Thistle Hill Pottery Wheel Setup

To the right is my wheel setup. Many ideas have come from Clayart. The table around my wheel is a lavatory countertop that I got free from a local kitchen cabinet store. I cut a curved area out of it that fits my wheel's splashpan. I sit very high compared to most people. I am 5'2" amd my wheel head is 29" high. My stool is 26.5" high. It's an adjustable drummer's stool. My hips and knees are happy with this arrangement. I tried throwing standing up but my legs bothered me a lot. The wheel is a Shimpo VL Whisper that I've had for a few years. My only problem with it is the splash pan that is hard to snap closed. I have adjustable pipe clamps strung together around it to hold it shut. I have a mirror to the left for viewing the pot profile without bending over. I use small Creative Industries Bats and larger plaster bats that I make using the Lester plaster bat mold system. These include plastic inserts for the batpin holes. Note the top shelf. I have a trimmings catcher that I slip into my splash pan. It's a big plastic planter that I cut to size with a saber saw. Note that I have a board under my left foot, plus a brick to prop my foot on so my foot is at an angle. Below the mirror is a wood mallett. I use that to start the centering of the clay before I put my hands on it. I get the clay mostly centered by gentle pounding, like you would do with your hands. BUT I have arthritis in my hands now and can't use them as malletts any more!! I use a Giffin Grip, a great tool for production throwing. It takes up very little room, compared to a pile of handmade chucks.
my glaze bucket setup
	I've come up with a labor saving glaze bucket system. I went to Big Lots and got a bunch of $2.00 plastic pitchers. I made a cut in the lower end of the handle and slipped it over the rim of the glaze bucket. I keep a set of tools in a pitcher with each bucket: a baster, glaze tongs, a long handled spatula and a large sieve. I find it saves time if I don't have to rinse off tools when switching glazes. I use the sieve every time I start a glaze session if I haven't used the glaze for awhile. It gets the lumps out without the hassle of using my Talisman Sieve. I only use that when first making the glaze. The baster is great for getting glaze into vases with very small openings. When I'm done with a glaze cycle I take the pitchers off and put lids on the buckets. During a glaze cycle I just throw a piece of plastic over the whole thing.

my wheel setup & glaze room tricks

my glaze bucket setup