Traditionally, hole-to-hole hand caning is woven by an expert. It can be expensive and time-consuming.
Pre-woven cane webbing, or press cane, is a quicker and easier method of caning a chair seat or back. Paper fiber rush is another option that’s woven from twisted paper and is much less expensive.
Twill or Herringbone
The herringbone or twill weave is the most common chair caning repair pattern. It is the type of cane seat you will see on most antique chairs. It is woven with flat splint reed and is the most cost-effective and simple chair caning repair. Weaving splint is done with authentic bark which is seasonal and time-consuming to harvest. It is woven on any four-rail seat frame. This material is also used for the backs of large porch rockers.
Wide binding cane, also called herringbone twill, is a more expensive but very durable chair caning repair material. Wide binding cane is woven with flat oval reeds and has a hard exterior surface that is very attractive. This material is usually woven in herringbone/twill and basket weave patterns on four rail seat frames.
Traditional hole-to-hole hand caning is also called lace cane or seven-step caning. It is a series of individual cane strips woven in seven steps over the holes that are drilled around the chair seat frame to create an octagon pattern when complete. This is a very time-consuming and intricate weaving technique that has proven to be the most durable of the different hole-caning designs over the centuries.
The herringbone weave is a little more complicated than Twill. It is woven with a splint but in an “over three under two” pattern. It requires a larger number of warp strands to be able to weave it and therefore takes a bit more time to do. This weave can do on any four-rail seat frame and is a popular choice for antique furniture pieces as well as newer reproductions.
Rush Weaving
Whether hand-woven using traditional hole-to-hole chair caning repair or pre-woven on a loom. Rush seats are an old and beloved classic. Woven from the twisted strands of the common bulrush or cattail. Rush weave patterns can be simple (twill or herringbone) to very intricate. Rush weaving dates back to the time of Pharaohs in Egypt and was also very popular in Europe as well as here in the USA in the early 1400s.
The rush seat weaving process is a very labor-intensive and time-consuming one, but it is still very much a viable and popular caning chair repair option. Rush can finish with a light coating of thinned shellac, polyurethane, or even a stain to change the color. Unlike twill and herringbone, which should leave unfinished to allow them to darken naturally. Rush caning may benefit from being sealed in order to protect it.
To prepare a strand of a rush for use. Remove it from the hank and loosely coil it in a bowl of warm water to soak it until it is soft and pliable. Then tie it to the woven rush in the chair seat with a square knot that is hidden from view. One 2-pound coil of rush will do an average chair seat. If you’re looking for a faster and easier way to re-cane your chairs, try fiber rush. This twisted chemical-treated paper fiber is much quicker and easier to work with than natural rush, and it outlasts the natural material.
Fancy Cane Weave
Known as Daisy, Snowflake, or Spiderweb chair caning, fancy weave patterns like these are usually reserved for the backs of Victorian wicker chairs and rockers. These advanced hand caning patterns require wider rattan reed and can only successfully completed by skilled caners.
The six-way pattern of hand caning uses individual strands of rattan that are passed through holes drilled in the frame of the chair. It’s a time-consuming method of caning, but it produces the strongest, most reliable seat in the world.
Machine cane is woven in sheets. It has a grove on one side that a piece of splint reed is tapped into to create a furrow. Which will then filled with glue and pressed cane. Machine cane is available in a variety of patterns or styles from traditional common to fancy weaves.
Binder cane is also a popular choice for reweaving the seats and backs of antique wicker furniture. It looks like strand cane, but is thicker and can be woven with a count of up to 8. It is most commonly found on the backs of porch rockers in herringbone/twill, diamond weave, and porch weave patterns.
Custom Design
When it comes to repairing chair seats and backs. There are several different methods for creating a strong and durable seat. One of the most common is hand caning, in which strips of rattan are tightly woven into a seat or back frame. This method of caning is labor intensive but delivers a strong and sturdy woven chair.
Another popular method is spline machine caning. In pre-woven sheets of cane webbing are inserted into a groove around the edge of the seat and held in place with glue and reed spline. This process saves time and is a bit less labor-intensive than hand caning. It is important to note that the cane used in spline machine caning does not come from a tree and is therefore subject to drying out over time. It is recommended that this type of cane be soaked periodically to keep it pliable and soft.
Another method of caning is a wide-binding cane. Which is a flat splint strip of reed, ash, hickory, or oak bark that is woven in specific patterns on the seats and backs of porch rockers and settin’ chairs. This style of caning is not as flexible as a splint machine cane and may require periodic misting to keep it from becoming dry and brittle. Wide binding cane also has a tendency to become looser on the bottom side than the top of the chair. It is possible to change the pattern from one side to the other in order to balance the seating.
