Front-Loading Kilns

Two reasons, and only one of them is the door. A front-loading kiln needs a structure strong enough to carry an insulated door and a seal that survives thousands of cycles at high temperature, which is genuinely more engineering than a lid.

The bigger reason is that most front loaders in the pottery range are also built much heavier. Olympic's FL series carries 4.5 inches of brick plus an inch of fiber, and that insulation is most of the weight and most of the cost.

Usually, yes, and that is often the whole reason to buy one. You slide shelves in horizontally at roughly waist height rather than lowering them down past a hot rim into a chamber that may be 27 inches deep.

It is a particularly strong argument for teaching studios and shared spaces, where lots of different people load the kiln and not all of them can comfortably lean into a deep top loader.

One where the floor rolls out on rails rather than staying put. You load the whole floor outside the kiln at a comfortable height, then push it in.

It is the most ergonomic arrangement there is and the most expensive. Olympic offers car versions of several FL models, and they are aimed at studios loading large or heavy work regularly.

It depends on how hard you fire. Two and a half inches is standard on top loaders and on lighter front loaders like Olympic's 1818FLE, and it is adequate for cone 6 work.

Four and a half inches plus fiber, as on Olympic's FL series, is what lets a kiln hold cone 10 repeatedly without punishing its own elements and shell. It also holds heat longer, which cuts the power cost of a firing.

They tend to be good at it, because the heat is contained by heavier walls and the chamber is usually squarer than a deep round top loader. Large models often have multiple heat zones as well.

As with any kiln, witness cones on the top and bottom shelves are the way to find out what yours actually does rather than what the brochure says.

No, and it is worth knowing before you browse. Front loading is a format rather than a craft, so this collection mixes three quite different things: HotShot's clam shell heat treating and glass units, knife ovens, and Olympic's FL series of production pottery kilns.

If you specifically want pottery, filter to the Olympic models or start from the ceramic kiln range instead.

It ranges further than on any other page here. A HotShot HS-360T runs on an ordinary 120V, 15 amp circuit. An Olympic 1818FLE draws 21 amps on 240V and wants a 30 amp breaker on a NEMA 6-30.

The production kilns are another matter: an FL4.5E draws 36 amps and wants 50, an FL8E draws 48 and wants 60, and an FL12E draws 56 and wants 70. Have an electrician confirm your panel before ordering.

More than people allow for. The door swings out to its full width, so you need that clearance in front of the kiln plus room to stand and maneuver a loaded shelf.

Measure the swing as well as the footprint before you commit to a position, especially in a garage or a narrow studio. We can give you the figures for a specific model.

The bench-top HotShot units often ship by parcel carrier. The Olympic FL series does not: an FL4.5E is 740 pounds, an FL8E is 1,065 and an FL12E is 1,165. Those move by freight with curbside delivery, appointment scheduling, tracking and liftgate service where required.

Unlike a sectional top loader, a front loader arrives in one piece, so the route from the curb into the studio needs checking carefully. Shipping is calculated at checkout. See our shipping page.

Performing the manufacturer's recommended initial test firing will not by itself void a return, as long as the other conditions in our policy are met.

Read the full terms, including timeframes and condition requirements, on our returns page.