How to Use a Wedging Table (Without Wrecking Your Wrists)

Before the wheel, before the kiln — there’s the wedging table. A humble slab of plaster or canvas-covered concrete where all good pots begin. Wedging is the unsung ritual that sets your clay (and your mind) right.

Here’s how to make the most of it.

1. Why Wedge?

Wedging:

• Removes air bubbles

• Aligns clay particles

• Improves consistency and workability

• Prevents cracking later on

In short: it’s essential.

2. Choose Your Method

• Spiral Wedging: Great for centering and preparing clay for the wheel. Creates a twist pattern inside the clay.

• Ram’s Head Wedging: Easier for beginners. Rocking motion compresses and aligns the clay efficiently.

• Cut-and-Slam: Good for reclaiming — slice, stack, slam, repeat.

Choose the one that suits your body, rhythm, and clay type.

3. The Right Surface Matters

Your table should be:

• Plaster, wood, or canvas-covered concrete

• Non-glossy and grippy

• At a comfortable waist height to save your back

Avoid smooth or slippery tabletops — they’ll frustrate you and your clay.

4. Don’t Overdo It

• 20–30 wedges is usually enough

• Over-wedging dries out clay and wastes energy

• If the clay's already well mixed (like from a pugmill), a few presses may be all you need

5. Keep It Clean

• Scrape off dried clay with a metal rib or scraper

• Don’t mix clay bodies on the same surface

• If you do use different clays, label the table or cover it with a board

Contamination leads to glaze issues — and studio grumbles.

Bonus Tip: Label Your Table

If your studio uses multiple clay bodies, label the wedging surface! A small sign can save a lot of trouble — especially in communal spaces