Abstract: For the manufacture of oval dishes, a machine has two work supports arranged to rotate moulds eccentrically for clay on the moulds to be shaped into oval forms. At a first, spreading, station the clay is engaged by a pancake-type spreading roller which squeezes a piece of clay into an oval shape. The mould is transferred to a second, or finishing, station where a finishing roller rolls the clay to the desired configuration of the oval dish. The spreading roller is driven. The finishing roller may be driven or it may rotate freely, a brake being applied to the free roller, for the end of a finishing operation, to improve the surface finish of the ware.

Abstract: An oval dish forming machine has two revolvable wheels each of which is supported on a structure permitting the wheel to move in an eccentric pattern so that discs of clay on carriers on the wheels may be formed in desirable oval shapes. One of the wheels comprises a first or spreading station where the disc of clay is subjected to a rolling extruding action of a cone-shaped roller which squeezes the clay against the carrier to form a desirable oval shape. The carrier and the initially shaped clay is then manually moved to a second or finishing station where a dumbbell shaped roller engages the clay shape on the carrier and rolls the excess clay from the shape to the desired configuration of the oval dish. The dumbbell shaped roller is stopped in the last revolution of the wheel so as to smooth the clay by a sliding action. Motion of the two shaping and finishing rollers is controlled to properly process and shape the clay so as to insure the removal of air and excess moisture therefrom.