The method of caning a seat base is quite straightforward. Most seats are woven in the traditional ‘six-way’ pattern (also known as seven-step). This pattern is made up of two vertical ‘settings’, two horizontal ‘weaving’ and two diagonal ‘crossings’. Other patterns are sometimes used for caned furniture, which worked in a similar way.
You will need the following.
- Sharp scissors and a craft knife
-Clearing tool
- Hand drill to clear out stubborn holes
- Fine grade wire wool
- Cane in the correct sizes for the seat, the beading and the couching
- Centre cane for pegging
- Golf tees or wooden dowels
- Bodkin, shell bodkin or threader
- Bucket, old towel and hammer
Preparation
Gather all your tools and materials together and if working indoors, place a few sheets of newspaper on the floor to protect the floor covering. Before you begin to cut away the old broken cane, inspect the chair thoroughly for any loose joints or broken sections that might need to be repaired. Check carefully for woodworm too, and treat with a proprietary liquid, then stop the boles if you find any evidence of past infestation.
You may also want to consider the eventual finish of your chair. If it is to be stripped, painted or varnished, or even given a thorough clean and polish, this must be done before the chair is re-caned.
1. Cut away the old cane with the craft knife, keeping the panel intact so that you can refer to the pattern if necessary while you are’ working.
2. Remove the cane beading on the upper and underside of the rails, taking care not to damage the chair with the point of the knife.
3. Push out any old pegs and remaining cane from the holes using the clearing tool. If any of the old pegs have wedged fast inside the holes, drill them out with a hand drill rather than risk damaging the frame by knocking them too bard with a hammer.
4. Clean the chair rail of any accumulated dust and dirt using fine grade wire wool and soapy water. Rinse well, and attend to any repairs before you start.
How to cane
Pull a small quantity of cane from your bundle and soak for a few minutes in a bowl of warm water. Cane, like satin fabric, has a smooth and a rough grain. Always try to work with the grain; it is easier on your fingers and prevents snagging.
1. Setting Take a workable length of seat cane X and peg with a golf tee or wooden dowel into the centre hole on the back rail of the seat, making sure that the smooth, shiny surface of the cane is facing upwards.
2. Pass the other end of the cane down through the opposite hole on the front rail, loop under and pass, up through the next hole ready to begin the next vertical setting.
3. Continue until every hole is filled. When you come to the end of your length of cane, peg firmly with a dowel and begin a fresh length in the next hole. Pull the cane taut but avoid stretching it as some shrinkage will occur naturally as the material dries out. Leave the ends on the underside loose ¡ª these will be tied off once your weaving is complete.
4. Weaving ¨C Begin the horizontal weaving in the same way as the setting, starting in the back hole of the side rail. Continue to the front until every hole is filled.
5. Work the second setting in the same way as the first, starting once again in the centre but this time at the front of the rail. Position the cane over the previous two layers and slightly to the left of the first setting.
6. For the second weaving, worked from right to left, the cane is woven between the two settings but comes through the same boles and in the same direction as the first weaving. You do not need to pull the cane through every time. Work a few weaving and then pull it taut.
7. Diagonals Begin the first diagonals in the first hole at the back of the left-hand rail. Weave towards the hole diagonally opposite to the front of the right hand rail. Work with one hand on top and the other beneath the seat.
The cane must be woven under the settings and over the weaving in a ‘step’ fashion. Once you reach halfway you will need to work the cane into the corner holes. Take the cane through the hole and down under the rail, make a loop, and feed the cane back up through the same hole. Use a peg to hold it in place.
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