tebineri nara, rokuro wo tukau koto ha nai.

なら is a conditional/topic-setting expression. In this sentence, 手びねりなら means something like:

• if it’s hand-building
• if you’re doing hand-building
• when it comes to hand-building
• in the case of hand-building

It often introduces a condition based on something already understood in the conversation. It can also imply contrast, as in:

• If it’s hand-building, then one thing is true.
• If it’s wheel-throwing, maybe something else would be true.

So 手びねりなら、ろくろを使うことはない。 sets up hand-building as the condition or topic.

Because なら can attach directly to a noun.

So:

• 手びねりなら
• 学生なら
• 日曜日なら

are all normal.

You do not need a particle like は or が before なら here. The なら itself is doing the job of turning 手びねり into the condition/topic.

You may also see related forms like:

• 手びねりならば — a slightly more formal version
• 手びねりだったら — also very common in speech

But 手びねりなら is perfectly standard.

こと turns the verb phrase before it into a noun-like idea.

So:

• ろくろを使う = to use a pottery wheel
• ろくろを使うこと = using a pottery wheel / the act of using a pottery wheel

This is called nominalization.

Japanese often uses こと after a verb when it wants to talk about the action itself as a thing or concept. In this sentence, the speaker is not just saying use or don’t use. They are talking about the act of using a wheel as the thing being discussed.

This pattern, dictionary form + ことはない, often means:

• there is no need to ...
• you don’t have to ...

So ろくろを使うことはない literally means something like:

• As for using a pottery wheel, there is no need for that

In this pottery context, a natural English translation may simply be:

• You don’t use a wheel
• There’s no need to use a wheel

Both capture the idea, but grammatically the Japanese is closer to there is no need to use one than to a blunt command.

No. 使うことはない is not the same as a prohibition.

It usually means:

• there is no need to use it
• you don’t have to use it

It does not usually mean:

• you must not use it
• it is forbidden to use it

If the speaker wanted to say it is not allowed, they would use something stronger, such as:

• ろくろを使ってはいけない = you must not use a wheel
• ろくろを使ってはだめだ = you can’t use a wheel

So this sentence is describing what is unnecessary in hand-building, not giving a strict prohibition.

The は marks the nominalized phrase as the topic or as a point of contrast.

So:

• ろくろを使うこと = using a wheel
• ろくろを使うことは = as for using a wheel...

This often gives a nuance like:

• when it comes to using a wheel
• using a wheel, at least...

In many negative sentences, は adds a contrastive feel. Here it suggests something like:

• In the case of hand-building, using a wheel is not something you need to do

So the は helps frame using a wheel as the thing being evaluated.

No, and this is an important distinction.

Here the sentence uses:

• 使うことはない

This is dictionary form + ことはない, which usually means:

• there is no need to use

But ないことはない is a different pattern:

• 使わないことはない

That means something like:

• it’s not that I don’t use it
• I do use it sometimes
• it’s not impossible

So compare:

• 使うことはない = there is no need to use it
• 使わないことはない = it’s not that I don’t use it

They may look similar, but the grammar and meaning are different.

The subject is omitted, which is very normal in Japanese.

Depending on context, the sentence could mean:

• you don’t use a wheel
• we don’t use a wheel
• one doesn’t use a wheel
• a potter doesn’t use a wheel
• hand-building does not involve using a wheel

Japanese often leaves out the subject when it is obvious from context or not important. In a sentence like this, the focus is on the method, not on who specifically is doing it.

Yes, that would also be natural.

Compare the two:

• 手びねりなら、ろくろは使わない。
• 手びねりなら、ろくろを使うことはない。

The first is more direct:

• If it’s hand-building, you don’t use a wheel.

The second is slightly more explanatory or descriptive:

• If it’s hand-building, there’s no need to use a wheel.

So 使うことはない can sound a bit softer or more matter-of-fact than the simpler 使わない.

Because 使う normally takes a direct object marked by を.

So:

• 道具を使う = use a tool
• 日本語を使う = use Japanese
• ろくろを使う = use a pottery wheel

This is standard verb-object marking. The thing being used is the direct object, so を is the expected particle.

Not strictly necessary, but it is very natural.

Japanese commas often mark a pause or help separate parts of a sentence. Since 手びねりなら sets up the condition first, a comma makes the structure easier to read:

• 手びねりなら、ろくろを使うことはない。

Without the comma, it would still be understandable:

• 手びねりならろくろを使うことはない。

But the comma is more natural in normal writing because it shows a pause after the conditional phrase.

No. In normal Japanese, this would usually be written without spaces:

• 手びねりなら、ろくろを使うことはない。

Spaces are often added in learning materials to make the sentence easier to read. They are not normally used in standard Japanese writing the way they are in English.