August poll results

Granted, it's a very small data sample and very unscientific, but among those that responded to the poll, the majority throw at the wheel standing up and/or elevated in some fashion. In an unrelated conversation, someone told me they knew a potter who kneeled at the wheel.

Standing - 3
Semi standing - 2
Sitting - 1

Which reinforces something that's been bugging me for a while now.
-Even before I hurt my back this last time, I was putting my wheel up on bricks to raise it even 3". . .
- Nearly all of the serious potters I know have jerry-rigged their wheel(s) to raise it in some way
- The ones that haven't either complain of back problems, and/or have a hunch (whether they realize it or not)

So -why- are wheels built so low in the first place?

The wheels I speak of are SO short, they couldn't possibly be at the right height for any normal human. OK, maybe a 3' child.