If you're new to pottery, the array of tools can be daunting. Here's a quick guide to the most common tools you'll encounter, and what they're used for.
Clay cutting wire: This tool is exactly what it sounds like - a wire used to cut clay. It's useful for cutting straight lines or cleanly dividing a lump of clay into smaller pieces.
Potter's wheel: The potter's wheel is perhaps the most iconic piece of pottery equipment. It's a circular platform that potters use to shape wet clay into pots, bowls, and other forms.
Handbuilding tools: These include anything that can be used to shape clay by hand, without the use of a potter's wheel. Common handbuilding tools include wooden dowels, plastic ribbons, and metal stamps.
Sponge: Sponges are used to smooth the surface of wet clay, and to clean up pottery tools and work surfaces.
Slab roller: A slab roller is a machine that flattens clay into thin, even sheets - perfect for handbuilding projects.
Extruder: An extruder is a machine that forces clay through a small die, creating long, uniform coils of clay that can be used for handbuilding or decorating the surface of pots.
Kiln: A kiln is a type of oven that gets very hot - hot enough to fire clay pots and turn them into