Potters use calipers to measure things, usually openings and galleries in lidded forms. Calipers can be very helpful for potters and help get rid of the guesswork.
Calipers are great for when you want to make exact sets that have specific opening sizes. When you need set circumferences for curves. And when you need other specific details that are important for sets.
One example of this could be making duplicates of cups or mugs that you want to look as similar as possible. Having more than one caliper can be useful if you have more than one area that needs to be measured.
Another use for calipers is checking the base of a cup to match it with the depression in the center of a saucer plate.
1) Take the measurements of the cups foot when it is still on the wheel. Remember to account for the size difference after you trim it.
2) Use the measurement when you throw your saucer plate. You want to make the depression in the center of the plate the same as your cup.
3 Throwing larger pieces
Are you envious of those potters that can throw very large vessels? Well, don’t worry. For most potters, it is easier to throw a couple of separate sections and then attach them all together. This is easier than throwing one large piece. But it is crucial to get the pieces the right size.
Calipers are very useful for this because the attachment process is like creating a lid. One piece will have to slightly sit inside of another. This method ensures that the two pieces have enough thickness to be attached together and allows the seam between them to be cleaned up easily.
