Wobbly wheel – Part cinq: Final resolution? Not.

Thirteen weeks after placing an order for a portable Shimpo Aspire, I finally – finally – received the replacement wheel head for the wobbly wheel I’ve periodically posted about. I willed myself to wait, patiently and calmly, for resolution.

When I opened the box, I eyeballed the replacement plate. It’s surprisingly lightweight – constructed from aluminum. Makes sense for a portable wheel.

Dane had all the right tools, so he did the honors. Then I took the wheel for a dry run. Not sure that the wobble’s better. There’s still a shimmy. It’s noticeable, but possibly less so than the original wheel head.

The shimmy isn’t as much a side-to-side movement like before. Rather, it’s a lopsided up-and-down wobble. It was a little challenging to throw even the smallest amount of clay. Centering was fairly easy, but I found I had to slow my wheel speed down significantly to center and pull the clay.

Take a look.

I wonder if I can dink around with it to make some adjustments. Another option would be to have a tool and die shop make a new plate that is precisely planed, drilled and calibrated.

Here’s my dry-run cup – not the best camera angle, but I wanted to show my work at center to edge.

Overall, I’m disappointed in Shimpo and this particular product. I’ll test it out over the weekend and decide whether to return it.

“All your life is such a shame.
All your love is just a dream.
I dreamt I saw you walking up a hillside in the snow,
Casting shadows on the winter sky as you stood there
Counting crows.
One for sorrow, two for joy.
Three for girls, and four for boys.
Five for silver, six for gold and
Seven for a secret never to be told.
There’s a bird that nests inside you,
Sleeping underneath your skin.
When you open up your wings to speak,
I wish you’d let me in.” – Counting Crows, “Murder of One“