How to Make a DIY Tool for Creating Galleries in Lidded Pottery Dan Ingersoll

In addition to a great step-by-step project on making lidded boxes, Dan Ingersoll shares some very cool ideas for making homemade tools out of old worn-out windshield wiper blades in the July/August 2023 issue of Pottery Making Illustrated.

In this post, which is excerpted from that issue, Dan demonstrates how to make a handy gallery cutter to make quick and easy work of making galleries for lidded forms. –Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor

Prepping the Wire

Safety first! Secure a pair of safety glasses and leather gloves to protect your eyes and hands during the process. Apply heat with a torch only to a non-flammable surface. 

Begin by using a side cutter to cut out an 8-inch strip of wiper wire. This gives you enough material to hold on to during the forming and sharpening process. Hold the length of wire with your hand against a hard surface (I place it on top of the jaws of a closed bench vise), and use a flat metal file to sharpen a 2-inch section in the middle of the 8-inch wiper wire. 

Heating and Shaping the Wire 

Hold the wire with a plier and heat the sharpened area with a small propane torch until red hot to soften it and make it easy to bend (2). 

Shape the wire while it is still red hot into a desired tool-head shape using a pair of needle-nose pliers (3). Note that heating the wire strip will leave it soft. To re-harden it after heating, plunge the hot wire into an ice water bath and then remove any excess length of wire with a side cutter. 

The formed wires I make include a loop tool, a handle extruder/cutter, a double-beveled cutter, and a stepped gallery cutter. 

Connecting the Formed Wire and Handle 

To make the handle blocks, find a piece of scrap wood that fits well in your hand and can hold the formed wire. Use sandpaper to smooth any rough edges. 

In most situations, you can simply drill a hole large enough to accept the formed wire heads and set them with epoxy. To set the formed wire of the double-bevel tool in a wood block, trace the profile of the cutter head onto the block. Position the wire on the block so that it will make a cut that is ⅔ the thickness of your slabs. Make shallow cuts on the drawn lines with a hand saw. Once the cuts have been made, set the formed wire in place and secure it with epoxy.

Using the Tools 

Double-Bevel Tool: The double-bevel tool is used to cut a double-beveled hinge in a clay slab—when making a handbuilt box for example. The formed wire is set at a 40° angle in the wood handle so when the slab walls are brought together, they are forced into a 45° angle. This compresses the joint and makes a stronger seam. 

Stepped Gallery Tool: I use this tool to create a gallery-style lid. To set the formed wire, drill a hole in the wood block, slide the wire into it, and fix it with epoxy. You can position it at a height that is specific to the form you are making. 

To use the cutter, plunge it into the completed box form and then with reasonable pressure, while it is held tight to the form and the tabletop, draw it around the form (4) to create a stepped cut (5). The initial plunge point leaves a small hole that can be repaired when the cover is removed. Tip: You can place a thin strip of plastic such as Plexiglas or a small plastic ruler between the cutter and the form you are cutting the gallery in to protect the decoration. This moves the cutter head out away from the form so the cutter head needs to be set so it cuts in the center of the slab. 

Handle Maker: To use, start with a block of soft clay that is flat and smooth on the top. Place the tool with the cutter down and draw across the clay block keeping the bottom of the tool in contact with the clay surface. By changing the shape of the cutter you can make rims and other decorative additions for sculpture and functional pots. 

Loop Tool: A loop tool can be made in all shapes and sizes. I like to recycle old paintbrushes for handles on this one. 

In the end, you can save yourself some money, feel resourceful in repurposing discarded stuff, and puff your chest a bit when someone asks, where did you get that amazing tool? Have at it!