Wall Plate Clay Template Generator

Description

Handmade wall plates that fit on the first try.

Slab-built outlet and switch plate covers are one of those deceptively simple pieces — until you fire one and the screw holes don’t line up. Clay shrinks 10–13% in the kiln, so a cover built at “finished size” comes out too small, every time. This listing solves that.

What you get

• 📄 A full step-by-step tutorial — from rolling your slab to trimming the openings, cutting screw holes, finishing the edges, and firing. Written for real studio conditions, with the little details that keep a flat piece from warping.
• 🛠️ Access to our online Template Generator — pick your setup (single or multi-gang, outlets, switches, rockers, or keystone/cable plates), enter your clay’s shrinkage rate, and it instantly draws a to-scale, print-at-home template already sized up so it fires down to a true wall-plate fit.
• 📐 A 1:1 printable template with a built-in 1″ calibration square, exact hole sizes for your cutters (listed at wet size, in inches and mm), and the finished-vs-wet dimensions side by side.

How the generator works

1. Choose your plate — one gang or several, and what goes in each opening.
2. Type in your clay body’s shrinkage (stoneware is usually 10–13% — the tutorial shows you how to test yours).
3. The template grows to match. Print it at 100%, check the ruler square, and trace it straight onto your slab.
4. Build wet to the printed size → fire → it shrinks to a cover that bolts onto a standard wall box.

No guesswork, no math, no ruined pieces. Adjust the shrinkage rate any time and re-print — one purchase covers every clay body you’ll ever use.

Who it’s for

Beginner-friendly, but genuinely useful for working potters. If you can roll a slab and use a needle tool, you can make these. Great for markets, custom orders, and one-of-a-kind pieces that sell themselves.

What you’ll need

Your usual slab-building kit (roller or slab roller, needle tool, a set of circle cutters for the screw/device holes), a printer set to “Actual size / 100%,” and a ruler to check the calibration square.

Delivery & access

This is a digital product — nothing ships. After purchase you’ll get a link to redeem your order and unlock the tutorial + generator online, on any device, for good. Lost your access? Just re-enter your Etsy order number and you’re back in.

A quick note on sharing

Each order unlocks a personal code tied to just your purchase. Please keep it to your own devices — it’s what lets a tiny studio keep making tutorials like this one.