At The Ceramic Shop, we carry a wide variety of banding wheels and turntables to fit all of your creative needs. From heavy-duty stainless steel models intended to last a lifetime and bear the heavy load of large-format ceramic pots and sculptures to light-weight and affordable wooden classroom models, we have just what you need to make your studio or classroom complete. A banding wheel is simply a rotating platform that allows you to move your piece without touching it -- which is necessary for certain types of decoration that can only be carried out while a piece is still too delicate to handle! Below we offer a quick rundown of our available banding wheels:
Shimpo carries a line of very heavy-duty, rust-free banding wheels. These high-end banding wheels utilize a precise ball bearing rotation, which results in a very smooth, even turning. This makes using a Shimpo banding wheel incredibly stable, even when it's in motion. Each banding wheel has concentric rings on the surface, which makes centering easy -- when you want to draw precise lines around your pot, or carry out some other form of accurate decoration, that's an ideal feature. These banding wheels are also well-grounded with a heavy base, which eliminates the chance of tipping over. The entire banding wheel is covered in a protective royal blue enamel, which might be a familiar sight if you've ever spent time in a ceramics studio -- these top-of-the-line wheels will last forever! Use these banding wheels for decorating clay pots with slips, underglazes and glazes, as well as for carving and sculpting. Shimpo banding wheels are available in different heights and diameters.
Brent has recently created a very sturdy banding wheel, as well. It is actually constructed from the same aluminum wheel head that is present on Amaco and Brent pottery wheels. These banding wheels, like the Shimpo versions, are also ideal for large, heavy forms. Because of their durability and heavy-duty construction, the Brent banding wheels turn smoothly, even with heavy pots on them. A unique feature of the Brent banding wheel is that it comes equipped with bat pins and a plastic bat, making it easy to remove your work and replace it with another. With this feature, it's easy to move your work directly from your wheel to a decorating station! Just as you can choose between a 12" or 14" wheelhead for your Amaco/Brent wheel, we carry these heavy-duty banding wheels in 12" or 14" diameters. Sturdy tabletop banding wheels built with quality components for creating small to large pieces up to 200 lbs!
Laminated banding wheels and turntables are lightweight, inexpensive and easy to use. They are constructed from particle board covered in Formica, which means that they are lightweight but can still be cleaned without warping. Because they are designed to be low-cost banding wheels, these turntables are ideal for classrooms and allow each student to have their own! Storage is easy with wooden banding wheels, too, because they stack so well. We carry wooden banding wheels in 6" and 10" diameters, and Formica turntables in 8", 12", and 16" diameters. The 8” and 10” wheels have a 200 lb capacity, the 12” is rated to 300 lbs, and the 14” and 16” are rated to an 800 lb capacity.
Not sure what banding wheel is the best for your studio or classroom? Give us a call today and we'll be happy to find the right banding wheel for your space!
