Guide to Buying a Pottery Wheel

Guide to Buying a Pottery Wheel

This is an important step on your road to enjoying making your own pottery items and there are a few factors to look out when deciding which wheel to buy.

Cost

The wheel you choose is an essential part of making pottery and there are different wheels out there and cost is an important part of your decision.  Wheels are expensive, and are probably one of the pricier but worthwhile items that you will need to buy, so you may want to try boost your bank balance by wagering via Australian betting apps.

You will need to shop around for the best price and the best way to go about that is checking online and at your local ceramic and artist suppliers. Also remember to look at shipping costs when making a decision.  A wheel can cost anywhere from several hundred, to thousands of dollars and it would be a good idea to make sure that your interest in pottery justifies such a great expense.

Does it Need to be Portable?

Portability is an important factor to consider when deciding whether you should choose an electric wheel or a kick wheel.  Electric wheels are easier to move around and transport as they are generally smaller and weigh less.

Type of Wheel Head

Configuration of the wheel head is next on the list of consideration.  Potters either throw plaster on the wheel and a bucket style wheel head is best for this option as they allow for plaster bats.  Most wheel heads have a flat disc of metal that may or may not have pins to hold the bats.  There are some wheels that come with bat pins that can be removed which mean you can trim your items on the wheel head.  The majority of flat wheel heads come with bat pins but the configuration of the pin may be different.  The pins come in different sizes and if you have bats that you want to keep using you must get a wheel head that matches the bats. Flat wheel heads come in different sizes and if you are making large items that have a wide base you will need to have a bigger wheel head.

Electric Pottery Wheels

These are lighter and smaller and throwing is much faster on these which is important when doing production work and they are easier to move.  You will need to have access to electricity and they tend to be noisy depending on which model you buy.  Potters who are inexperienced tend to increase their rotational speed that may affect the throw in a bad way.

Kick Wheel

These wheels do not need much maintenance and will probably last you a lifetime.  Many of these come with a motor which is helpful getting the flywheel up to speed and will allow for counter and clockwise rotation of the wheel head making it user friendly for right and left handed throwing.  They are however heavy and difficult to move and using them long term may cause knee problems and make arthritis worse.