Chair Caning, Rush Seats, Splint Weave

The old cliché says that "in order to get the job you need experience, but in order to get experience you need the job!" A vicious circle! So it was with my very first caning job many, many years ago.  I was returning two chairs I'd just refinished to a customer, when they wanted to know if I knew anyone who did caning. The chairs had all these strange little holes around the edges. As I was eager to "learn" how to cane I promptly opened my mouth and inserted my foot.  "Oh yes" I said, "I'd be happy to cane those for you!"  Ok, now panic sets in, what to do next... Oh yes, surely the local library must have books on this.  How hard can it be? Then again, where do I even get the stuff to do the caning with? Oh no, what did I just get myself into!?  Down to the local library I go finding several books on caning.  To my surprise I found one I could easily understand with pictures to guide me step by step.  As I took more and more caning jobs, my skill & confidence level increased.  My family must have tired of me trudging down to the library so often as this marvelous book found its way under our Christmas tree that same year.  While I am not one to blindly follow the crowd I do heartily recommend "The Caner's Handbook" by Bruce W. Miller and Jim Widess to answer all your chair caning and rushing questions. When I took my first rush seat chair job, I did so confidently because I knew I had a wonderful resource at my finger tips to help guide me to a perfect finished product. To this day, this book is still in my refinishing library and I highly recommend it be in yours!

There are many good suppliers of caning, rushing and weaving material. Find one you like, whose prices are good. Ask  the supplier if they any technical support staff on hand to answer any questions you may have on how use or finish their product. I was fortunate to find a nationally recognized supplier that even helps in pricing my jobs based on their "suggested price list" for various caning, rushing or weaving services. I've purchased my supplies from them for many years and have always been happy with their quality products.

Tips on woven cane:
This is for chairs that have a ring of funny little holes drilled around and through the seat. Let  several strands of cane sit in a pot or tub of hot water for several minutes to allow it to "loosen up". This will make it easier to use if the cane has some flexibility to it. I then keep the "unused" strands in a pot with hot water to they stay "moist and flexible". When I finish with the current strand , I simply progress to the next strand which is wet and flexible. Follow the weaving directions as outlined in the book as to how to start each layer of the seven step caning process. You may find it helpful to use a caning needle to pass the cane through the various over and under weaving steps. The book suggest you use wooden "pegs" to hold the cane in the holes as you weave.  I use wooden golf teas. They are easy to find in any local sports store and more importantly they work just fine! You will be passing several pieces of cane through each hole many times. Be sure to find the right  cane size for the proper hole size. As I weave the various layers, the cane tends to spread itself apart from it's parallel partner strand. I use two small flat head screwdrivers to align the paired strands into their straight corresponding rows, columns and diagonals. As a final step at the end you may want to try a two pronged caning tool to position and tighten the cane  in straight lines. Throughout the weaving process it is important to keep the cane moist and flexible. To do this, I use a wet sponge soaked in the pot of hot water and dab the sponge over the drying cane. I should note that if you stop the weaving process for a prolonged period of time, you need to get the cane "moist" BEFORE you begin again.  If you don't, you are likely to break the cane you previously strung. You would then have to re-weave the broken cane before you continue with your next session.  Not a fun process! The final step is the "border" or binding cane that rings the perimeter of the seat. This is a size or two larger than the weaving cane. It is used to hide the woven cane in the holes. The binding cane is a woven process as it needs to be "tied" in place, again going in and out of each hole. In theory you may be passing six or more pieces of cane through any given hole. The space inside the hole does at times, get rather cramped!

Tips on cane mesh:
Seats requiring "mesh cane" have a channel cut into the seat into which the cane mesh is "tapped" into the channel and secured with a wooden spline. Like cane weaving, mesh cane and spline need to be soaked in hot water for several minutes to make it pliable and workable.

First, you need to remove the old spline and cane from the channel. To do this I use a cane chisel and a rubber mallet. You chisel the old spline out of the channel taking care not to chisel away any of the wood from the seat edge around the channel.  I use a sharp utility knife to score the spline around both the inside and outside edge. This cuts a path breaking the glue or finish between the spline and the sides of the channel. Take care so as not to dig into the wood seat as you round the corners.  If I am having difficulty with the chisel, I use a power drill with a drill bit slightly smaller than the channel. I can use the drill at an angle to "bore" the old spline out of the channel.  This also works good for rounding the corners.

I measure the size of the channel (length and width) then cut the cane mesh at least an inch or slightly longer on all sides. This gives me some overlap when I tap the mesh into the channel using the rubber mallet and the wooden caning wedges . After the mesh has sat in the hot water for several minutes and it is now pliable, I lay the mesh over the hole in the seat. I let it overlap the channel on all sides so I can center the mesh. Be sure to keep the mesh as vertically & horizontally aligned as possible.  To do this I tap small brad nails into the inside island of the seat between the inside edge of the channel and the seat hole. I then position the cane over the brads, which act as alignment guides when tapping the mesh into the channel. Again follow the directions in the book as to how to do this properly. After the mesh is in the channel I use white wood glue to line the channel and cane for the placement of the spline. Tap the spline into place  with the rubber mallet. I generally tap it three quarters of the way in to prepare for the next step. You will then need to cut off the overlapping cane. Use the utility knife to cut the cane against the outside edge of the spline keeping your free hand UNDER the seat while cutting the excess way. I do this as a safety measure I learned the hard way. (A slice to the thumb, a trip to the hospital, and nine stitches to close a very deep laceration when the utility knife slipped. This was at a time I did not have any insurance! Ouch!!). Wipe off all the excess glue and remove the brad nail guides. I use an old toothbrush to help remove the glue around the edges seat.  Let dry overnight before use! As the cane dries it get tighter and stiffer. Normally I do not apply a finish to the cane mesh, however I recently and a customer request I use shellac (two or three coats) for added strength and glossiness. I was impressed with the results!

Tips on Rush seats:
With rush seats there are no holes weave or channels to fill in. Rush seats  have four wooden edges to weave. Like the cane, rush needs to be moist and pliable before you can begin. I unravel a rather large coil of rush material and soak it in hot water for several minutes before I begin.  Follow the weaving directions in the book.  They're very easy! You are weaving under and over the opposite chair rail sides closing in on the weaving pattern as you progress. I use two or three small hand clamps to hold the rush to the frame as I weave the opposite sides of the chair rails. When I end one section of rush & need to begin a new piece, I simply tie the pieces together UNDER the seat. As I progress, I use a small block of wood and a small hammer to lightly "tap" the rush material close together to ensure a tight properly aligned pattern. I do this on all eight edges (two edges per side of the seat).  As I approach the finish and the center of the seat, it gets harder to pass the rush material through the woven seat. I use a rush fork to open the appropriate hole in the seat in order to pass the rush through. The rush fork can also be used to tap the rush material into place for proper alignment.

Tips on Splint Weaving:
Some seats you may not want to rush. Instead you may want to consider a splint weave. Splint comes in a variety of sizes although I use three/quarter inch. There are a variety of patterns to choose from but again your are basically using an over and under weave. To begin....Yes, you guessed it, start by soaking the splint in hot water for several minutes so it is pliable. Follow the step by step directions as outlined in the book and you can't go wrong. I use two or three small hand clamps to hold the splint to the frame as I weave the opposite sides of the chair rails. To connect new pieces of the splint to the weave, you simply staple the end of the pieces together.

Through the course of this article if you guessed the book is an invaluable resource, now you know why it is a permanent part of my refinishing library.