a flat, rotating disk used for throwing clay. Can be either electric or manual.
A device used by a potter to rotate a lump of clay on top of a disk, which allows a skilled craftsperson to create a variety of cylindrical shapes for a wide array of functional objects. This activity is called throwing. Although the "knack" for creating a pot on a wheel can be acquired in a relatively short time, creating high-quality, aesthetically pleasing, well-proportioned pieces takes many years of experience and long hours of practice. See also throwing, hand building.
A technological advance in pottery-making; invented c. 6000 b.c.e.; encouraged faster and higher-quality ceramic pottery production. (p. 30)
A round platform rotated either mechanically or manually upon which the potter throws, or forms, a circular shape.
The potter's wheel, also known as the potter's lathe, is a machine used in the shaping of round ceramic wares. However, the name potter's lathe is also used for the machine used for another shaping process, turning, which is similar to that used for the shaping of metal and wood articles. The wheel may also be used during the process of trimming excess body from dried wares and for applying incised decoration or rings of colour.
