Don Eaton Nantucket Lightship Baskets

Q: How did you start in the basket making business?

A: Well I guess it began when I was a youngster about 10 years old. We had a playground program that taught various crafts and one of the things we learned was how to make reed baskets. There was a wading pool and we would sit on the side of the pool with our feet and the reeds in the water and we would weave baskets.

Q: Your first job was, I believe as a photographer in a museum, is that right?

A: That's right. In college I studied American history and literature and did an internship at Old Sturbridge Village in South Central Massachusetts. When I graduated my first job was as an Architectural Photographer documenting extant early mill villages for OSV. Then I worked as Curatorial Photographer, recording objects in the collection, and then I moved on to be Museum Photographer, responsible for all the promotional photography. It was a great opportunity to see my photography in books and magazines. I currently have my own business which combines work in museums, as well as in advertising.

Q: How did you get from photography to where you are in basket making today?

A: I've always been interested in how things are made. When I was at Sturbridge I met a lot of gifted craftsmen and became interested in how they did their work. So naturally enough I have tried my hand at various crafts: woodworking, pottery, and hand weaving. I was free to experiment and discover what I was good at. If I ran into problems and had questions I had a number of experts readily available to answer them. I have also been fortunate since leaving Sturbridge to have been helped along the way by various basket makers; Linda Paquet, Deanna Savoy, Arthur Martin and Mike Krunklevich to name several of my major influences.

Q: Where does the name Nantucket Lightship come from and what characterizes a Nantucket Lightship Basket?

A: The name derives from the floating lightships which were moored off the coast of Nantucket Island in the mid-1800's in an area known as the South Shoals. It was the job of the sailors who manned the ships to raise the lights at night and lower them in clear weather. Each sailor was on the ship for four months at a time and most took up a craft, like basket making, to wile away the time. Eventually the ships were replaced by modern electronic buoys but by this time the Nantucket tradition of basket making was well established on the island. The unique characteristics of the Nantucket Lightship basket are a solid, wooden slotted base, the use of a mold to shape the basket, tight weaving with cane over wooden uprights, and a swing handle.

Q: Were your first baskets Nantucket Lightship baskets?

A: No. When I began to make baskets, all of my early ones were made of reed and free form, that is, they were not made using a mold to shape them. Reed is inexpensive and readily available. In fact, I began making Nantucket baskets initially out of cane and reed but didn't like the look of them. They were too bulky, the proportions were wrong. They lacked the light, graceful look I was after. For example, in order to make a sturdy basket using reed, the rim material has to be thicker so that the basket doesn't lose it's shape once you put on the handles. Reed, I've found tends to distort from round over time. My goal was to make the strongest, lightest wooden basket I could. I looked at many of the early Lightship baskets and realized that most of them were made of hardwood such as oak. That's how I ended up using all wood for the structural parts of my baskets. So now all my baskets except for the smaller ones are either all oak or all cherry. Wood takes more time to prepare but it makes a basket that will last. And I figure that if I'm going to put all that time into a basket, I want it to last a long time.

Q: Speaking of time, I'm sure you are asked this question all the time, how long does it take to make a basket?

A: I usually reply that it depends on the size of the basket. But I don't keep much track of time because I don't sit down and make one basket from start to finish at one go. I'll maybe make a bunch of bases or cut some staves or nail some rims, whatever I need. I always have a number of baskets going at one time. It makes sense to me to switch around a lot from task to task. It makes it more interesting for me.

Q: What is it about Nantucket Lightship baskets that keeps you making them year after year?

A: I would have to say it's the woodworking aspect of this style that has always appealed to me. What I mean is that you are working with beautiful pieces of wood and shaping them into the various components that eventually become a graceful basket that will be treasured by someone for years to come. That delights me.

Q: Would you walk us through the various steps in making a Nantucket Lightship basket?

A: Sure, let's start with the base. I begin with an oak or cherry board that has been planed and sanded to " thick. Next I'll draw the shape that I need with a pencil and cut the wood close to that line. Next I drill a {" hole in the base to accept the bolt that attaches the base to the mold. If I'm making a round base, I'll move to the lathe and turn and slot the base. If I'm making an oval base, I'll sand the board to the pencil line, then take it to the router table to round over the edge and put in the slot. Then we move to the staves which have been cut from a board in various widths. I cut them to the height of the basket, then taper each one, simmer them in water to make them pliable, insert them in the base slot, and bend them over the mold. A rubber band holds them in place while they dry. Once the staves are dry, they will always keep that shape.

The next step is the weaving which, overall, takes the smallest portion of time. Many people look at a basket and think weaving represents the majority of a basket maker's time but I'd say it's about 20%. As I'm weaving, I'm constantly packing down the cane to make a nice tight basket. When the weaving is done I re-pack the basket from bottom to top. Then I put on the rims which have previously been cut, shaped, tapered, and dried on a form. Each basket has an inner rim and a outer rim. Each one must be fitted individually and glued so that the overlap is nearly invisible. Next I nail the rims together using brass escutcheon pins. Now we're almost done. I wrap the rims with a fine cane and a piece to cover the ends of the staves, and then I attach the handles which, like the rims, have previously been cut, bent, and shaped ahead of time. A finish is applied to protect the basket, and I sign and date the basket. Those are the traditional steps in making a Nantucket Lightship basket

Q: So for tools I see a band saw, a lathe, a router, and a sander, is that it?

A: And a table saw. For the rest of the work I use an Exacto knife and hand cutters.

Q: That seems pretty low-tech.

A: I prefer to keep it simple as far as tools go. When I'm asked to do a basket making demonstration I can prepare everything I need and it fits in one small bag. It just makes life easier.

Q: Speaking of life, I know that in addition to being a basket maker, and making photographs, you also weave cloth. What's a typical day for you, or is there anything like a typical day?

A: I usually weave napkins first thing in the morning, regardless of what else is going on. I work on baskets every day unless, I have a photography assignment. There seems to be a seasonal flow to my work. In the fall I have a greater demand for my weaving so I'll focus most of my time on that. After the first of the year I put more emphasis on baskets, but I usually work on one phase or another of basket making year 'round. Since I hand hem my napkin sets, I usually do that in the evenings. I'll tell you one thing I'm never bored.

Q: Where do you sell your baskets?

A: The majority of my sales are through two galleries: Edgartown Scrimshaw Gallery on Martha's Vineyard and The Spectrum on Nantucket. Both are located right in the middle of Main St.so they get a lot of traffic and theTatlock Gallery, 36 North Water Street in New Bedford.  Also, on the week-end before Columbus Day, a group of local artists and crafts people, known as the Backroads Artist's Tour open our studios to the public. We produce a map and folks travel from studio to studio. This way they can buy directly from the makers. It has been very successful for the last nine years.

Q: Many people also buy your baskets on the Internet, what is that process like and how long do they have to wait for delivery?

A: Yes, that is something new for me. The response has been good. I have sold my work to collectors in Japan, Australia, France and England.  Right now, I try to keep one of every basket I make in stock. That's what determines which size I will make next; I look at whatever gaps I have in my inventory and work to fill those gaps. It's what motivates me to produce. Having said that, it all depends on what time of year they order. I would say that it's best to call and I can let folks know about availability.

My process for Internet orders is that a person placing an order sends a 50% deposit and I let them know the approximate delivery time with the balance due before shipment.

Q: I know that there are many people who collect your baskets, why do you think that is?

A: I'm sure that most people just like the look of my work and like having my baskets, but it is also a good investment. I have seen the value of my baskets steadily increase over the years. In fact, you can go into the shops of antique dealers and find baskets by makers still living selling for large sums. The classic example that most writers on the subject cite is the 1994 Sotheby's sale of a nest of six antique Nantucket baskets for $118,000. Perhaps someday my baskets will fetch such impressive sums, but for now people seem to like them for what they are, and if they appreciate in value that's just a bonus.

Q: So what's next for you in the basket world?

A: I'm introducing new forms into my inventory each year, usually only one or two per year; it keeps me going. I'm also producing furniture to accompany my baskets. This year I made a cherry three legged candle stand that has a recess in the top to accept a low 16" cherry basket with handle. There are always new ideas to think about, so I'll always be busy.