Low-tech pottery wheel from sewing machine treadle

Hi everybody,

The title says it all, wanted to share that homemade pottery wheel project, and welcome any improvement ideas... I went for simple design and construction.

Short video with a quick overview and "sort-of demonstration" (i'm not a ceramist):  

Thanks !
Yannick

YAY!!! Well done!!! So much easier to use than a kick wheel & much more light weight to move! I love it, great job!!! Fired with a rocket kiln, even better. Keep up the good work❤️❤️❤️

Ok wow, this is awesome.  I'm really excited about the low tech laboratory Kickstarter because there are designs for a rocket stove pottery kiln.  Add this in and you pretty much have everything you need to run a completely off grid pottery studio (especially if you dig and process your own local clay, as I do).  I'm thinking I will start working on my off grid pottery studio .  

Wow! I love it! Pretty much every antique store has an old treadle machiene. Maybe I can turn it into a wheel for pottery. Or! A spinning wheel for yarn.

Rebekah Harmon wrote:Wow! I love it! Pretty much every antique store has an old treadle machiene. Maybe I can turn it into a wheel for pottery. Or! A spinning wheel for yarn.

That's what I'm thinking: how to retrofit a treadle for multiple applications. My wish list includes the spinning wheel, grain mill and seed/nut oil cold press.

Khara Phetteplace wrote:YAY!!! Well done!!! So much easier to use than a kick wheel & much more light weight to move! I love it, great job!!! Fired with a rocket kiln, even better. Keep up the good work❤️❤️❤️

Thank you so much... and everybody for your comments and suggestions !
The rocket kiln one is great, completely overlooked that solution !!
And lots of other applications to invent I agree, I use it to spin-dry my lettuce... but there's certainly much better ideas

Thanks a lot again !
Yannick

How do you make that low tech potters wheel. I already have a treadle sewing machine base. It's a great idea. Any guidance will be apprec
iated. Thanks.

Phyllis Rosenberg wrote:How do you make that low tech potters wheel. I already have a treadle sewing machine base. It's a great idea. Any guidance will be apprec
iated. Thanks.

Hi Phyllis ! Maybe you haven't seen, the video (link in the original post) has quite some details on how the treadle was transformed into a potter's wheel (starting at 2'00). Let me know if you need more information, happy to !

Thank you
Yannick