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Measure twice cut once
Marking out where I intend to cut by placing my finger on the top and turning the dowel around to make a mark an equal distance away from the end.
Laziness is my middle name
if the handles are square you can place the first on the second to mark out where it is cut. These are cut quite quickly wiht a razor saw
a drill press means I don't have to hold the handle and the drill at the same time
You could use a regular drill but we have a drill press so I drilled a 6mm hole as that was around the same as the dowel I had to use as a peg.
seriously the simplest tool to make
feed your choice of wire though the hole
Twist twist twist
twisting the wire by hand is simple and ensure the braiding isn’t too tight so it leaves a better make.
this goes a lot faster
A drill can also be used to produce a twisted, braided wire, hold down one end already placed in the handle and then hold the drill taut which you twist the wire.
and if it swells it will stay in the hole
Hammer the peg in, this should secure the wire, it is a very tight fit.
we want a neat and tidy job
Trim off the excess peg so it doesn’t get in your way
you could always use some epoxy I guess
Repeat for the other end, and don’t forget to check that the wire doesn’t pull lose
Smooth
A single wire produces a consistent surface, the only in consistencies are from the production of the clay
saw through that clay
With a braided wire you can create some interesting patterns depending on how you move the wire through the clay
finished wires
A selection of finished wires. After I took this photograph I made one with gardening wire in my workshop, and I would venture to go with an even thicker wire.

What would can you do differently?

  • alter the length of the wire
  • change the number of wires that are twisted together
  • try different materials for the wire

If you make a rib, share them on social media @redfoxpottery and I will add them to the bottom of the post.

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