When it comes to crafting miniature pottery, a miniature pottery wheel offers a delightful experience that combines convenience and affordability. In this article, I’m even going to walk you through how to make your own miniature pottery wheel.
You’re going to find out about the necessary steps, materials, and nuances that make this DIY project not just a creative outlet, but also a potential doorway to a new hobby and follow the recycling or upcycling trend!
Gathering Your Miniature Pottery Wheel Materials
I’m going to guide you through the materials you’ll need to embark on this exciting journey of crafting a miniature pottery wheel.
First things first, you’re going to need a small electric motor. This is the heart of your pottery wheel, allowing it to spin. You can salvage one from old electronics or buy a new one from a hobby store or online.
Next up, you’ll need a wheelhead. This can be a small, sturdy disc such as a dense foam circle or a cutout from a plastic container lid. Choose something that resonates with you, but make sure it’s the right fit for the motor’s shaft.
For the base, a sturdy and durable material is key. It should be heavy enough to counterbalance the spinning wheel. Consider wood, thick cardboard, or even a dense foam block. It’s all about stability here.
You’ll also require a power source for the motor, such as batteries or a DC power adapter. The choice here will influence where and how you can use your pottery wheel, so select what’s most convenient for you.
To bind all these parts together, stock up on strong adhesives, like epoxy or an all-purpose glue, and some basic fasteners such as screws and nuts that match the motor’s mounting holes.
Don’t worry too much about having the perfect tools; often, what you have in your DIY toolkit will suffice.
Optional but handy materials include a speed controller to adjust the wheel’s rotation speed, rubber feet to add stability and prevent slippage, and a splash pan to catch excess clay and water.
Once you’ve got all your materials rounded up, you can always adjust your approach down the road, as there are several methods and materials and tutorials online that are being used, as you will notice in the next section.
Step-By-Step Guide to Building Your Miniature Pottery Wheel– different methods
You’ve collected all your materials and it’s time to roll up those sleeves. Let me guide you through constructing your very own miniature pottery wheel step by step.
First up, designate a space for your DIY project. You’ll want an area that’s flat, stable, and preferably where a little mess won’t cause trouble. Gather your tools and materials, so everything is within reach.
There are different online tutorials on how to create your own mini pottery wheel, and we will go over a few of them, so you can choose your own preferred way.
Creating your own mini pottery wheel-method 1
For this method, you do need an extra tool: a soldering iron and electric wires. You also need a plastic lid and some kind of wheel, this can be a wheel from a toy, as seen in the video.
Begin by assembling the base of the wheel, ensuring that it’s sturdy and level. We’ll take the video above as an example, where a plastic container is used in it.
drill a hole in the plastic container and see if the geared motor fits in it
prepare the holes for a 12V female socket and switch, which means that you need to cut them out
you have to solder the electrical wires to the motor, and you can now attach the motor with the wires to the container
Pull the electric wires through the holes in the container and solder them to the 12V socket and switch and glue them to the container
Glue the wheel to the bottle lid and attach it to the motor.
Plugin the 12V adaptor to make the wheel spin and there you go, you can now throw the clay on this self-made mini pottery wheel!
Creating your own mini pottery wheel – method2
This tutorial is for a larger pottery wheel, but you could also create smaller pottery on it.
The tutorial demonstrates how to create a pottery wheel using a ceiling fan motor and a plastic bucket. Here are the main steps:
Gather materials: Ceiling fan, plastic bucket, plywood, peanut butter jar, power cord, screws, wire nuts, and scrap lumber.
Prepare the motor: Remove fan blades and decorative shell, disconnect wires, and rewire electronics to one side of the motor.
Modify the motor: Cut off unnecessary parts and attach a wooden plate to mount the motor.
Create the pottery wheel: Cut two circles from plywood, find the center, and drill holes for mounting the motor.
Assemble the wheel: Mount the motor onto one circle, attach wooden supports inside the bucket, and fix the wheel onto the supports.
Install electronics: Cut holes for the power cord and pull chain, connect wires, and house electronics in a peanut butter jar.
Finalize assembly: Drill holes for the pull chain, secure the top wheel and test the pottery wheel.
Additionally, the tutorial provides some extra tips:
Use treated plywood if possible, as the setup involves water.
Take a picture of the wiring before disassembling to aid in reassembly.
Be cautious of the motor’s peculiar inside-out structure when testing.
Use a vacuum to catch metal shavings when modifying the motor.
Consider rounding off screw edges for safety, even if they won’t be exposed.
Bring the fan motor to the hardware store to ensure the correct screw sizes.
Tie a small washer or nut to the end of the pull chain to prevent it from getting pulled through the hole.
Draw circles on the wheel to mark where to center the clay.
That’s it again! Let’s see if we can find another one.
Creating your own miniature pottery wheel – method 3
The next video tutorial below is this time very expanded, so if you want a professional working pottery wheel, on which you can still create small pottery, go ahead and explore it, although this uses more higher quality parts and is more durable.
In short, this is what is described in this video:
Introduction to Motor Requirements: Research indicates the need for a low RPM motor with high torque for the pottery wheel.
Preparing the Motor: As the available motor has higher RPM, pulleys are used to decrease speed. A speed controller is planned for further speed adjustment.
Mounting Motor Components: Initial attempts to mount motor components face challenges due to the motor’s design, requiring improvisation.
Testing Motor Functionality: The motor is connected to a power supply to ensure proper functioning.
Building the Wheel Structure: A plywood plate is prepared to mount the motor assembly. Bearings are installed to support the rotating bat.
Fine-Tuning Wheel Assembly: Stringers are added for stability, and the motor assembly is attached to the plate using screws.
Installing Pulley and Shaft: A pulley is installed on the motor shaft using epoxy, and a shaft is inserted through the plywood to connect to the bat.
Adjusting Motor Speed Control: A pedal is constructed to control the motor’s speed, mimicking guitar pedal mechanisms.
Strengthening Wheel Legs: Stringers are added to reinforce the wheel’s legs for stability.
Shaping the Wheel Structure: The wheel’s top surface is shaped for ergonomic use, ensuring comfort during pottery work.
Adding Water Basin: A cake pan is installed as a basin to collect water and clay residues during pottery work.
Installing Bearings: New bearings are installed to reduce noise and improve smooth rotation.
Testing and Final Adjustments: The wheel is tested for noise reduction and functionality, with adjustments made as needed.
Applying Waterproof Coating: To prevent water damage, the wheel’s surface is coated with a waterproof sealant.
Creating your own miniature pottery wheel – use digital book instructions.
And last, but not least, I can’t give you actual instructions, but I did find this PDF file with a book on instructions on how to create a tiny pottery wheel from scratch on Etsy. It is affordable, so you might want to take a look at it!
Can you fire small pottery in a regular kitchen oven?
Firing pottery in a kitchen oven is generally not recommended for several reasons:
Temperature Control: Most kitchen ovens do not reach the high temperatures required for proper pottery firing. Pottery typically needs temperatures of around 1800 to 2200 degrees Fahrenheit (1000 to 1200 degrees Celsius) for bisque firing and even higher temperatures for glaze firing.
Safety Concerns: Firing pottery involves exposing clay to extreme temperatures, which can release harmful fumes or cause the clay to crack or explode if not fired correctly. Kitchen ovens are not designed for this purpose and may pose safety risks.
Damage to Oven: Firing pottery can produce smoke, odors, and residue that may damage the interior of a kitchen oven or leave behind unpleasant smells that affect future cooking.
For these reasons, it’s recommended to use a kiln specifically designed for firing pottery, yes even small ones. Kilns provide precise temperature control, proper ventilation, and safety features necessary for successful pottery firing.
Final thoughts.
When all is assembled, you might want to customize your setup. Maybe you want the speed control in a convenient location, or you’d like a splash pan to catch any slip—you decide.
Safety is paramount, so double-check all electrical connections and the stability of your pottery wheel before you power it on.
Finally, give it a test run. Throw a small piece of clay onto the wheel head and see how it spins. Don’t get discouraged if it’s not perfect. It’s natural to have to make some tweaks.
Troubleshooting is key. If something isn’t quite right, take a step back and assess each part of the wheel.
Adjust as necessary until you’re happy with how it’s operating. Remember, your first attempt doesn’t need to be your last. You can always adjust your approach down the road, refining your craftsmanship.
My Final Conclusion
I hope that my blog post about how to make your own miniature pottery wheel was helpful and if you have any more questions about this or just want to chat with me, please feel free to leave a comment down below in the comment section!
You can also join me on my social media channels below, especially check out my YouTube channel for more miniature tutorials!
Hi Tom!
You are very welcome and spring is to come soon, so they can craft a lot outside maybe with “flying clay" haha!
Ah yes, that movie with Patrick Swayze (may he RIP), was fantastic!
All the best to you to,
Lizzy
Hi Lizzy,
This article reminds me of the film “Ghost" with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore 🙂
I am going to share this article with my friends because making something like this could help them in creating new items for their home.
It could also help their children in finding something else fun to do and keep being creative/entrepreneurial.
I will let you know if they do take this on and how they get on with it.
Thank you for sharing yet another interesting and informative article, keep up the amazing work.
All the best,
Tom
Hi Tom!
You are very welcome and spring is to come soon, so they can craft a lot outside maybe with “flying clay" haha!
Ah yes, that movie with Patrick Swayze (may he RIP), was fantastic!
All the best to you to,
Lizzy