Choosing the right electric pottery wheel
After getting to know "Human-powered pottery wheel" then it’s time to get to know "Electric pottery wheel". What is good about it? and how is it different from the first one?
"Electric pottery wheel" is divided into 3 types namely
Sitting electric pottery wheel. > The wheel will always be at the same level as the seat when molding. Potters will sit on the seat when making pottery. The rotation system of wheel is divided into 2 types which are
- Belt drive system. Sometimes it uses only one motor and is connected either to one wheel head or to multiple wheel heads. Sometimes it is called “Pan round” Some types of drive speed are fixed and some types of drive speed can be adjusted but the disadvantage is that using it with a heavy large size of clay may make the wheel becomes free
- Gear drive system. A spindle motor in this system will have more drive power than the belt type. So you won’t have to worry about the free wheel which is suitable for the production of large molding products but it's quite expensive.
Standing electric potter wheel > You have to stand when molding using belt driven wheels. The speed is adjustable and it is suitable for small to medium molding type of work because clay cannot be pulled high up continually as the wheel head is about 75 - 80 cm high from the ground.
A wheel head can be adjusted to move up and down and to face up and down > This type of wheel usually is attached to the steel axis that can be moved upward and downward with a gear system and can also be adjusted upside down as well. This feature helps to sculpt tall pieces that are not too wide and too large. It is better than molding using the general type of wheels. However, this type of wheel is not commonly used because it is expensive and has limitations for molding. That is, it can only mold into a tall and lean shape and the product is prone to cracking.