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The Creative Industries Clay Boss Pottery Wheel was designed from the ground up to meet the performance and durability needs of classroom and professional pottery studios while being relatively inexpensive for the beginning potter. The history of the Clay Boss Pottery Wheel is quite interesting as this was the first major design of the pottery wheel since Creative Industries perfected the Professional Pottery Wheels known as the Model HP and Model MP.
The results.... The Creative Industries Clay Boss. Born in the mid-90's. Three major modifications since. In 2008 the Creative Industries Clay Boss is the standard by which other pottery wheels must be measured. How well did Creative Industries achieve their design goals?
Shipping and Basic Wheel Design: The Creative Industries Clay Boss is both lightweight AND qualifies for good UPS rates. The shipping box is 30L x 25W x 18H and weighs only 66 lbs. At 66 lbs, the shipping cost of the Clay Boss is about half the cost of the 120+ lb shipping rate for competing pottery wheels. Physically the work table is fairly good size at 26" x 21" which allows room for a good size splash pan to surround the 14" steel wheel head and still have room for buckets and tools to be stored on the table top. The wheel head is made from reinforced steel with a long lasting polypropylene composite surface to prevent rusting. Creative Industries first used coated steel wheel heads on the Model HP due to the higher strength and lighter weight of steel versus stainless steel, and that wheel head design was continued on the Clay Boss. The large work surface was changed to polyethylene in 2006 as polyethylene will never rust and further reduces the shipping weight. In 2007 the heavy duty steel frame with tripod legs was redesigned so that the legs allow quick assembly by the user. The user assembly legs permit the shipping costs of the wheel to be further reduced. Regardless of the design of the legs, the heavy duty frame does not flex when the Dogwood Ceramic Supply webmaster is standing on the wheelhead! One additional note: The Clay Boss is light enough to be easily moved or handled by children in the classroom when storage of the wheel is necessary. Try that with a 120 lb pottery wheel.
Performance and Components: The Clay Boss is quickly assembled in San Diego California from parts common to other industrial products. Quickly assembled. Many of the wheel components are modular and the design of the wheel is far less complex than the Model HP. Compared to yesterday, a single employee can produce more wheels in a single production shift than what was previously manufactured in a month. High volumes will always equal low prices. But speed is not always our friend. What about the quality of the parts? The first concern for any pottery wheel is the electric motor. On the Model HP, Creative Industries was using an ultra high performance electric motor that was manufactured in low volumes (meaning high cost). Creative Industries searched the world over for a motor that was light in weight, durable, capable of high torque that would translate into high weight capacity of the wheel and of course would be produced in high volumes so the costs would be low. Fantasy land? No, such motors really do exist. Check the motor in your electric dryer or on your treadmill. Yep, other industries have similar needs, and their high manufacturing volumes mean the motors are relatively inexpensive. The electric motor of the Clay Boss has been upgraded over the years, the current electric motor of the Clay Boss is rated for 1/2 horsepower that is capable of centering 100 lbs of moist clay and is more than capable of spinning the Dogwood Ceramic Supply webmaster. Yes, the Clay Boss really does have enough power to spin a hefty webmaster! That high level of performance is achieved through a
digital controller (mounted to the frame of the wheel) that regulates power
levels being sent to the electric motor and maintains wheel head speed under
changing loads. Electronics are shrinking, becoming more powerful and
going down in price every day. A simple, inexpensive digital controller is
all it takes to achieve this high level of performance, and by sharing
controller designs with other industries, Creative Industries has further reduced
the cost of the controller. 5 year warranty? Yes, 5 year warranty. Considering Creative Industries has been in business since 1971 and know they use good parts that exceed the needs of the user, 5 years seems to be quite appropriate. The warranty covers parts and labor when the item is returned to the factory. Transportation costs to the factory are the responsibility of the customer. Creative Industries pays the return freight. Did we mention the parts are modular? Modular parts means only the defective part, not the entire wheel, will need to be returned to the factory for repairs.
So, how did Creative Industries do?
4. Match the performance of the Model HP and being capable of throwing 650+ lbs of clay? Nope. The Clay Boss only has 100 lbs throwing capacity. Only? 100 lbs throwing capacity is far beyond the needs of most classrooms or production potters. And that 100 lb rating may be a bit low as the Clay Boss can handle a hefty webmaster. But if you really need a higher throwing capacity, just check out the Creative Industries Boss Elite.
Clay Boss Pottery Wheel Prices Prices valid until December 31, 2008. Clay Card Eligible **
UPS costs are computed separately based upon shipping zone. See UPS shipping costs and information below.
Creative Industries UPS Rate Zones Published UPS rates and surcharges are rounded up for ease of customer use and to cover insurance charges and the variable Fuel Surcharge. $1.50 per box surcharge for rural deliveries. $5.00 per box surcharge for residential deliveries, capped to a maximum of $20.00 on UPS Hundredweight shipments.
** Clay Card Eligible: In store customers purchasing select major clay equipment items Dogwood Ceramic Supply current inventory receive a little lagniappe in the form of a CLAY CARD. The Clay Card authorizes the customer to purchase any stock Standard Clay at the 1000 lb rate regardless of the actual quantity purchased for a 1 year period starting from the date the equipment is purchased. The difference between the single box rate and the 1000 lb rate can be $12 or more per 50 lb box, so this benefit can add up to big bucks to the active clay buying customer.
The Creative Industry standard accessories are packaged in the shipping box of the wheel. Additional bats can be purchased and shipped with your wheel. See Creative Industries optional equipment or North Star Pottery Throwing Bats more information. Creative Industry also produces several styles of pottery stools. Dogwood Ceramic Supply offers the Creative Industries pottery stools as well as EPS Pottery stools. And don't forget Standard Clay and Kemper Tools!
Clay Boss Wheels stacked in Dogwood's Warehouse
Showroom Business Hours: Closed Wednesday and Sunday Web Page Last Updated: Dogwood Ceramic Supply, the complete source of ceramic and pottery equipment and supplies for professional and hobby ceramist and potter. |
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