newbie needs help on simple question

That sounds good, vinyl fabric upside down works well too. It is tough, wears well and much cheaper than canvas. Stapled is I think the best method.

Congratulations, and welcome to your next addiction (:>) First of all, you "knead" bread, you "wedge" clay. Same thing, different materials...ok?

For you, just starting out, try using a double or triple thickness of canvas clamped to a table top. Don't glue it, as it will eventually get dirty and you will want to wash it, or clean it somehow. Staples are semi-permanent. I would recommend you put the canvas on some plywood, and clamp it all around the edges with some of those spring clamps all the hardware stores sell cheap. (You can also buy the canvas as painters "drop cloths" at the hardware store.) Clamping will let you undo it quickly if you need the table for something else. Hope that helps, Wayne Seidl

Simon: Don't feel bad. I'm limited to a 10'X14' (3m by 4m) space and have to use my table for a lot of different things. Many hobby potters are in similar situations. You might want to consider covering the plywood, though. In time, the moisture from the clay could delaminate the plywood, unless you are using an exterior or marine grade. If you have access to a Lowe's or Home Depot Store (a large home center) you can buy sheets of canvas for as little as $4.99US. It gives me three layers thick on a 3'X5' (1mX1.6m) surface. I use the canvas over a substance called HardieBacker, which is a 1/4 inch (6mm) thick cement board for use on walls to install tile. Absorbs quite a bit of moisture, and it's very durable. Wayne Seidl

How do you plan on recycling your clay? Do you have room for a small (2X1.5) plaster form? "Beowulf" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@nowhere.net...

Mason Batchelder on fri 21 apr 00 ( snipped-for-privacy@aol.com) I believe this could already be in the archives as I wrote of it before ,however maybe it was mailed direct as I often have done. Those of us who prefer a palster wedging table can make the weight factor less of a problem with this approaach- USING 2"x 4" LUMBER, I built a table with a shelf below with enough height under the shelf for stowing normal pails the height you commonly use. The 4 legs come to the level of the finished desired height, depending on the users preference .A piece of scrap plywood is placed to become the removable floor for the table and blocks screwed to the leg members work well.A piece of wire mesh (CALLED HARDWARE CLOTH HERE)like is used for rabbit cages with small squares can replace this when removed, if desired.A wall of 2"X4" above the floor but resting on it and secured to the leg members with galvanized screws(DECK SCREWS WORK) form the walls, butted or mitered you choose .When the carpentry has been completed , a table with a rectangular recessed void.Now, using plastic "SOLO" (BRAND) or solid plastic cups( bathroom size) cups and add carpenter's glue to their rims and, leaving a wide border ,(keeping any 2 cups diameter from the edges of the walls) glue the cups rim side down to the removable plywood floor with one cup being used as a guide to measure a seperation of 1 cup away from each others giving a reverse egg carton look to the project, and allow it to dry a couple days.When the glue is completely dry, they should have a suitable distance from the top of the edge of the void 2"X4" 's and using a plaster calculator from US gypsum (ESTIMATE THE PROPER PROPORTIONS FOR THE SIZE YOU ARE FILLING-t subtracting the cups' volume) AND MIX THE PLASTER ( I have used moulding and #1 pottery PLASTER-BOTH HAVE DONE EQUALLY WELL OVER THE YEARS IF MIXED PROPERLY AND RELIEVED OF THE BUBBLES BY JARRING THE FILLED FORM.) When the plaster is all mixed and the last poured (two people or more , if a big form) overfill a bit and use a good stiff clean edge straight edge to level the top by drawing it cleanly across.The table jaring will help fo give a smooth surface. I always use a 12 ounce canvas that I purchase from a good art supply store or heavy cotton duck from a huge department store's fabric dept the kind you would use to redo deck chairs. I nail the canvas under the bottom edge using artist's canvus puller plyers if you have them (ASK AN ARTIST FRIEND WHO STRETCHES CANVAS).I use galvanized roofing naills with the flat heads to secure it and make "ARMY CORNERS" LIKE YOU MAKE HOSPITAL BEDS. A SCREW EYE HOLDS A GOOD STAINLESS WIRE AND A TURNBUCKLE IS USED ON THE OTHER END TO TIGHTEN IT FOR CUTTING THE CLAY MOUNTED EITHER IN THE CENTER OR ONE END OF THE BOARD DEPENDING ON THE SIZE YOU MAKE. When the top has been covered ,on a protected surface, turn the table upside down and remove the plywood bottom and the solo cups and secure the hardware cloth mesh wire to the underside , if desired. The use of the solo cups make it much lighter, uses less plaster, and gives the plaster a means of drying out much more quickly if a lot of clay is wedged or recycled drying thru this ventilating underside. THIS HAS WORKED FOR ME SINCE BUILDING THEM IN THE LATE 1960'S. Margaret Arial Lexington,SC >

I just wanted to let you know that I use a 6ft work bench with a large smooth slab of concrete on top. The concrete absorbs moisture and is very easy to clean up. I can wedge, glaze, or do anything on this surface. Plus, you can use the area for other uses. The potter that I apprenticed with always used concrete in place of wood or canvas. I went to a patio garden center which sells different sizes of stepping stones/ or patio blocks and ordered the exact size I needed. I specified that the concrete be as smooth as possible. Mine is 2 inches thick but it wouldn't have to be that thick. My husband built the work bench but you can also buy them prebuilt (unasembled) at Lowes or Home Depot. Just another suggestion. Good luck.

By the way ~~~I am new to this post. A couple of years ago I used to read another pottery discussion group (until one day it was gone, or at least I couldn't find it) and I learned so much! Looking forward to learning more from this one. Thanks everyone! Kay

What I had done when I first started out was to fill an old drawer of a discarded table with plaster. That became my wedging board and was used for many, many years quite successfully. I also used it to recycle clay when I had to. Good luck. Marlynn Marlynn A day in which I haven't learned something new is a day lost......

Before you try wedging at home, be sure that the place where you wedge (ie table top, counter top, etc) is VERY sturdy. Most home furnishings will not stand up to the stress of wedging.

As to the actual wedging surface, you can staple material (couldn't find canvas so I used denim) to a board with staples on the bottom. Be sure to put something under it to prevent the staples from injuring the surface you place it on.

However, I prefer to wedge on plaster. You can make a tray from plywood and 1" by 2" boards and fill that with plaster or you can make a full wedging table, using the tray as the top. The table must be very sturdy.

When the school where I studied pottery (Cupertino, California, USA) bought commercially made wedging tables, they collapsed after a few weeks. Our teacher then made tables using 4 x 4's (that's 4 inches by 4 inches), 2 x 4's plywood, and plaster. That was about 15 years ago and they are still standing today. Unfortunately, I don't have the plans. Maybe somebody out there has a good set??

Jan C.

Jan C.

Sounds like the concrete floor of my basement might make a cold but functional and sturdy wedging surface!