One of the earliest pottery wheels appeared in ancient Babylon, and its working platform was set in motion with the left hand. Over the years, potters have modernized this machine, making it a foot drive, freeing both hands to work with clay.
It is necessary
lumber from wood species of different hardness, carpentry tools, rolling bearings, metal brackets and axle
Instructions
Step 1
First, reinforce the regular bench with additional horizontal bars, one of which will serve as a support for your left leg. If there is no bench, make it taking into account the increased strength against loosening and the use of the mentioned stand. Then you can start making the very design of the machine.
Step 2
To make a flywheel or a lower circle, assemble a sheet from sheet piling (with grooves and projections under them) boards. Secure them from the sides with wooden blocks and wedges. Using a nail, a pencil, and a piece of cardboard, draw a circle as shown.
Step 3
Chip the planks together with temporary plywood fasteners. Use a jigsaw or a hacksaw on wood with a narrow blade to cut a circle. Nail it to the second canvas. Along the upper circle, which will be both the template and the guide, saw off the excess parts of the boards. You can also make 1-2 more layers. Drill a center hole in place from the nail. Another layer of plywood is needed to prevent moisture from entering between the boards.
Step 4
Previously, the axle was made of wood. For longer machine life, cut the steel bar to the same diameter as the inner diameter of the roller bearings and to the correct length, taking into account the thickness of the upper and lower circles, fasteners and the height of the bench. Thread the fastening nuts at both ends. In the upper circle, a recess should be made for the washer and nut.
Step 5
Before assembling the machine, soak 2-3 times with hot linseed oil, letting each layer dry, all the wooden parts of the structure. Press the lower bearing into the groove in the central crossbar under the bench, the upper into the bench itself. After that, you can start assembling the nodes of the potter's wheel. Put a rubber sheet on the axle under the upper circle, after making a hole in it slightly smaller than the diameter of the axle, and coat the bench under it with glue. This sheet will protect the bearings underneath from the ingress of water and clay. Liberally grease both bearings.
