Preparing the Base

Wooden bases usually are

shaped differently on each side

The side with the round edge will

become the inside of the basket

The side with the straight edge

will be the outside, or bottom, of

the basket.

Preparing the Base

Sand both sides of the base, and pay special atten-

tion to the inside(rounded) side When the basket

is finished it will be difficult to easily sand this side

again

Note the curved sides

I am always pushing the newly woven rows down

with my fingernails. However, after one or two bas-

kets, these-my best tools-have worn down and i turn

for help to a screwdriver to gently push the weavers

close together.

Keeping the weaver slightly damp also will fa-

cilitate your control of it

Weaving the Body of the Basket

1. Finish weaving row 2 and proceed to row 3. In

these first few rows it is important to keep the rows

of weaving as close together as possible. The first

ow should touch the wooden base. the second row

should touch the first row the third row touch the

second, and so forth

tapered

release the tension of the weaver and weave three

or four staves at a time

If you have accurately tapered the staves, the

rounding of the curve will correspond to the end

of the taper.

You are ready to continue weaving

Continue to push one row down close to the

row below it. A Nantucket Lightship Basket is

judged by its close, tight weave. Each row should

touch the row above and below it with no "holes

visible.(Once you have released the horizontal

tension of the weaver, it will be easier to push

the rows together. Weave to the top of the mold

Next

Next, turn the rims over and plane where marked

on the flat sides of each rim, again planing from the

mark to the end. Leave more reed near the mark

and take off more reed near the end of the rim. You

have now“ scarfed” the rims

The outer rim should fit snugly on the basket

To enhance their appearance, whittle and sand

the edges of the joint where one piece of reed meets the other

Again make a pencil mark at a point where the edges

of the rim are touching each other. Remove the rim from the basket

The outer rim should fit snugly on the basket when completed. To achieve this i glue this rim ever so slightly tighter than my pencil marks

escutcheon pins

While holding the basket in front of you, turn it

slowly and take a critical look at the rim to see if it

appears to be level all the way around If it does not

move the rims up or down where necessary.

At each pencil dot, drill through the rims and

stave. You will need a hobby drill that can take bits

small enough to match the size of the escutcheon

pins you use.

Lashing the Rim

Use the carriage fine cane to lash the rim. In

addition, you will need a piece of“ common”cane

as a filler piece. This filler piece lies on top of the

rim of the basket and hides the stave ends that you

see between the rims

The handle Hold the basket with the grain of the wooden

base again running right to left. The handle also

will run right to left, along with the grain. Choose

two locations on the rim, points directly over a stave

Finish the basket with a preservative

Finish the basket with a preservative. You can

wood-burning tool, or even a ball-point pen

use shellac or polyurethane.