Basket Making
Trugs
The Trug is unlike any of the other baskets mentioned because no actual weaving takes place during its construction. The Trug consists of two frames, one for the rim and one for the handle, of cleft ash or chestnut, with the bark left on the outside and the inner surface shaved with a drawing knife and spokeshave.
After steaming, the frames are shaped in a setting frame and the ends nailed together. This forms two ovals, one for the rim one for the handle, they are set at right angles and nailed together where they meet.
The bottom of the trug is made of White or Crack willow, sometimes from pollared trees. The wood is cleft repeatedly until strips of about 3mm or 4mm are obtained.
The strips are then smoothed and shaped in a shave horse (see picture above) using a draw knife. These too are then steamed before being bent into shape. The strips are nailed inside the frame to form a boat-shaped basket, each strip slightly overlapping the other one. Cross pieces are nailed to the bottom to give the basket stability.
