The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I too have one with the same, I thought it was for, that once you have got what you need, the lid closes on its own weight, a sort of self closing mechanism, if that makes sense?

If this is what you mean they’re just to add strength to the lid I presume

Just by looking at the construction of the lid it appears that the beading strips on either end of the lid are separate from the front and back beads. I would think that the metal straps are purely to hold the end beads in place and to stop them falling out.

AllRounder wrote: ↑Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:00 pm
If this is what you mean they’re just to add strength to the lid I presume

Yes! That’s them! Mine are exactly the same and in the same position. At least I know now that they were actually made with them and not an addition. I’ll see if I can show pics.

The Lead strips were to hold the thicker end willow in place, to stop, the weave from undoing. On my fathers baskets, the willows are interwoven at the end. You can see that on yours the end willow is only inserted into the joint space next to the outer support canes/willows