Wooden Basket Bases with Holes, Round, Sets of 5 or 12

A wooden base takes the hardest part out of a first basket. Instead of weaving the bottom from reed, you start with a flat round plywood disc that already has a ring of drilled holes near the edge. Each hole holds one stake, so the stakes are evenly spaced from the start and the finished basket sits flat on the table.

These bases suit beginners making a first basket, teachers running a class where everyone needs to finish in one session, and makers who want sturdy, flat-bottomed baskets for bread, fruit, yarn or storage.

How a wooden base basket goes together:

• Soak the stake reed in warm water until it bends without cracking.
• Push one stake up through each hole, leaving a few inches below the base.
• Weave those short ends together underneath in a simple border, so the stakes cannot slip out. This also gives the basket a small foot.
• Turn the base over and weave the sides with thinner weavers, packing each row down.
• Finish with a border at the top, trim, and let the basket dry.

Count the holes before you start. With an odd number of stakes, a single weaver going over one and under the next works all the way round. With an even number, weave with two weavers that follow each other, or use twining.

The plywood can be stained or painted. Do it before you weave, so the color stays off the reed, and let it dry fully.

The 5-base set has one of each size, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 in, so you can try small and large baskets. The 12-base set has three each of 6, 8, 10 and 12 in, for classes, gifts and makers who like to repeat a favorite size.

The base sets the size of the bottom. Sides that go straight up give a basket about as wide as its base; sides that flare out end up wider at the rim, so pick a base a little smaller than the top you want.

As a rough guide, 4 and 6 in bases make small gift baskets, ornaments and practice pieces; 8 and 10 in suit bread and fruit baskets and desk storage; 12 in is for larger storage and yarn baskets. For a first basket, a 6 or 8 in base is big enough to get a feel for the weave and small enough to finish without it dragging on.

Before you soak a whole batch, test one strand of your stake reed in a hole. Soaked reed should push through snugly without forcing.