This is a fully-restored child’s rocking chair, with turned spindle supports, curved armrests that gracefully sweep into the backrest, and a newly replaced woven cane seat. The backrest itself has a beautiful hand-carved design surrounding an incised handhold. This vintage chair is the perfect blend of late Victorian/early Arts and Craft design, showing excellent craftsmanship.
When I acquired the piece, the torn cane seat was beyond repair and the rockers and some stiles were loose and required regluing. The new caning process was relatively easy once the old glued-in spline was removed with a caning chisel. The cane in this chair is a pre-woven sheet, rather than long individual strands, making replacement much quicker than threading cane through hundreds of holes. After cutting to size, the sheet was soaked in warm water for about 20 minutes to make it pliable, and wooden wedges pressed the cane into the newly-cleaned spline groove (see pix). I used a sharp chisel to trim off the strands sticking out above the groove. After soaking the spline, I miter-cut four lengths and used white glue and some gentle mallet taps to push the spline into the groove for a neat and finished look.
The finish had seen a lot of “loving” and was marked and dinged from use; it needed refreshing. I did a “sensitive refinishing” (thorough cleaning, minimal sanding, no stripping or re-staining) to maintain the desired patina and aged look. I chose a wipe-on urethane varnish from General Finishes (Arm-R-Seal) and hand applied three coats. It is a warm and durable finish, able to withstand spills and other typical children’s activities. I applied Mohawk spray toner to the raw/unfinished cane to help create a consistent look.
This is a gift your child will treasure and can pass on to future generations. Make a new memory for 2026!!
Local pickup Takoma Park, MD
Dimensions: 15”D x 17”W x 31”H
$185. Cash or Venmo.
This is a fully-restored child’s rocking chair, with turned spindle supports, curved armrests that gracefully sweep into the backrest, and a newly replaced woven cane seat. The backrest itself has a beautiful hand-carved design surrounding an incised handhold. This vintage chair is the perfect blend of late Victorian/early Arts and Craft design, showing excellent craftsmanship.
When I acquired the piece, the torn cane seat was beyond repair and the rockers and some stiles were loose and required regluing. The new caning process was relatively easy once the old glued-in spline was removed with a caning chisel. The cane in this chair is a pre-woven sheet, rather than long individual strands, making replacement much quicker than threading cane through hundreds of holes. After cutting to size, the sheet was soaked in warm water for about 20 minutes to make it pliable, and wooden wedges pressed the cane into the newly-cleaned spline groove (see pix). I used a sharp chisel to trim off the strands sticking out above the groove. After soaking the spline, I miter-cut four lengths and used white glue and some gentle mallet taps to push the spline into the groove for a neat and finished look.
The finish had seen a lot of “loving” and was marked and dinged from use; it needed refreshing. I did a “sensitive refinishing” (thorough cleaning, minimal sanding, no stripping or re-staining) to maintain the desired patina and aged look. I chose a wipe-on urethane varnish from General Finishes (Arm-R-Seal) and hand applied three coats. It is a warm and durable finish, able to withstand spills and other typical children’s activities. I applied Mohawk spray toner to the raw/unfinished cane to help create a consistent look.
This is a gift your child will treasure and can pass on to future generations. Make a new memory for 2026!!
Local pickup Takoma Park, MD
Dimensions: 15”D x 17”W x 31”H
$185. Cash or Venmo.
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