Today, I finished the initial test build of the decoration turntable. The idea was to build a tool to help make glazing large bowls and plates that must be poured more controlled. I had problems getting consistent rotation while outing glaze, so the idea to make a motorized wheel made sense.

I made the initial sketches last fall, and started collecting parts and worked out the motor and mounting. It was a lot of fun, and the results are promising.  The motor is a surplus gear head motor with a tremendous amount of torque and very low RPM rating. The rest is left-over plywood and lumber from other projects and a pair of simple hinges.

Part of the design requires that the angle of the head be adjustable to allow different shapes and sizes of bowls. I still have to build in an adjustable method of angling the top plate assembly. The current plan involves a series of detent holes and a pivoting U-bar. That’s on the way. Another point of design is to be able to use the wheel for decoration as a banding wheel, which will require that the motor be disengaged. I have a couple approaches in mind, but at this point, it would have to be removed. by taking out the wood screws.

At this point, the basic elements are in place and working. I was able to turn on the wheel and have it rotate at a variety of speeds appropriate for decoration. I’ll throw a big bowl soon to test the wheel.

Today, we also bought a couple new hanging plants to round out the decoration of the studio. The plants now fully frame the front of the studio. We’ll keep the watered and look forward to them vining and shading the studios porch.