, I don't need a bunch of bungie cords to try to tie my stuff onto a regular hand dolly and I can just lift the crates off, fold the cart and stick it in the trunk, and the crates just go in there with it.  Fancy wheeled tool dollies don't work because they stick up too high to go in my trunk (plus they require major spendage).  The hand dolly folded, but I had to take the crates off to fold it ALL the way up (and messing with the bungies was a major pain) because even with the handle down it, too, was too tall to fit in the trunk with the stuff still on it.
I have various snap-closure boxes for whatever tools aren't in the yellow tool box, some from Dollar Tree and a few Sterilite items.  I have a pencil box with my ribs in it now, before I had most of my tools in various plastic food containers that were a pain to get open and closed.  My bigger ribs (bowl ribs too wide for the pencil box) are in a sterilite snap closure container.  And on like that.
Oh, and this is my favorite usage of a non-pottery item for pottery storage:

See those weird gumdrop shaped bags in front?  Apparently you're supposed to put bras in them.  I don't.  I use regular flat bags or the drum shaped ones if they came with a laundry bag assortment.  I got some of those gumdrop shaped bags in an assortment and they sat around unused - until I decided they were perfect for schlepping my sponges and chamois thingies so they could dry and not mold (yup, plastic food containers or any other sort of plastic box were not cutting it for my wet stuff).  Keeps them together, unlost, and unmildewed.  I have one set for dark clays and one for light.
And I use a yoga mat bag (that was too small for any yoga mat I actually owned after I washed it) to schlep my towels, the sponge bags, and whatever other odds and ends I feel like sticking in there.  Easily slings over my shoulder, and my spray bottle from Sally Beauty fits in there as well.  Makes it easier for me when I have to remember what has to go inside so it doesn't freeze in the car - and that would be the clay/reclaim crate and the yoga mat sling.
I made an anti-bat-chatter thingy from that waffle-texture shelf liner.  Also in the car so no pic.
I made a "bat mate" from fake chamois for washing cars, to see if its any help when trimming as some people say the real bat mates are.  Also it works by a different mechanism from the waffle-texture shelf liner one - that one you don't wet, it just helps reduce chatter/jitter by providing a bit of padding under those crappy speedball plastic bats.  If you wet the fake chamois it provides a bit of suction (under bats with a solid bottom, not the speedballs), helps to stabilize when the bat pin holes are a little worn or if the bat is just slightly warped.  I don't think anything will help if a bat is badly warped.  Haven't had a chance to try it yet.
I'm about to make several sticky bats using Harbor Freight tool box liner, neoprene, and whatever other likely substances I can find to try.  Cut out a circle and glue it to the top of the bat for trimming. The Diamond Core ones are crazy expensive ($72/12", $82 for 14"!!!). I could buy a baltic birch bat for less than that, DC has just glued their sticky stuff to the top of a plastic Speedball bat.
I find foam bats generally won't hold the piece evenly, one side or the other can sink too deep.  I do like them for drying platters/plates bottom up - the foam helps keep the rim from distorting. I have a sheet of foam SOMEWHERE and hope to make an extra large foam bat for that purpose.
Someday I hope to try the magnetic glaze dipping solution, but I keep waffling about whether or not I've found the right sort of neodymium magnets.
OH and I'm going to get my brother to make one of these (I hope):

The tongs on the right are made from regular tongs like on the left.  My brother is a machinist, I'm pretty sure he can do this for me.  The tongs on the right grip a pot from the inside, very helpful when dipping the outside of mugs and the like.  I'm also going to ask him to make me a triangular trimmer like this:

AND some steel banding strap chatter tools.
Which reminds me of another non-pottery tool that I have, the magnetic knife strip.  Perfect for hanging up your tongs, metal spatulas, and anything else with enough steel to stick to the magnet.

I would have told myself I had less time than I thought and not to wait for "permission" - also to find a doctor who would start treating my Addison's disease IMMEDIATELY and not 40 years later, LOL!

I would have told myself I had less time than I thought and not to wait for "permission" - also to find a doctor who would start treating my Addison's disease IMMEDIATELY and not 40 years later, LOL!

I would have told myself to get involved sooner rather than waiting until I almost retired...

Even keeping the tools to a minimum it sure takes a lot of stuff to run a pottery doesn't it!
On a side note, I have used the metal paint mixers for glazes for quite some time but recently found some odd little shavings of plastic in my glaze. Guess I wore the mixers edges down enough so that they got sharp and started shaving the sides of my buckets. A few months ago I switched to one of these plastic octopus type stir whip ones, seems to be working well without cutting up my buckets or making air bubbles in the glaze.
 
. 

ALL my tools are essential!  ALL of them I say!
I have the angle grinder, the dremel tool, the Opti-visor.  I have a bullseye level - which runs $3 or $4 at a hardware store but I saw on either Amazon or some pottery supply place for $15 !!!!
I have a dent puller for dipping stuff in glaze, but a lot of my stuff is too small for it to be useful.  And you have to wax the bottom for it to work.
I use a mister from Sally Beauty - works way better than any other sort I've seen.  I picked up a similar mister in the studio and started pumping away and was immediately admonished that if I used it that way I would break it.  Well I've had these for years, I pump away with them for whatever task they are currently set to, and I've never broken one.  They're also cheaper than the ones I've seen on Amazon and elsewhere.

That's the one I currently have (several actually, I use them to mist plants, pots, and sometimes even my hair) in purple, black and white.  They now have a larger one - 24 oz instead of 10 oz - which I am going to try and see if its as durable/useful.

I made a long reach sponge from a chopstick and a small section of sponge cut from a big tile sponge (Armaly Pro Plus Mortar and Grouting sponge). I also cut my regular sponges from the big one.
I used an upholstery awl to poke a hole in the folded over edge of a strip of chamois, then I made a chamois float by screwing the chamois to a cork through the poked hole and a washer to make sure the chamois didn't tear out around the screw.
I have a cheapie Dollar Tree desk organizer I use to hold my trim tools and ribs - I cut out the front of it so my ribs are more reachable, otherwise they fall down into the bottom and I can't see to grab the one I want.  Mine is turquoise, my store didn't have those colors and it was in the office supply section, not the craft section.

I have this toolbox from Harbor Freight that holds my most often used tools.  Keep in mind I have to schlep from home to either of two studios.  This is lightweight and fits perfectly in one end of a Sterilite crate, which I use to corral my tools and accoutrements when schlepping.

I'd post a few pics of how I've got that organized but its in the trunk of my son's car (he lets me drive it nearly all the time because he rarely needs it) and he has the car today.  Imagine that, he wanted his own car for the day LOL!
A reusable grocery bag from Dollar Tree fits PERFECTLY in the other end of the crate and holds all my other tools in their containers.
I schlep my crates on this foldable cart from Harbor Freight.  The crates don't fit inside the edges and the edges are slippery so I am getting some stair tape (the gritty stuff) to fix that.

The sterilite crates are wide enough to fit my bats in.  I use pool noodles (pipe insulation also works) as rim protectors for bats in the crate.  I can't stack either of my 2 current crates because the tool box needs one crate and it sticks up too high, and the bats go in another crate and they ALSO stick up too high.  So I'm getting another crate which I will cut in half, slide the top into the bottom, cutout the bottom, and stack/zip tie it to my bat crate to make a deeper crate that I can now stack the other crate on top of.  Then I have room for a heavy duty milk crate with my clay and reclaim buckets in it (I have to schlep them as well).  I'm using 1 gallon buckets with lids from Home Depot when schleppage of reclaim is required.
This works way better than what I was doing before, I don't need a bunch of bungie cords to try to tie my stuff onto a regular hand dolly and I can just lift the crates off, fold the cart and stick it in the trunk, and the crates just go in there with it.  Fancy wheeled tool dollies don't work because they stick up too high to go in my trunk (plus they require major spendage).  The hand dolly folded, but I had to take the crates off to fold it ALL the way up (and messing with the bungies was a major pain) because even with the handle down it, too, was too tall to fit in the trunk with the stuff still on it.
I have various snap-closure boxes for whatever tools aren't in the yellow tool box, some from Dollar Tree and a few Sterilite items.  I have a pencil box with my ribs in it now, before I had most of my tools in various plastic food containers that were a pain to get open and closed.  My bigger ribs (bowl ribs too wide for the pencil box) are in a sterilite snap closure container.  And on like that.
Oh, and this is my favorite usage of a non-pottery item for pottery storage:

See those weird gumdrop shaped bags in front?  Apparently you're supposed to put bras in them.  I don't.  I use regular flat bags or the drum shaped ones if they came with a laundry bag assortment.  I got some of those gumdrop shaped bags in an assortment and they sat around unused - until I decided they were perfect for schlepping my sponges and chamois thingies so they could dry and not mold (yup, plastic food containers or any other sort of plastic box were not cutting it for my wet stuff).  Keeps them together, unlost, and unmildewed.  I have one set for dark clays and one for light.
And I use a yoga mat bag (that was too small for any yoga mat I actually owned after I washed it) to schlep my towels, the sponge bags, and whatever other odds and ends I feel like sticking in there.  Easily slings over my shoulder, and my spray bottle from Sally Beauty fits in there as well.  Makes it easier for me when I have to remember what has to go inside so it doesn't freeze in the car - and that would be the clay/reclaim crate and the yoga mat sling.
I made an anti-bat-chatter thingy from that waffle-texture shelf liner.  Also in the car so no pic.
I made a "bat mate" from fake chamois for washing cars, to see if its any help when trimming as some people say the real bat mates are.  Also it works by a different mechanism from the waffle-texture shelf liner one - that one you don't wet, it just helps reduce chatter/jitter by providing a bit of padding under those crappy speedball plastic bats.  If you wet the fake chamois it provides a bit of suction (under bats with a solid bottom, not the speedballs), helps to stabilize when the bat pin holes are a little worn or if the bat is just slightly warped.  I don't think anything will help if a bat is badly warped.  Haven't had a chance to try it yet.
I'm about to make several sticky bats using Harbor Freight tool box liner, neoprene, and whatever other likely substances I can find to try.  Cut out a circle and glue it to the top of the bat for trimming. The Diamond Core ones are crazy expensive ($72/12", $82 for 14"!!!). I could buy a baltic birch bat for less than that, DC has just glued their sticky stuff to the top of a plastic Speedball bat.
I find foam bats generally won't hold the piece evenly, one side or the other can sink too deep.  I do like them for drying platters/plates bottom up - the foam helps keep the rim from distorting. I have a sheet of foam SOMEWHERE and hope to make an extra large foam bat for that purpose.
Someday I hope to try the magnetic glaze dipping solution, but I keep waffling about whether or not I've found the right sort of neodymium magnets.
OH and I'm going to get my brother to make one of these (I hope):

The tongs on the right are made from regular tongs like on the left.  My brother is a machinist, I'm pretty sure he can do this for me.  The tongs on the right grip a pot from the inside, very helpful when dipping the outside of mugs and the like.  I'm also going to ask him to make me a triangular trimmer like this:

AND some steel banding strap chatter tools.
Which reminds me of another non-pottery tool that I have, the magnetic knife strip.  Perfect for hanging up your tongs, metal spatulas, and anything else with enough steel to stick to the magnet.