Most frequently asked questions about chair caning
The Specialty Patterns
Caning Supplies Price List
Chair Caning
Chair caning began in China around 5000 BC. Strips of bamboo were originally used to cover the chair seats. Over the years, numerous methods and materials have been developed, some uniquely American. All chairs should be in fine repair and have their final finish before beginning the caning. The 5 methods commonly taught are:
7 Step hand woven: This is the oldest documented caning method, originating in China. Thin strips of bamboo are woven through holes in the chair seat. Chairs that require this type of seat are characterized by holes drilled (somewhat) uniformly around the perimeter of the seat. Check the sides of the seat: there should not be any breaks or missing wood. Square or rectangular seats are easiest for the beginner. Avoid caning an oval or round seat as your first project.
Pre-woven cane: With the advent of the machine age, pre-woven cane became prevalent. A groove around the edge of the seat contains the edges of the cane, held in place by glue and a reed spline. The hardest part of this type of caning is removing the old seat.
Flat Reed: The American Indian first used ash splint to weave baskets. The ash splint then was used for chair seats, and became an authentic American folk craft. There are still folk artists who weave both baskets and chair seats with ash they have harvested and cut themselves. Due to the time consuming difficulty of harvesting , the price for commercially produced ash is extremely high. Flat reed, again a product of the Far East, is commonly used for these seats. Look for chairs that have rungs at the seat instead of flat wood. These chairs can be woven with flat reed, rush, or Shaker tape.
Rush: Rush is a misnomer - it is one of the slowest forms of caning, second only to the hand woven cane methods. Plan on using a lot of muscle if you want a rush seat. There is a lot of pulling and tugging involved. The original rush materials were the leaves of cattails. They were harvested in the fall, dried, rolled, and woven into durable seats. The modern, most available material is paper rush. Made of kraft paper, it comes in 2 lb. rolls, usually enough to do one seat.
Shaker Tape: This type of seat originated with the Shakers. The cloth tape comes in a variety of colors. Shaker tape is easy to weave, but is the most expensive of the methods. A one inch foam pad the size of the seat and a needle and matching thread are needed in addition to the tape.
Page by Rick Klueg of Free for All!, 07/04/01
