Van Gilder Hump Cut-Off Tool

When you "throw off the hump" on the potter's wheel you create a form from the top portion of a large hump of clay that you can then cut off. This process can be repeated to create multiple forms all from that one hump of clay. Great for production work, potters throw off the hump to create multiple pieces in one sitting while skipping the time-consuming step of preparing and centering multiple balls of clay. We would like to introduce a hump cut-off tool, that adds accuracy to this efficient process!

The van Gilder hump cut-off tool is really a two-in-one tool, complete with a wooden knife and a string. Simple in construction, it is the perfect tool designed specifically for getting a formed piece off of your hump of clay. We are going to tell you how this tool is used and why we think you just may need to add it to your tool kit.

Student and professional potters alike face one challenge when throwing off the hump and it isn't actually the throwing part! It's the part when the bowl is finished and it is time to cut if off. A natural and easy error can be made by pulling the wire at a deep angle instead of straight across. This easy mistake creates pots that are lopsided, which can have an effect on drying. When one side is lower and closer to the ware board then the other side, one side dries faster then the other and we are stuck trimming a foot on a pot that is unevenly dry.

The van Gilder hump cut-off Tool is an Asian style tool that can be used to vastly improve the cut-off step. The beveled, wooden knife creates a straight, indented ridge in the clay where the perfect length of string can slide into and cut the pot off at once.

To end up with forms that sit balanced after they are cut off the hump, that can be dried evenly when it comes time for trimming or even to finish off the foot of a piece without having to trim, all you need to do is use this tool as designed.

Take the beveled point of the wooden knife to the outside of the pot, underneath the bowl or cup. Create a deep ridge and then take the string in each of your hands with your pot between your body and your hands. Holding the string horizontally, feed it into the beveled ridge, rotating the wheel slowly. Let the string wind around once before you pull it out horizontally. This motion will cut off the piece, giving you a nice flat bottom. Dry your hands, lift the piece off and set on a ware board to dry. Now you can move on to create the next pot from your hump of clay!

To watch this tool in action check out this video tutorial.

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