Hunching over your pottery strains your neck and shoulders. Discover simple ergonomic tips to improve your work and stay pain-free in the studio.

Tightening hardware shouldn't stress your joints. Review the oversized bat pins and knobs from East Van Pottery for an aligned pottery practice.

Wedging without the Wrist Pain

And we're back! Kicking off a new series on Hands, Fingers & Wrists — starting with wedging. Wedging can be one of the more uncomfortable parts of pottery making — especially for our wrists. Try this: staggered stance, hands planted on the clay, and lean your whole body weight in instead of forcing it with your hands. Keep that wrist neutral — roughly lined up with your elbow — the whole time. Prefer stack-and-slam? Works too, just trades wrist strain for shoulder work. And always: soft clay over hard clay for repetitive, forceful work.

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This short video looks at positioning the body while setting up at the pottery wheel.

Ways to help the head & neck at the pottery wheel

How to take a mini-break at the pottery wheel.