Bowl vs Pot

[Jim Hipp]

I have seen a few images of small turned objects that were described as "pots".

What exactly is the difference between a bowl and a pot?

I am asking because I worked on my turning today and the piece of wood had some bad spots that I had to turn out. What is left looks more like the pictures I have seen of a pot rather than a bowl. It is round and mostly rough turned but not hollowed so I have an opportunity to do something different.

Thanks.

[John Keeton]

Jim, I am sure there are as many opinions on this as there are pots!😃 But, IMO "pot" is used to describe a more closed form of a storage container similar in style to some of the pottery forms we see from past cultures. In contrast, a bowl would be more open.

It will be interesting to see the varied responses!

[Thom Sturgill]

I think of a 'pot' as something that would hold a living plant, possibly hiding a plastic container that holds the actual soil and water. This would then be a bowl that is generally taller than it is wide, and semi-closed. Sometimes referred to as a weed-pot, our club president once challenged some of us to make 'orchid pots' for his wife's garden club sale. He had to make about 20 for her.

[robert baccus]

Like John--the Pueblo pieces from the Southwest always defined the term "pot" for me. Just got back from our annual trek to Santa FE----amazing talent in many mediums. Hugged many bowls.

[Dick Rowe]

Some people smoke a bowl or two of pot, but not the other way around.

I'm just sayin' :-)

[charlie knighton]

to me the pot goes back to the orginal vessels, gourds.....round bottom and use the largest gourd that you can find.....a bowl is less tall than a pot.......but it all is in the eye of the beholder and what he wants to call it.....pot or jar?????

[Thom Sturgill]

.....a bowl is less tall than a pot.....

I think that hits the nail on the head.

[Sean Hughto]

In my own little mind:

In the kitchen: Pots often have lids. Pots are often used as cooking vessels. Bowls rarely have lids. Bowls are more serving vessels than cooking vessels.

In the garden: Pots for flowers have more of a cylindrical shape than a typical bowl that has a more hemispherical shape.

In the craftplace: glue pots and tar pots and so forth have more vertical sides - more cylindrical buckets - than bowls; and often lids.

[Paul Hinds]

from "lath turnings" here:

http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_g_L.htm#latheturning

299441

[Robert Henrickson]

As an archaeologist I've spent 40 years on "bowl vs pot vs jar vs ---". Everyone has ideas, let alone definitions, which vary widely. Even a colleague with whom I have worked as a pottery specialist for almost 30 years has rather different conceptions from mine. That said --

I tend to describe a vessel as a "bowl" if its diameter is (markedly) greater than its height, and the shape is quite open overall (i.e., maximum diameter is not grossly greater than the rim diameter).

A "pot" would tend to be taller relative to diameter than a "bowl" (perhaps a height at least equal to the maximum diameter), and the mouth/rim would likely be (somewhat) smaller than the maximum diameter; overall a somewhat less open shape than a bowl.

[Jim Hipp]

Thanks for the discussion and ideas. I have a chunk of wood rounder out and sealed and later this week I am going to see what it wants to be.

[Jeff Gilfor]

Just my opinion, but...

A pot is deeper than widest point
Bowl depth is less than the widest point.