What is a FLUTER?

[stanmapstone]

fluter, handle fluter    (i) scores and shapes cutlery handles by means of glass paper, wheels, or saws;     (iij carves flutings, or other grooved ornamentations, by hand or on a lathe, on handles of table carvers, fruit knives, &c., made of ivory, bone, etc.; may also polish them on buffs or dollies; sometimes specially named according to material worked, e.g. ivory fluter. "A Dictionary of Occupational Terms"

Stan

[youngtug]

A fluted sword mentioned here; https://royalarmouries.org/visit-us/leeds/leeds-galleries/tournament-gallery/henry-viii/single-object/254

I suppose that by flute they mean what I would term the fuller.

[tonepad]

Hi EB

I have 'always' (so for decades) known the handles on my knives to be 'fluted' but perhaps in light of tonepad's post, you could post the census reference so that we can look it up, or perhaps if you have a snip tool on your pc, you could snip that section of that image and attach the snip to a reply post.

JM

It would be useful to see the original census entry.

Putting the flute or fuller in the weapon is probably carried out by the bladesmith and would not be a separate trade.(Fluted Sword is in common usage, especially crossword clues).

Attaching a handle to the blade could be a separate trade (fluter). If the census is based in and around Sheffield this use of the term could be borrowed from the cutlery industry.

Tony