# Slab Building for Beginners: Tools, Thickness and First Projects

Cluster: Handbuilding
URL: https://claybook.studio/blog/slab-building-for-beginners/

# Slab Building for Beginners: Tools, Thickness and First Projects

Slab building is pottery with flat sheets of clay, like working with leather or card. You roll, cut, bend and join. It is ideal for plates, boxes, planters and tiles, and you do not need a wheel.

It is also forgiving once you learn two things: keep the slab even, and let it firm up before you handle it.

## What you need

* Clay, any kind you can handbuild with
* A rolling pin, or two guide sticks and a pin
* A canvas or cotton cloth to roll on
* A fettling knife or sharp craft knife
* A scoring tool (a fork works) and a cup of slip
* A flat rib or old credit card to smooth edges
* Plastic sheeting for slow drying

## Roll an even slab

An uneven slab is the main cause of warping and cracking later. Place two wooden guides of equal thickness on either side of your clay and roll across them until the pin rides on both.

* **Thickness:** around 6 to 10 mm (a quarter to a little over a third of an inch) works for most small and medium pieces. Go thicker for large forms.
* **Roll in different directions.** Rolling only one way aligns the clay and encourages curling. Turn the slab a quarter turn between passes.
* **Flip and compress.** Finish by pressing the surface with a flat rib on both sides.

Practice this with the exercise on [rolling an even slab](/practice/roll-an-even-slab/) before you build anything.

## Let it firm up

Soft slabs sag. Hard slabs crack. You want something in between, often called **soft leather hard**: still bendable, but able to stand without collapsing.

Leave your cut shapes on a board for 30 to 60 minutes, loosely covered, and check by lifting an edge. If it holds its shape, build. Our guide on [letting the slab firm up](/learn/letting-the-slab-firm-up/) covers what to look for.

## Join without cracks

Good joins make or break slab work.

1. **Bevel** the edges that will meet at about 45 degrees so they overlap cleanly.
2. **Score** both surfaces with crosshatch marks.
3. **Add slip** and press the pieces together.
4. **Add a small coil** along the inside seam and blend it in with a tool.
5. **Smooth** the outside seam and compress it.

The same thinking applies to every handbuilt joint, as in [how to score and slip correctly](/learn/how-to-score-and-slip-correctly/).

## Five first projects

1. **A trinket tray.** Cut a rounded rectangle, lift the edges slightly and let it set over a bowl.
2. **A coaster set.** Four identical squares teach you to roll evenly and cut precisely.
3. **A draped bowl.** Lay a soft slab over a plate or bowl form and let it firm.
4. **A pencil pot.** Four sides, one base, practice with every joint.
5. **A small planter with a drainage hole.** Practical, and a useful lesson in thickness and weight.

## Prevent warping and cracks

* Dry flat pieces slowly under plastic, turning them over daily.
* Dry the edges and middle at the same rate by placing a piece of drywall or a board under flat shapes.
* Avoid very thick joins sitting next to thin walls.
* Read our guide to [why pottery cracks](/blog/why-pottery-cracks/) before your first firing.

## Keep notes as you go

Write down the thickness, the clay body and how long you let the slab firm. Next time you want the same result, you will know what worked. A Claybook project log keeps those notes with the finished pot.

For more starter ideas, see [25 easy pottery projects](/blog/25-easy-pottery-projects/).