Turntable

What it is

A turntable is the low-tech cousin of the banding wheel, built heavier and wider for work that needs stability rather than free spin. Where a banding wheel coasts, a turntable stays put until you deliberately rotate it, which makes it the right platform for applying a handle, carving a pattern or painting a foot.

The useful sizes start around 25 cm and run past 40 cm. A large disc lets you build a coiled pot directly on the platform and turn it as you work around the circumference, without ever lifting it — which is how you avoid distorting a soft wall.

Many potters use a turntable as their general-purpose work surface: a small board or bat sits on top, so a piece can be moved from the wheel to the turntable to the damp box without ever being touched by hand. That continuity is worth more than any single feature.

How to use it well

• Set the turntable at a comfortable standing height so you can work around the full circumference without reaching.
• For coil building, place a bat on the turntable and build on the bat — then lift the whole bat to the damp box.
• Use a damp chamois under the pot to stop it sliding while you rotate.
• Keep one turntable for clean glaze work and one for clay; cross-contamination causes glaze defects.

Safety notes

• Heavy discs are a foot hazard — keep them on a dedicated bench, not the floor.
• Check the bearing periodically; a seized turntable will tip a tall pot.

Compatible materials

Clay bodies

• All bodies

Glazes & surface

• Used during glazing and waxing

Where it sits in the process

Turning, cutting and finishing leather-hard work.

Trimming  Wheel & Shaping  Entry tier

Browse every tool in this stage from the Wheel & Shaping category.