How They’re Made

All Nantucket lightship baskets are made on molds; round and oval being the two shapes I use most often. A wooden base with a groove around the edge is secured to the mold.  Next, the staves (or “ribs”) of the basket are inserted into the groove.

The staves are sprayed with water, to allow them to become more pliable or flexible, and a rubber band is used to hold the staves against the mold.  Cane is the most often used material for weaving. Weaving the moistened cane “over – under” the staves against the mold forms the shape of the basket and gives it rigidity. Early traditional Nantucket lightship baskets usually didn’t have a woven pattern or design, but these are fairly easy to include on any basket. 

When the basket is woven to the desired height it is leveled and removed from the mold. It is then finished with a rim, which is typically lashed and nailed in place with brass nails.  Finally, after some sanding and detail work, three coats of polyurethane are applied to the basket and it is finished.

This is the lid for a purse so the base is actually at the top. Traditional rattan staves and cane are shown with no pattern in the weave.

Materials

The basket base is made from wood; oak, cherry, maple, and walnut being the most common. Some exotic woods (e.g., cinnamon, ebony, zebra, and burls) are also available but they tend to be higher in price than the more common woods.  

The staves are typically rattan or cane, but they can also be made of hardwood. Traditionally, cane was used and this gives the basket a uniform look (see above). Wooden staves tend to be darker in color than cane and cost more. Another way to provide contrast is to used dyed cane staves.   

Cane is the weaving material, the same stuff used for chair and canoe seats. Typically, cane is lighter in color; such as a bleached white cane, but may also be dyed to provide contrast and a design; black and blue are some of the available colors.

  Wood is used for the base and the rim, usually the same type, unless the base is an exotic wood. Then, one of the more common woods is used for the rim.  For those baskets having handles, wood or leather can be used, whichever is appropriate or desired.  

Decorative elements may be applied to the base and/or the lid of baskets with lids. Traditionally, these have been carved from whale bone or teeth, or ivory by scrimshanders. Today, however, scrimshanders use a variety of materials including plastic, mammoth bone, and deer and elk antlers.

There are many options available so please let me know what you’d like; most anything from pineapples to scallops!  

Please check out all the photo galleries (Round, Oval, and Details) to see how all of this comes together and get ideas for your basket.