Pottery Wheel

Potter's wheel

In pottery, a potter's wheel is a machine used in the shaping of clay into round ceramic ware. The wheel may also be used during the process of trimming excess clay from leather-hard dried ware that is stiff but malleable, and for applying incised decoration or rings of colour. Use of the potter's wheel became widespread throughout the Old World but was unknown in the Pre-Columbian New World, where pottery was handmade by methods that included coiling and beating.

Pottery

Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where a potter makes such wares is also called a pottery. The definition of pottery, used by the ASTM International, is "all fired ceramic wares that contain clay when formed, except technical, structural, and refractory products". End applications include tableware, decorative ware, sanitary ware, and in technology and industry such as electrical insulators and laboratory ware. In art history and archaeology, especially of ancient and prehistoric periods, pottery often means only vessels, and sculpted figurines of the same material are called terracottas.

Wheel

A wheel is a rotating component intended to turn on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle, which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be moved easily, facilitating transportation, supporting loads, and performing work in machines. Wheels are also used for other purposes, such as a ship's wheel, steering wheel, potter's wheel, and flywheel.

pottery

Noun

1. Fired ceramic wares that contain clay when formed.
2. A potter's shop or workshop, where pottery is made.

wheel

Noun

1. A circular device capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation or performing labour in machines.

Verb

1. To roll along on wheels.
2. To transport something or someone using any wheeled mechanism, such as a wheelchair.