What on earth is a F L A D D E R

[Emjaybee]

In Guarlford there is a round pool with a willow tree now growing in its centre.

A local historian of some great age says it was the Fladder. Opposite used to be a blacksmiths shop. One theory is that a fladder was some sort of finishing machine. (I have found fladder sanders on the web.)

Any ideas folks.

I'm sure there is a retired fladderer out there somewhere.

Mike

[Su]

I'm flummoxed. 

[Welsh Jen]

I believe it is some sort of wood work / carpentry

[trystan]

If you are thinking down the wood route then: See this 3M Website There's is a picture of a chap using Fladder blades - looks like a sanding disc with lots of cuts in it all the way round. From lots of Googling, it's a way of polishing wood. But is that what this fladder is?

[lindagene]

  ;I have no idea at all, but I am going to add it to my SCRABBLE dictionary just as soon as somebody can tell us, can just imagine the look on my opponents face when I come up with that one!!      Lindy

[suey]

I bet Chris 1066 will know when he comes back.

I have several dictionaries but can't find it anywhere, not likely to be anything to do with wood if it's near the blacksmiths...unless it was a round pond for cooling the metal rims of cartwheels before they were put onto the wooden wheel    Hows that for imagination..was there a wheelwright close by also ?
Suey

[Hackstaple]

If a piece of wood was bid rough id was normal for a man to make it a bid fladder. Thad is your answer.

[RJ_Paton]

From what I can find  fladder is the process by which the deburring  or smoothing of a piece of wood OR metal before its final polishing is carried out.

whether it refers to the person who did it or the tool they used I don't know.