Today, we built the wedging table. It went really well and should be very stable. The next step is sanding and sealing with urethane. The wedging surface will be a big slab of Tupelo, at least that’s the plan.
I’m really excited about today’s progress becuase I now have all the big pieces on place for the studio. There’s still a lot of work to do, but this milestone marks all the big stuff needed to get to work.
The wedging table is built from plywood and premium 2×4’s. The top surface is 36″ x 24″ and it is 29″ tall. This anticipates a 2-2.5″ thick slab of tupelo which will be added to the top. That gives me about a 31″ height, which should be pretty comfortable for my height. The plywood was left over from the work tables we built last weekend. (There’s even enough left over to build another couple side tables to go along with the wheel.) Overall, I think this table cost about $50.00 to build, including screws and hardware for the cutting wire. I don’t think I could find much better. If anyone is interested, I’ll post parts and cut list.
For hardware, there will be a piece of angle iron on a back corner, with a cutting wire angling down to the front. Skip’s going to drill the angle iron for attachment.
The floor in the shop is concrete, but it’s not perfectly flat. Some shim adjustment will be needed, but when leveled, the table is solid as a rock. It will be placed in the back right side of the studio against the wall.
There should be enough storage on the lower shelf to hold 3-4 boxes of clay and perhaps a bucket for reuse.
In all the work I’ve done over the last few weekends in the shop, the one thing I’ve done so far that seemed to personalize it happened today. When I arrived, it was about 60 degrees outside. I found I wanted take off my jacket, but didn’t have a good place to put it. So, I put up a coat hanger that’s been in the office kitchen drawer for several years. Hanging the coat on the new hook was very satisfying. Silly, I know, but it’s starting to feel more like my place, rather than just a project.
Also this weekend, I filled in some gaps in the walls that were letting in cold air and who knows what else. I used the expanding foam sealant in a can. That stuff’s amazing! One has to be very careful when using it, but it’s still fun. And finally, I made trip to Harbor Freight in Winterville for a set of casters to put on the kiln screen. I found a set I liked that have wheels like clear rollerblade wheels. 2 of them lock. Should be fun setting up the kiln screen. Christian said she would paint something on it for me.
Barley Hollow Pottery 
I’m interested in the parts and cut list, etc., that you used in making the wedging table. Would it be possible to email those to me?
Thanks, Martin Paschall
The wedging table was built after I built two other work tables based on plans from an EAA chapter. The EAA 1000 plans can be found at the EAA 1000 site.
The wedging table top is 32×24″, and the height was reduced to accommodate my personal ideal height for wedging minus 2.5 inches for the tupelo slab. I took the 2.5″ off the bottom of the legs. Also, the bottom shelf is more heavily braced, and typically has at least 200lbs of clay stored on it. This makes the table super stable.
[Richard, I lost your comment moving the blog. Please feel free to repost. I hope this answers your questions. My apologies for it’s disappearance.]
Joel, no probs I am set. Thank you again for the info on the EAA 1000 I am going to modify their plans similar to what you did but I am going with a 24X24 working surface and will make the height the same as yours. I am building it now. Yoo Hoo! Richard
Excellent! I hope the build goes well for you. Let me know how it turns out. Thanks
Is there a formula for determining height? I’m only 5’1″ and so it would be fantastic for me to actually be able to build a wedging table that suits me!
Is there a formula for determining table height? I’m only 5’1″, so it would be fantastic to be able to build a table that actually suits me!
Here’s a bit from the Big Ceramic Store web site…
That’s sort of a ballpark, but not quite a formula. I seem to recall reading something a bit more detailed, but can’t find a reference. I’ll post it if I can find it.
What is Tupelo?
Tupelo is a kind of gum tree typically found in swampy areas in the South. The bottom part of the tree, where it sits in the water has a very tight, smooth grain, and is pretty tolerant of getting wet. Among it’s more traditional uses are biscuit mixing bowls and use by wildlife carvers. It’s a favorite for realistic bird carvings and decoy carvers. I don’t know any other potters using it for a wedging surface, but it is by far the best surface I’ve ever used.