How to Recover a Cane Chair
Cane chairs are wooden chair frames with seats that are covered with a woven wooden material called caning. Chair caning has a lattice like appearance and is created by weaving very thin layers of wood together. Because the caning is thin, it is not very durable and often rips. Although many people simply discard broken cane chairs, they are fairly simple to repair. Repairing the chair caning can be accomplished fairly easily, but does require a few special woodworking tools. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Utility knife
- Spline chisel
- Hammer
- Tape measure
- Sheet cane webbing
- Scissors
- Sink or tub
- Towel
- Clothespin
- Roll of spline
- Wood glue
- Damp rag
Instructions
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1
Cut away the old caning using a utility knife. Place the utility knife as close to the edge of the chair as possible without cutting into the wood.
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2
Place a spline chisel into the grooves located along the edges of the caning. Hold the chisel at a 45-degree angle and tap the head of the chisel lightly with a hammer. The chisel will dig down into the groove and remove the old spline, wood glue and remaining caning. Continue chiseling out the groove around the entire perimeter of the chair seat.
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3
Place a tape measure over the opening where the caning will be installed. Measure the length and width of the opening and add 2 inches to each measurement.
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4
Lay the cane webbing sheet on a flat surface and use the tape measure and a pencil to mark out the proper dimensions as measured previously. Cut the cane webbing out of the sheet using scissors.
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5
Fill a sink or tub with hot water until there is 3 to 4 inches of water in the bottom. Place the cut piece of cane webbing into the water and allow it to soak for two hours.
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6
Remove the cane webbing from the water and blot with a dry towel to remove excess moisture. Lay the damp cane webbing on top of the opening in the chair where it will be installed. Make sure the cane webbing is centered over the hole with 2 inches overlapping it on each side.
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Pull a clothespin apart to separate the two wooden pins. Place the tapered end of one side into the groove at the center of the chair. Press the cane webbing into the groove with the clothespin. Cut a 2-inch section of spline and place it into the groove. Place the clothes pin on top of it and tap the clothespin with a hammer to insert the spine into the groove.
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Move the clothespin to the groove at the rear of the chair and insert a 2-inch section of the cane webbing into the center of it as well. Place a 2-inch section of spline over the section, cover it with the clothespin and tap the clothespin with a hammer to insert the spine into the groove.
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9
Move to the side of the chair and pull out any long pieces of cane webbing that are located outside the opening of the seat. This will make the caning easier to attach.
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10
Tap the center section of each side of the cane webbing into place with the clothespin and hammer. Secure each side with two 2-inch pieces of spline. The caning should now be secured in the center of each of the four edges.
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11
Move to one of the corners and attach the caning just as you did with the other sections. This time, you will need to bend the spline around the edge of the corner prior to tapping it into place.
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12
Move around the perimeter of the chair and secure the remaining edges of the caning by tapping it into the groove with the clothespin and hammer.
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13
Place the utility knife at the outer edge of the groove, beyond where the cane is tapped into place. Cut all the way around the perimeter of the chair to remove excess caning.
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14
Fill the entire perimeter of the groove with wood glue. Do not use very much glue, a thin bead is all that is needed.
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Place the end of the roll of spline into the groove at the rear of the seat. Place the clothespin on top of the spine and tap it into the groove until it is flush with the surface of the chair. Continue inserting the spline until you have circled the perimeter of the seat. Cut the spline with scissors when you reach the starting point.
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16
Wipe the spline with a damp rag to remove any excess wood glue.
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17
Allow the chair to sit for 24 hours before using to allow the wood glue to dry.
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Tips & Warnings
Spline chisels can be purchased at home improvement stores in the carpentry or woodworking section.
Spline comes in a range of sizes, so be sure to measure the groove size before ordering it. It should be about 1/32 inch less than the width of the groove.
