Kick Wheel Build

Part of Pottery and Ceramics

Building a kick-powered potter’s wheel from salvaged or hand-made components — the essential tool for producing round, symmetrical pottery at scale.

Why This Matters

A potter’s wheel transforms clay production from slow craft into efficient manufacturing. Coil-building a single pot takes 30-60 minutes of careful work. On a wheel, the same pot takes 5-10 minutes. For a community that needs hundreds of vessels — cooking pots, water storage, fermentation crocks, oil lamps, drainage pipes — this speed difference is the gap between subsistence and surplus.

The kick wheel is the ideal design for a rebuilding scenario. Unlike electric or treadle wheels, it requires no external power source, no belts, no gears, and no bearings beyond a single pivot point. The heavy flywheel stores rotational energy, and the potter kicks it periodically to maintain speed. It is the design that potters used for thousands of years before electricity, and it works.

Building one requires basic woodworking, a single metal shaft (or hardwood axle), and a heavy mass for the flywheel. Every component can be made from materials available in a post-collapse environment.

Design Overview

A kick wheel has four main parts:

1. The flywheel (bottom) — A heavy disc at foot level. The potter kicks its edge to spin the wheel. Mass is critical: heavier = longer spin time.
2. The shaft (vertical axle) — Connects the flywheel to the wheel head. Must spin freely with minimal friction.
3. The wheel head (top) — A flat disc at waist height where clay is centered and thrown. Must be perfectly level and firmly attached to the shaft.
4. The frame — Supports the bearings/pivot points and holds everything at the correct height.

     ┌─────────────┐
     │  Wheel Head  │  ← Work surface (waist height)
     └──────┬──────┘
            │
     ┌──────┤──────┐  ← Upper bearing (frame crosspiece)
     │      │      │
     │      │      │  ← Frame legs
     │      │      │
     │      │      │
     └──────┤──────┘  ← Lower bearing
            │
     ┌──────┴──────┐
     │   Flywheel   │  ← Heavy mass (foot level)
     └─────────────┘

Building the Frame

The frame must be rigid, heavy enough not to wobble, and tall enough that the wheel head sits at comfortable working height (roughly 40-50 cm below the potter’s elbow when seated).

Materials

• 4 legs: sturdy hardwood posts, 8-10 cm square, approximately 80-90 cm long
• 2 crosspieces (upper and lower): hardwood beams, 8-10 cm square, approximately 60 cm long
• 2 side rails: connecting the leg pairs, same dimensions
• Fasteners: mortise-and-tenon joints, wooden pegs, or bolts if available

Construction Steps

1. Build two A-frames or H-frames from pairs of legs connected by crosspieces. The upper crosspiece has a hole drilled in its center for the shaft. The lower crosspiece (about 15 cm from the floor) also has a centered hole.

2. Connect the two frames with side rails to form a rigid box structure. The frame should be approximately 50-60 cm square and 80-90 cm tall.

3. Drill bearing holes through the exact center of both crosspieces. The holes must align perfectly vertical. Use a plumb line:

   • Drop a weighted string from the center of the upper hole
   • Mark where it touches the lower crosspiece
   • Drill there

4. Add a seat board (optional but recommended) — a plank extending from one side of the frame at a comfortable sitting height (about 45 cm from the floor). The potter sits here while throwing.

Stability

Add weight to the frame base. Bolt or peg heavy stones to the lower rails. A frame that rocks or shifts while throwing ruins the work. Some builders partially bury the lower legs in the ground.

The Shaft and Bearings

The shaft is the most critical component. It must spin freely with minimal wobble.

Shaft Options (Best to Worst)

1. Steel rod (25-30 mm diameter) — Ideal. Scavenge from vehicle axles, fence posts, rebar (grind smooth), or pipe.
2. Hardwood dowel — Ironwood, osage orange, or similar dense wood. Turn on a lathe or carefully shape with a drawknife. 30-40 mm diameter. Oil regularly.
3. Bamboo — A thick-walled bamboo culm can work temporarily. Fills with a hardwood plug at bearing points.

Bearing Solutions

The shaft needs to rotate inside the frame with minimal friction. Here are options from simplest to best:

Bearing Type	Materials	Friction	Durability
Hardwood-in-hardwood	Dense wood block with greased hole	Moderate	Months (re-bore periodically)
Soap or tallow lubricated	Any wood bearing + animal fat	Low-moderate	Weeks between re-lubrication
Stone socket	Granite or basalt with carved hollow	Low	Years
Scavenged ball bearing	Salvaged from vehicles, motors	Very low	Years
Pottery bearing	Fired clay cup with shaft point	Low	Months

For the bottom bearing (thrust bearing — carries the weight):

The simplest approach is a steel point resting in a stone or hardwood cup. Grind the bottom of the shaft to a rounded point. Set a stone with a carved concave depression into the floor or lower crosspiece. Oil the contact point. This is how traditional kick wheels worked for millennia.

For the upper bearing (guide bearing — prevents wobble):

A hardwood block with a hole slightly larger than the shaft, well-greased with tallow or oil. The hole should be 1-2 mm larger than the shaft diameter. Too tight and it binds; too loose and the wheel wobbles.

Building the Flywheel

The flywheel must be as heavy as practical — 15-30 kg is the target range. Heavier flywheels spin longer between kicks, giving the potter more uninterrupted working time.

Option 1: Concrete or Clay Flywheel (Easiest)

1. Build a circular wooden mold, 50-60 cm diameter, 8-10 cm deep
2. Place the shaft vertically in the center of the mold
3. Pour in a mix of clay, sand, and crushed rock (or concrete if cement is available)
4. Let it cure/dry completely (1-2 weeks for clay; 1 week for concrete)
5. Remove the mold

Option 2: Wooden Flywheel (Lighter but Workable)

1. Cut a disc from a log cross-section, 50-60 cm diameter, 8-10 cm thick
2. Drill a center hole for the shaft
3. Attach additional weight: bolt or peg stones, scrap iron, or sandbags to the underside

Option 3: Stone Flywheel (Traditional)

1. Find a flat, roughly circular stone, 50-60 cm across
2. Chip and grind a center hole
3. Attach to shaft with wooden wedges

Balance

An unbalanced flywheel wobbles, making throwing impossible. After mounting the flywheel, spin it slowly and mark the heavy side. Add weight to the opposite side (clay, stones, lead) until it spins without vibration. Test by spinning and watching whether the shaft stays centered or orbits in a circle.

Building the Wheel Head

The wheel head is where clay sits. It must be flat, level, and firmly fixed to the shaft.

1. Cut a disc from dense hardwood or a thick plank: 25-35 cm diameter, 3-5 cm thick
2. Drill a center hole matching the shaft diameter exactly (tight fit)
3. Attach to shaft with a wooden wedge, pin, or bolt through a cross-drilled hole
4. True the surface — With the wheel spinning, hold a straight edge against the surface and shave off any high spots. The surface must be flat to within 1 mm

Alternative: Clay Wheel Head

If you cannot cut a precise wooden disc, throw a thick clay disc on a temporary flat surface, let it dry, bisque fire it, then mount it. Clay wheel heads grip wet throwing clay better than wood.

Assembly and Alignment

1. Mount the shaft through the upper bearing hole in the frame
2. Set the bottom point into the thrust bearing cup
3. Attach the flywheel to the bottom of the shaft, approximately 15-20 cm from the floor
4. Attach the wheel head to the top of the shaft
5. Check alignment:
   • Spin the wheel slowly
   • Place a fixed pointer (stick clamped to the frame) near the edge of the wheel head
   • The gap between pointer and wheel edge should remain constant as it rotates
   • If the gap changes, the wheel head is off-center — re-mount it

Tuning and Using the Wheel

Breaking In

New bearings are stiff. Spin the wheel frequently for the first few days, re-applying grease or oil. The bearing surfaces will wear into each other and become smoother.

Kicking Technique

• Sit on the seat with one foot on the floor for stability
• Use the other foot to kick the top edge of the flywheel away from you
• Kick with a smooth, sweeping motion — not a sharp jab
• Aim for 60-100 RPM for centering clay, 40-60 RPM for throwing
• Kick every 10-15 seconds to maintain speed (longer intervals with heavier flywheels)

Maintenance Schedule

Task	Frequency
Oil/grease upper bearing	Daily during use
Oil thrust bearing point	Daily during use
Check shaft for wobble	Weekly
Re-bore upper bearing hole (wood bearings)	Every 2-3 months
Replace thrust bearing cup	When worn concave beyond 3 mm
True the wheel head	Monthly

Common Problems and Fixes

Problem	Cause	Solution
Wheel wobbles	Off-center flywheel or wheel head	Re-mount, check alignment with pointer test
Wheel stops quickly	Too much bearing friction	Re-grease; widen upper bearing hole slightly
Wheel vibrates at speed	Unbalanced flywheel	Add counterweight to light side
Shaft squeaks	Dry bearing	Apply tallow, oil, or soap
Clay flies off	Wheel not level	Shim frame legs; re-true wheel head
Flywheel too light	Not enough momentum	Add weight (bolt on stones or iron)

A well-built kick wheel lasts for years with basic maintenance and enables a single potter to produce 20-40 pots per day — enough to supply an entire settlement.