Turning Plaster on the wheel
Many, if not most, ceramic and glass tableware shapes are round, so naturally much of my work involves turned plaster models.
I've developed a unique arrangement for turning shapes in plaster, using two different machines: On the lathe, hard plaster is turned on a horizontal axis, as in wood turning. On the plaster wheel, (or "whirler", as they say in British books) plaster is turned on a vertical axis, as in a potter's wheel. The latter is the traditional tool of modelers in pottery factories.
This plaster wheel was uniquely constructed to my design, with parts from a potters wheel. A threaded spindle accepts the same faceplates and chucks as the lathe. This creates a very flexible system and allows fixtures and workpieces to be moved between machines. A track, with a chainfall on a trolley, runs across the shop ceiling, directly above the center lines of both machines, for handling large pieces.
Another feature of the plaster wheel is a large, adjustable. shop-built frame, which supports a long, counterweighted "jigger" arm.
A wheel-turning project begins with a cross-section drawing, from which a flat profile template is made. The template is precisely located on the jigger arm and secured. With the arm raised out of the way, a plaster cylinder is poured on the wheel head. When the plaster is just stiff enough to stand up, the template is brought down on the spinning plaster to form a rotational shape. In a few minutes, the plaster has set hard and can be further tooled with cutting, scraping and finishing tools.
To turn, say, a dinner plate, I first turn a core. This is the inside of the plate, face-down. Then I pour plaster on the core and, with a second template, turn the back profile of the plate. This produces a hollow piece, just like an actual dinner plate.
For example, all these models were made this way ("Crown" dinnerware, Laura Handler for Crate & Barrel):
Click the images below to enlarge
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