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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Click here to find the free Joints Inventory. This inventory serves as a guide for potters to assess joint positioning, either sitting or standing, while working. Joint alignment can reduce strain, minimize injury risk, and enhance long-term sustainability in ceramics.

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

A wrist stretch and a back stretch for potters.

A few more tips on taking 10-second mini-breaks.