Potter Wheel as Flat Lap

[Indigo S]

Hi,
Trying to save money- and time here. Wondering if anyone has used a pottery wheel with grit as a flat lap? I can get a used pottery wheel off CL for far less than a flat lap. I know there is a rpm difference with pottery wheels maxing out at 250 rpm. If anyone has ever tried this- or has ideas about it, please let us know. thanks

[Rick Wilton]

http://www.warmglass.com/phpBB3/viewtop ... lap#p27501

[charlie]

depending upon diameter, you may not want to run a grit lap faster than that anyway. i calculated mine out to around 200 rpm for a 24" disk when i built it.

[Soozin]

Pottery wheels using slurry is fantastic. I have used my old pottery wheels for years for flat lapping but only for 100 grit silicon carbide. When I want to flatten a bottom of a piece, it's a kick wheel, not electric and it's faster than doing it on a piece of glass by hand. The pottery wheel I have is quite small but it has served me well.. I can grind down a say, vessel bottom in less than ten minutes using 100 grit silicone carbide. However, you want to go to a finer grit, ensure you clean off any coarser grit beforehand making sure there's no residue of that coarse grit left, before putting on finer grits... A good hose flush does a good job! I recommend it, my pottery wheel has served me well over the past ten years! It doesn't need power to run it, just the power of the kick wheel bit... so you also get a wee workout...

[Buttercup]

A few years ago we had an excellent thread going with tips for DIY equipment designs and construction but I can't find it now. I searched under my posts, as I know I posted in it, may have even started it, but it doesn't show up. Perhaps it disappeared when the board went down? Does anyone have a link to it? I think it may have been called DIY flat lap or WBS. I'd like to see it again as some good ideas were posted. Jen

[peter cummings]

I bought an old potters wheel, electric, and got a steel plate to fit. Magnetic diamond discs from His, 30 cm I think. Fantastic. Sure the discs could go faster, but I feel I have more control at a slower speed. Only part I miss of an old iron disc and grit is the magic singing sound.