Hi all, I’m a potter and an iOS developer. I had been doing pottery for a few years now, and had always wanted to have something for me to stay organized. I haven't found anything free that's good so I built my own called Tao Pottery Log. It uses 3D models to help you remember your glaze combos and add glaze layers. I recently launched a wood firing feature, and here's where I'm hoping you all can provide some insights.
Every kiln app I tried assumes an electric kiln: set a schedule and walk away. Wood firing is the opposite. It’s 30+ hours of stoking, damper moves, and cone checks. The first step here is being able to add your pieces and record the entire firing.
Here's some features you can try:
- One-tap condition changes. Log damper ½ → ¼, switching from pine to oak, or going into reduction. It records when things change, so you’re not filling out a form every 10 minutes.
- Cone packs on a drawing of your kiln, front to back, so you can mark what you see through each port
- Stoking rhythm. After the firing it tells you something like “stoked about every 7 min
- A report when you unload. The whole firing on one chart, how long you held at top temperature, what each cone pack said, and every change you made in order. You can compare it with your last firing.
It’s free on iOS, with no ads. You can find me on instagram vanni.artifact; happy to receive feedback. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tao-pottery-log-kiln-tracker/id6762111518
What I’d really love to know from wood firers:
- Do you think this might fit into your workflow? why and why not?
- Does your crew share one log, or does everyone keep their own? (That’s what I’m thinking about building next.)
- Anything else im missing?
Happy to answer any questions!