Chair Re-Caning Project, [Not for Sale]
This chair repair project was a barter arrangement with a neighbor who gave me a beautiful Victorian glass-doored display case. At first glance these two chairs were wildly different in style, vintage, finish and species of wood. What they had in common was their cane seats needed replacement.
Cane is produced from the peeled-off bark of rattan (a type of palm). The strips of bark are cut into strips of uniform width and depth. Caned chairs can be of two types:
“Laced cane” Look underneath the chair and there will be a series of holes drilled into the seat frame, and loops of cane have been woven on the frame through the holes. This method requires hours of concentration and practice.
“Machine woven cane” a.k.a., pressed cane, loom-woven cane, or sheet cane. The seat will have a thin piece of wood (spline) on the seat top in a groove between the cane and wooden seat frame. You will not see loops of cane underneath, just a flat bottom. This is the type I had.
Using a narrow chisel I carefully removed the spline and all traces of the old cane, trying not to damage the groove. After trimming the new woven cane to rough size, I soaked it in warm water for 30 minutes, then aligined it over the seat. Using a wooden wedge I began to press the now-pliable cane into the groove, working from opposite sides towards the corners, tapping it home while continuously checking aligninment. Once you begin you can’t stop, as the cane starts drying out & stiffens. The last step was to install the pre-soaked spline, but I first clipped away the stray ends of cane extending above the groove. The wet spline easily bent around the corners and into the glue-filled groove using a wooden block and hammer, mitering the ends where they met. When dry I applied Howard’s FeedNWax polish. The result was very satisfying!
#takomaparkmd #vintagefurniture #CommunityForklift #furniturerestoration #furniturerehab #furnitureflip #furnituremakeover #redotheold #makeitnewagain #beforeandafterfurniture #salvagecommunity #DMVmetro #chaircaning #chaircanersofinstagram #seatweaving
#furniturerestoration #furniturerestorer #restoredfurniture #chairnerd #Howards