What eye level do you wheel or hammer and lighting / background .

[abarthdave]

Hi all

What is the best height to set your E wheel or planishing hammer at ?

and what lighting or background color do you use to see the bumps and dips in the panel ?

So the question is do you want to set the E wheel up so that the wheel "gap" is at eye level .
or that the gap is lower so your arms and shoulders do not get as tired ?

And the same question for a planishing hammer or power hammer .

and then do you paint the background white or a light color to help with light reflection ?

My friends Yoder has the base painted white at the tool height , and its been that way for decades .

And what do you do when many people in the shop are using the same machine and are different heights ?

Thanks for your ideas.............

[Moving molecules .]

Most old English Wheels like our Ranalah obviously have a set height... which l can get for you.

but the height is personal to how you Work..... but the higher the wheel the more your arms and shoulders will Hurt.

as for panel highs & lows ... l use cotton gloves and good old day light.

LOL ... if you are short arse you could do the English Wheel dance on a thick old kitchen worktop.... If you cannot change the height of your wheel.......

cheers Matt..... U.K.

[abarthdave]

I was thinking of platform boots like the hookers wear......

[Moving molecules .]

Lov it .... no that’s just kinky.

[abarthdave]

Can we have Peter show us the "English wheel waltz" in platform shoes ?

[cliffrod]

The working height of my English wheel, Gairu/pullmax and bead roller is 50", approx the bottom of my sternum or the top of the inside of my elbow with elbow flexed 90 degrees. So far I've only used my wheel like this, but find it very good for me. Still setting up 3 phase for my Gairu and working on a motor to power my bead roller.

To read a surface, I prefer my light to be limited with a finite source vs omnipresent. That's how I was trained in stone work & use in studio. It's also what I use and prefer when carving wood and items in hand, ever since I was a child. To me, it's more normal vs overwhelming light that others prefer.

As far different height people in a shop setting- if there is a set height for all equipment, it's usually an executive decision made by said executive.... It's good to be king. The benefit regarding shop efficiency is that a set height and set lighting means that variable does not change between machines when employees do change stations. If everybody has to realign-readjust-remember all the details with every machine change, it's lost productivity and $$ especially with new(er) employees.

[Chris_Hamilton]

Wheeling you want your arms/hands to be halfway between your waist and shoulders. Set the machine height accordingly.

[abarthdave]

Thanks for your ideas , I am trying to get my own old Cast Iron wheel from a guy thats retiring so that will be left how it is and either add pads to it , or build a "wooden deck" around it like I saw Waldens speed shop do with his Yoder ,

But its getting the height right so your arms do not fatigue and still be able to see the reflections in the panel.

Much of the better machines like the Yoder and Erkold Kraftformer are my buddies and I can use them if I want to drive 30 miles each way ,

But I would rather get good with the wheel , sand bag and simple tools so I understand what I did wrong when I make scrap metal with the better tools....

[cliffrod]

Thanks for your ideas , I am trying to get my own old Cast Iron wheel from a guy thats retiring so that will be left how it is and either add pads to it , or build a "wooden deck" around it like I saw Waldens speed shop do with his Yoder ,

But its getting the height right so your arms do not fatigue and still be able to see the reflections in the panel.

Much of the better machines like the Yoder and Erkold Kraftformer are my buddies and I can use them if I want to drive 30 miles each way ,

But I would rather get good with the wheel , sand bag and simple tools so I understand what I did wrong when I make scrap metal with the better tools....

I had no realistic expectation to have much more in my shop than my cast iron English wheel from Peter and simple hand tools. It really goes back to Peter's Monaro video. you don't have to have much beyond a good wheel and basic hand tools.. Pullmax-type machines are really scarce around here and typically $$$ beyond my reach. This Gairu and the CP planishing gear that came from the same shop were simply a very lucky & local break, one of those once in a lifetime opportunities. Similar situation with this bead roller. Now I would like to put them to enough use to warrant having them.

Another part of my stone training involved a crate and platform. When I built my studio, I made a wide base riser made of 2x pressure treated lumber scraps (3 1/2 + 1 1/2 = 5" tall) that's about 2' x 3', more of a pallet than a crate. Another actual crate of 2X8 lumber (rectangular cube offering differing height, width and depth dimensions) serves as both a riser for work or me to sit on and as a crate for gear when I'm working offsite. Hand holes to carry are optional. Actual dimensions aren't that critical, just need to be enough to warrant rotating the crate. I use them all the time, whether alone or together. Similar risers and crates are standard equipment in the studio where I apprenticed. Cheap, relevant and simple but serious gear. If you need to vary working height of machines or work. building a temporary or permanent riser is what I would do.

I made a crate like this for the last Redneck Roundup at RockHillWill's.. The first man that saw it & heard the explanation had to have it. So he did.

When I took Peter's class, he mentioned that his basic kit of hand tools he had carried from AU were essentially all he used beyond his wheel and stump to produce that famous Monaro quarter panel. I asked him to let me take a pic of the group. I spread them out on the table. What I really wanted was to buy such a group of tools from him to fill my toolbox because I only had a few tools at that time. I even asked what it would cost to buy a "Monaro starter kit" and if he might offer one for sale. I'm not really interested in buying tools from others in the business. These are the tools-

[Moving molecules .]

51”......👍

[abarthdave]

thanks............when I am out at my buddies I will measure the Yoder and Kraftformer .

[Chris_Hamilton]

thanks............when I am out at my buddies I will measure the Yoder and Kraftformer .

Each individual's ideal level is going to be different depending on how tall they are. Don''t consider what Matt posted as "ideal" unless you are the same height as he is.

[abarthdave]

Each individual's ideal level is going to be different depending on how tall they are. Don''t consider what Matt posted as "ideal" unless you are the same height as he is.

I think he was just saying that his old cast iron E wheel is 51 inches , not that its an ideal number one way or another.....

[Moving molecules .]

Just here to help.... 👍😉

l,m 5’ 9” was 5’ 10” i’m slowly shrinking.

[Chris_Hamilton]

Just here to help.... 👍😉

l,m 5’ 9” was 5’ 10” i’m slowly shrinking.

I know what you mean...😀 I'm shrinking and don't really have any height to spare. Shrinking and expanding actually.😄 When I graduated High School in 1989, I was 5'7" and weighed 140 lbs. I ran a 4:24 mile in track Also had a beautiful head of hair. . Now I'm 5'6" and weigh about 175-180 and struggle to run 3 miles in 27 minutes or so. Oh and I have lost my head of unruly thick hair.🙁 I am proof that God has a rather devious sense of humor.

Hope nobody took what I said as being critical. Just pointing out ideal height of something is all dependent on the individuals height.

I