Louisiana homeowner Mary Cooper has given countless pieces of old caned or woven furniture a new lease on life by weaving everything from cane and rush to corn shucks into their frames. Here she offers tips on collecting and repairing these beautiful antiques. Some people assume adding a tightly woven seat or back to an antique chair will solve any problems of wobbliness or instability. Not so. Hand-caning and weaving put strain on the chair frame, so it's important to repair the chair frame ahead of time. Aesthetics and economics should first be taken into account when repairing a damaged chair. An antique chair with damaged or missing caning is best repaired through the expensive and time-consuming process of hand-caning. Repairing the seat with plywood and a cushion is an inexpensive option if the value of the chair is not an issue. Ladder-back chairs are found in country homes all over the United States. This simple country chair can wear a seat woven of a variety of different materials, including rush, corn shucks, Shaker tape or inexpensive fiber rush made of paper. Rush, a grass that's picked, dried, then soaked again and twisted while wet, may be woven in several different patterns. A natural choice for a rustic country chair, rush seats are comfortable and strong. They last a long time and can endure abuse, which makes them perfect for family use. Corn-shuck chair seats are very strong as well. This common country seat is typically woven in a pattern of four converging triangles. A simple seat to make -- and a terrific project for a beginner -- is one woven with Shaker tape. Mary replaced a cowhide seat on a ladder-back chair with pale orange and white Shaker tape woven in a checkerboard pattern. The tape is simply stitched together with a needle and thread as it's woven. The least expensive material used in weaving chair seats is fiber rush -- brown paper twisted together on a spool. It's very strong but must be painted or varnished if you want it to last. Tip: - Spline caning is a good project if you don't have much experience. (The name comes from the strip of wood, or "spline," that holds the caning in place.)
- Use a screwdriver to remove the spline. (If you have trouble removing it, a mixture of vinegar and water will help to dissolve the glue.) Clean out the groove with a screwdriver.
- Soak the sheet of caning for 10 minutes to soften it. Then cut a piece wider than the opening.
- Use half of a clothespin as a tool to push the cane into the groove, tapping the tool with a rubber mallet if necessary. Pull the caning tight and anchor with more clothespin halves.
- When the caning is completely attached and is pulled very taut, drop a bead of wood glue around the groove and insert the new spline (be sure to start the spline at the bottom so that it can be covered with the upholstered seat if it's less than perfect).
- Trim the cane with a utility knife close to the spline.
RESOURCES :
Making Chair Seats From Cane, Rush and Other Natural Materials
Model: 0486256936
Author: Ruth B. Comstock
1989
Dover Publications Inc.
Website: www.doverpublications.com
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