How to Make a DIY Pottery Wheel | I Like To Make Stuff
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 เม.ย. 2019
- We built a working pottery wheel for $200! It works great, come see how we did it!
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For this project I knew that I needed a motor that had a lot of torque to handle the forces applied to the clay. I found a small DC motor meant as a replacement for Hover Boards. I could control this whole system with an off-the-shelf motor driver unit that allowed the wheel to increase in speed and change direction. Knowing that the motor's RPM was too high for conventional pottery throwing, Josh came up with a pulley reduction to slow the motor down.
From the motor, we attached a 1.5" pulley that drives a 10" pulley with a v-belt. The 10" pulley has a drive shaft through the center that will spin the pottery plate, called a bat. I mounted all of this to a piece of 3/4" plywood and drilled holes for some bearings that the drive shaft would go through.
Now that I had the drive system attached to a platform, I flipped that piece over so that it would all be under the working surface. I cut some simple 2x4 legs and arranged them in a triangular pattern so that you could center the pat between your legs. I mounted the motor driver system to the rear of that platform and cut a simple shelf that will be attached later.
The bat is the super flat surface on which the clay is worked. Looking online, I could only find bats that fit on a pottery wheel's existing spinning surface, none would fit onto the drive shaft that we made. Without an inexpensive commercial solution, we decided just to make our own bat. I decided to use a thick plastic cutting board and CNC out the pieces we needed.
Josh modeled up the circular bat as well as a coupling that would lock into the drive shaft and fit into the underside of the spinning plate. With a little bit of filing the pieces fit together perfectly. I locked the coupling to the drive shaft with a nail and some epoxy. The bat fit snuggly down over the key in the coupling and the whole system worked perfectly.
To ensure that there was enough support under the bat, I added some bearing casters that the bat could ride on top of. I quickly noticed that we had to add a rubbery gasket the the bottom to buffer the sound of the bat riding on the casters. This greatly reduced the noise level and I was really happy with the result.
Everything was coming together and the pottery wheel was working surprisingly well. One thing that needed to be addressed was the slight wobble in the bat. Because we could trace every connection back to its origin, we found that the 10" flywheel and the drive shaft weren't quite straight. Luckily, we didn't screw down the plate holding the opposite end of the drive shaft just yet.
Josh and I were able to work together to slightly adjust the flywheel and shaft position underneath so that they were perfectly square, which resulted in a tracked bat up above. All that was left was to use a lathe tool to score in some reference centering lines on the bat surface so you know where to center the clay.
Although I have no idea how to properly use a pottery wheel, my wife and her friends do. One of my wife's friends is a professional potter and came by to test out the wheel. She seamlessly began molding and shaping a lump of clay into an awesome bowl. I asked her about the speed, the control, and the tracking, and she said that it performed just like a commercial pottery wheel.
We were all taken back ever time she used the word "perfect" when comparing our $200 pottery wheel to ones you can buy for upwards of $1,000. I hope this video inspired you to trying something that you've always had an interest in. More specifically, if that interest has an expensive barrier to entry, look at making some of the equipment yourself, it can be just as rewarding.
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How to Make a DIY Pottery Wheel | I Like To Make Stuff
• How to Make a DIY Pott... - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
We ended up NOT gluing down the bat so that it's removable. That way cleaning isn't an issue. The couple holds it in place just fine with out glue 👍🏼
Look up Ingleton pottery on here, he makes removable bats that fit onto the main bat and then you can remove them with the pot on. Then you can do multiple pots and take them off the bats when they're semi dry. I think it allows you to trim when they are semi dry too.
Ps brilliant video!
Looks great, surprised you did not add some leveling feet so if you place it on a surface not level you can just turn them so you dont need to mess with the bat. And then maybe add a drain to the basin to make it easier to empty and clean. But nice DIY project I like it!
Its not called a bat, a bat is a removable piece u can attach to the wheel head and then throw on that. The weel head is what you made, you could print your wheel head with pins and also print your own bats to go on top. Also, your cake pan was a good idea for the splash pan as it is called but you can't remove it to clean it!
@@rainbowsandmorerainbows841 except it is removable
I was actually going to say it would be easier if you could remove it for easy cleaning. I think the ones at my old school had ones that didn't remove and they were really hard to clean up after.
Also, did you end up blocking out the holes from the old baring you used?
I own a pottery shop and use wheels all the time. One of the most helpful things to have is a rack to hold your sculpting tools, you should add one.
How much are you used pottey wheel s
Waiting on the tutorial for building a kiln!
Right? That's what I need lol
Amanda Johnson it’s not sure he needs it. If he doesn’t need it he won’t build it
That would be great!
YES! Kiln, kiln, kiln!!!! That would be greatness!!!
There's a guy out of the UK called the VegOil guy that has a pretty good video on building an electric Kiln. It's more of a foundry, but the way he builds it, I can definitely see it doubling as a Kiln. Though I could be COMPLETELY wrong, but it does look like a lot of Kilns I've seen.
"I was able to throw on some clay and turn it into a thing that I wanted to make and I call that a win". I will live the rest of my life by this.
Girlfriend is a ceramicist, so I’ve spent some time on a wheel. You’re going to regret not being able to remove the bat or the tub that catches the water. They’ll both get gross quit, and not being able to remove the bat will keep you from easily removing whatever you just made. That being said, you can easily make bats to drop onto the one you have. Drill two holes into the bat you have, then make another bat with two holes in the same place. Put some pins through both bats and you’re good to go.
so wanna see version 2.0 of this
The bat does come off. We found that the friction fit was good enough for use.
I was going to make these same two recommendations. They’ll be essential if this wheel is going to get much use. Multiple removable bats that sit in top of the base bat are super helpful because they allow you to pull a piece off and let it dry a little before you have to pull it off the bat. That helps save more delicate pieces. It would be super easy to add the pins and make a bunch of removable bats out of thinner material.
I Like To Make Stuff I did ceramics in high school and he’s right, what you need is some plates that fit into predrilled holes on your bat. That way you can throw a bowl and take it off the bat dry it for trimming then put it back and it’s still centered. The plates are a huge quality of life improvement. The big difference is that You can take them off and hose them down to clean them, you can also work on more than one project at a time. I highly suggest getting some kind of plate system going. They don’t have to be thick just a then sheet of plastic or whatever that goes on top and spins with the bat.
Also just a drain tube that you can put into a 5 gallon bucket will make a huge difference when it comes to throwing and cleaning.
I was thinking along similar lines. The splash tray on most modern models is in two parts which overlap and split for removal. Cleaning it would otherwise be a bear. Also the wheel head and bat are two different items. The wheel head is generally made of metal that takes two removable bat pins to hold the bat in place. It’s scored with concentric rings which help you make sure your project is centered (crucial). I think the rest of the build is great, but the parts I’m talking about (wheel head and splash pan) can be purchased directly from the manufacturer of pottery wheels (Brent is best, IMO). I would order them from there.
I'm probably never going to do pottery, but dang if I didn't watch the whole thing and learn something new. Troubleshooting the problems are the best part in videos like these.
Carlton Lee same here. Very good
Great job! A sewing machine pedal should work the same way as well
WoodChuck Creations my thoughts exactly!
Can you link to what sewing machine pedal that works the same?
@@VincentDzinh
Any sewing machine pedal would work. I don't know where you live.
Perfect timing. I was just looking around youtube yesterday for "how to make a diy pottery wheel," and then one of my favorite maker channels answers the question :D
Me too! Except what do we do with the pottery when it's done? I have no kiln. Lol 😂
Paul's Garage just posted a foot powered Japenese style wheel as well...after watching Paul and Bob both do wheel videos I have the strange compulsion to start doing pottery :-)
Ain't that just the grace of God much love from Kansas City USA Jesus Christ loves you never forget God bless
i like how you made the birds mouth joinery. super simple but i would have been trying to do trigonometry to figure out the angles.
Thanks for the tip with the knife to prevent tear out on plywood, I'll be sure to use that one in the future.
Thank you for this. I’ve been meaning to make a pottery wheel for my daughter using an old commercial sewing machine motor. Your video showed me how to solve a few problems that I hadn’t worked out yet. Now maybe it will actually be done. Much appreciated. I agreed with some critiques below, but I should acknowledge that you actually MADE a pottery wheel, whereas I’ve just been planning to make one for the past year and a half, so what you actually made is infinitely more productive and efficient than the nothing that I’ve actually made. Kudos.
I've been wanting to build a pottery wheel for a while now but did dedicate the time to doing the research and creating a parts list. Thanks for doing all the hard work!
Put some rubber pads between the motor and the rest of the machine, that should quiet it down even more since most of the vibration should come from there.
I think the noise was mostly the bearings he had but your advise would make it almost noise free
Loved the tip about scoring the plywood to avoid tear out!!!
My father has always been interested in pottery.
I also have always wanted to learn how to add electronics into projects. This may be a cool project that him and I could work on this summer.
Another great video, thanks Bob
Probably my favorite ILTMS video yet. Great job. I think you've inspired me to look into making one myself.
I’ve been thinking about making one for a long time. My wife is into pottery so you’ve inspired me to make one for her! Thanks!
i love this kind of build and using the stuff on hand or get at hardware store good build bring more like this THANKS GENTLEMEN
Awesome man. This is why I love your channel. I do remodeling by trade and am familiar with a lot that you do, but you come up with ideas for projects that I would never think could be diy. Great job. Pro tip. When sealing a screw hole, dab the sealant onto the surface first, then the object you're attaching (your bearing) then screw through the sealant. Guaranteed, every time. Great job man. Thanks 👍🏾
My new tip from this was using a clamp to act as a stop when screwing in a piece of wood. Simple, useful!
Greetings from Brazil! The best build I've ever seen here, and I've seen a lot! Weldone, thanks for sharing. 👏👏👏
Awesome tip for depthing pocket holes at 10:56. Can’t believe I never thought of that.
I own no woodworking tools, yet I find these videos very satisfying.
Hi there. Cool project.
The cake pan/splash guard: you may want to revise it a bit. You’re going to need to remove it to dump the water or wait for the clay to soak up and dry out the water and then reach under and pull out the clay that falls in the pan.
If you look at commercial wheels, the splash guard is made in two interlocking pieces and are removable for cleaning and removal of clay. Otherwise, you will have clay, that you cannot see, building up under the bat. It doesn’t necessarily need to be circular just big enough for the water and clay to fall into.
Loving these longer videos. Particularly intriguing seeing you make a tool to learn a new skill.
Wow I absolutely love this project! As a potter as well as someone who has basic experience in a shop I believe this is more than cool; if you want some advice I would suggest to add some weight either via a metal bat/wheel head or in some cases a wheel will have a concrete counter weight that will make a much more enjoyable experience for the artist. Also a wheel will generally have a much taller dam to keep the water in your cake pan and it will also generally come off for cleaning purposes. Enjoy!!
I like the way you changed your design and how it works as you went along. I find with many of the projects I work on, no matter how much planning I put into it, when I actually being to work on a project I find myself noticing what I could do to improve the finished product. Seems like a very practical way to get the best results. The DIY aspect of making the potters wheel is wonderful. Thanks.
This was a great one. Really great seeing you combine different skill sets and problem solve along the way!
Awesome!
Love it! I love making pottery but I don't have a setup yet. I would not have thought it would be this easy to make a wheel myself! Any chance you're going to build a kiln next?
My wife is a (35+-year) retired art teacher. We started talking about getting her a potters' wheel.....and then I found this video!! Prices of commercially-produced wheels are pretty ridiculous......*if* you can't make one yourself! Excellent video! Now, to find someone discarding an old treadmill! :-)
Great multi faceted project. Electronics, wood metal. I love projects like that. Really stretches you and makes you learn and trouble shoot.
Haven’t watched yet, but really hoping for a Bob/Josh “Ghost” moment ...
That was awkwardly discussed and promptly vetoed.
@@JoshMakesStuff dammit, i thought you were leaving it to the end! lol
That would have been a great clickbait thumbnail.
Footage for ILTMS 2
Dang! I watched all the way to the end, thought for sure there would be a few seconds or two in the bloopers. Still, great project.
I just took ceramics in school I wanted to make this!!
I am glad you didn't glue the bat down. I laughed to think of trying tl clean all that out without being able to remove it.
One of the best diy pottery wheel instruction you can find on the internet! There are powerful DC motors with a gear as well so you probably won't need the pulley reduction.
I work at Woodcraft of Seattle and I noticed your Kreg Pocket Hole Jig. Aren't they the best tool ever??? By the way. I have major shop envy. You shop is truly amazing.
Came across this today and was wondering how durable the wheel has been over the past year? Best wishes, I hope you and yours are healthy and well!
Same I kinda wanna know I was asking my husband if he could make one for me I wanna know if this held up well?
The difference between the volume in the bearings you put under the plate is very telling. Thank you for that. Had planned on using similar bearings for a project of my own...and will now swap to ones like you eventually ended up using.
These types of projects are the best. It’s great to see you work things out as you go along. Great project Bob
Pottery, very interesting
It is make stuff day my dudes
eeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Wow 😲 amazing what you did I cannot waight to tell my brother in law to make one for me I have wanted one for a whole life time and I do know how to use a pottery machine thank you so very much for sharing have a wonderful blessing day
I learned so much from the B-roll in this video alone! I'm not an active woodworker but I'd love to be one day and I would have never thought to use the clamps to support the stringers from the underside while attaching them. I also never thought about with a pocket hole jig to make sure your bit will fit right by placing the bit in the jig and sliding the work piece into it. Great stuff Bob and team! Thanks for awesome content that I can still learn from even after following you for the last 2.5 years.
That's great feedback, thank you!!
I would be really worried about clay and slip getting into the bearings that support the bat. I’m also worried about the cleaning of the wheel since the basing can’t be removed. I hope it works out and I hope you enjoy it!
Never knew I wanted to make a pottery wheel...now I do. Looks like you and your family will enjoy this one!
Pottery is really satisfying.
I will never build this but I learned so much. The entire process was a great learning experience. I love watching the "tweaks" happen (somewhat organically)
Love that your honest thought out the build ....quality video as allways
Oh sure, right after I buy a wheel this pops up on my recommendations
"I wasn't able to find in my whole ship a screw that would fit this threads". HELLO METRIC!
Love the step by step thought process through this video. Can't wait to see some of the things made on that wheel.
This was a great project. It was a small things I learned. But using a knife to score the wood before you cut so you don't have as much tare out. Very helpful. I have followed you for years now. And listen to all your podcasts, thanks for doing what you do. I have learned a lot from you over the years
Hey Bob, do you find your edits running longer is an intentional thing because of higher retention rates, or have you last projects just been more ambitious than normal ones? Either way, I don't mind!
There are more interludes for talking directly to camera rather than talking over action, which tends to space things out a bit longer. Nothing to do with retention rates, just trying to be clear. We still cut a lot out anyway.
@@forby_ appreciate the response!
This is awesome! I've been interested in pottery, but scared off by the cost of a wheel. Seeing how you worked through this makes building one feel less out of reach. And I learned how guitar pedals work, too, haha. Thanks for the inspiration, as always!
I also appreciate the write up in the description. It's awesome to see that a potter friend praised it so much.
I was really surprised at how it compared to a commercial wheel.
This is some dope serendipity! We've been debating buying vs. building a wheel but most of the other 'tutorials' are kinda... not great. This is amazing! Thank you!
Thanks for making this Bob! I've been thinking about making one of these but didn't know where to start with the design. This is a great reference!
SEES THUMBNAIL: STARTS PLAYING SONG FROM GHOST IN HEAD.
I had the same idea hahahaha
I’d like to know where you got motor, speed control and power supply.
The trick of scoring plywood with a knife to prevent splintering is one of the the exact reasons I love content creators like yourself. These are the little things i would have never figured out myself l!
I love it! I study both engineering and pottery so this video really helps a lot. Thanks for sharing!
The lack of a Josh/Bob Ghost montage upsets me. Greatly.
onecheapgeek totally missed opportunity!!!
9:49 Man, you must be a really big fan of Germany, if you even ordered wires in our colors ;)
This is awesome! Im not even interested in pottery but you guys were innovative and used a little bit of everything. Super inspired, thanks guys!
I talked about making one of these a few days ago. Time to get started, thanks for all the help. Keep up the good work.
You do want the bat to be interchangeable, but really gluing it down was kinda the only issue here.
We ended up not gluing it down, so it can be removed 👍🏼
You forgot one thing.... a quipy “Ghost” reference! 😜
Really appreciate the depth and pace of your videos, very engaging. Its a tricky thing to get right IMO but you have it spot on
My wife does pottery and has wanted a wheel but the factory made ones are a bit too much. This will make a great gift for her. My only roadblocks will be anything requiring 3d printing or CNC machining, since I have neither. Thanks for this video❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Daniel Radicliffe third wheeling = Harry Pottery wheel
Now all you have to do is to replicate the scene from the movie "Ghost" with your wife and you're done
i agree! nice idea!
The scoring trick to reduce tear up is nice, never thought of doing that before but will be sure to use it
Loved this. As you use it you will want to have a removable pan and bat for sure. Clay gets everywhere.
I learned that a guitar pedal has a pontentiometer hidden..
Bob very interesting project. I'd have your wife try it out for real feedback.
She and a few friends who do pottery really love it!
I admire you Bob. The skills and talents you have when building things is so cool to see! Great job on building this! I never got into sculpting and pottery, but it always fascinated me in some way. Keep up the good work!
It was actually pretty kool watching you build something that you're not familiar with and then using it. Definitely shows and helps spread inspiration for others to get out of their comfort zones and try out something new every day :)
Today is not my birthday but you will give me like and heart for my honesty.
You can make this wheel for about $200 instead of buying one for 4-5 times that amount. FIRST!
@@ComfyChameleon video probably was released to patreon first
@@ComfyChameleon he is part of iltms
Every video you download it here I learning a lot of things so thank you so much
I really enjoyed this video. The pottery wheel is a great DIY project and you make it look very attainable. One thing that I learned though, and it seems to be the case in a few of your videos, didn't have to do directly with the making of the wheel. In one shot when you were drilling the pocket holes, I noticed how you offset the 2x4 so that you could get the depth you wanted. I've drilled through many tester boards trying to find the right depth, but the trick you showed was very helpful. Keep up the good work!
2:47 this is why you should start use metric my friend.. good job otherwise ;)
I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR YEARS AND NOW ITS FINALLY HERE OMGGG
Alrighty, what did I get from this video of yours:
- the idea with the gitarre pedal: nice one
- attaching the metal piece to the shaft with epoxy: i didnt expect epoxy being that good of a glue
- the cutting out method of the stabilzers for the legs: nice and simple, thanks
- cutting w/ a utility knife into the plywood to reduce tear-out: will use that tomorrow, thanks!!!
I watch your videos every week, every now and then i use them in some of my English classes as an authentic piece of listening comprehension. This week‘s video taught me really a lot of neat little tricks, thanks again for that!!!
It’s been three years and I’ve watched it at least that many times! Loved the video and I’m going to start down the path of making one myself with things I have on hand. While I do not have the same machines as you I saw the concepts and can adapt them to what I have for material and machines. Please keep making these great videos!!!!😊
I'd purchased parts to build a pottery wheel years ago, but never got around to building one. I recently discovered that Chinese made budget wheels are now available for about $200. I picked up a Vevor brand with a 14" wheel head & 450 watt motor on Ebay for $220 delivered, and am really impressed with it considering the price. It's much better than the design in this video.
@@glennr9913 amazing info, i feel like you save my money, thanks.
I am going to show this to my hubby and fingers crossed it will inspire him to make me a pottery wheel. It is something I have been wanting to learn for quite some time! So thank you for this video!
Great video, and a marvelous shop. I too learned a couple of tricks from watching this. I enjoyed your no-nonsense way of demonstrating the various steps taken. You would make an excellent shop teacher.
You're a genius. I always wondered why good pottery wheels are over three grand but this video clearly explained why
really thank you for all this effort of designing and making this pottery wheell, is the best ive seen far away...keep on
Bob, you're basically my hero.
It would be good also to have a drain in the pan with a spout so you can drain water and slurry without it building up and so you don’t have to so it up by hand. The liquid can accumulate pretty fast.
Holy Moly I didn't even realize that I was waiting for you to make a video like this! Superb, amazing job!!!!
Showing lots of your improvisations this video.its nice to see reality once and a while.
Great vid, thanks a lot for sharing!!! What a pleasure having all the tools to work on nice projects like this 👍👍👍👍👍
Loving this. Awesome workshop and awesome presentation!
I am the least DIY person you could ever meet, yet I still love watching your videos!
9:08 is the most important shot in the video, I spent a loooooot of time trying to figure it out. good job man.
Respect from Egypt man
Very clever pottery wheel project. Love to see an upgraded version. Heavier, with removable splash pan!
I really liked the way you placed your sponsor ad in a spot that didn’t take anything away from your awesome build! Great job....
This is so cool! A potter of five years myself, and would love to make one of these, though I wonder if making a slightly larger one would be too challenging...
Also, a couple things that might help long term: most pottery wheels also have two holes on the wheelhead so you can add a bat (google potter's bat), and rather than a fixed catch pan, have removable ones so that you can clean them. I would also highly recommend having the catch pan allow enough clearance for your hand to reach into it, even while the wheel is spinning. Happy potting!