How to Replace a Cane Seat
- 1). Look at the chair to be caned. Examine the weave and the size of the cane. Purchase matching binding and weaving cane.
- 2). Remove the old seat, loosening any problem areas with the awl. Keep large sections of woven cane handy as a reference while you weave. Clean up dust, broken cane, and any other debris.
- 3). Fill a soaking container with water. Place a few strands of weaving cane into this container for 10 minutes or more. All cane must be soaked before use to prevent breaking. It will tighten as it dries, creating a drum-taut seat.
- 4). Locate the center holes in the front and back rails of your seat. Insert one strand of cane through the back-middle hole. Leave four to five inches protruding, to be tied off later. Push a wooden peg the same diameter as your cane through this hole. This keeps the cane from moving while you weave. Peg each hole as you cane the chair.
- 5). Draw the cane across the chair frame and pull it down through the front hole. Tighten the cane gently and peg this cane as well. Pull it up through the next hole (one to the left or right), making sure it lies flat under the chair rail.
- 6). Move to the back rail once more. Bend the cane under the rail and up through the next hole in the same way as you did the front. Repeat step 5 until one side of the chair has been completely crossed with cane. Then fill the holes on the other side in the same way. Use shorter lengths to fill the holes on an angled chair.
- 7). Start at the back of the chair. Begin adding cane from side to side over the first layer. You should create a square lattice. Use shorter lengths on chairs with curved front rails. Turn the chair over and tie off loose ends. Repeat in the other direction, weaving under the first layer and over the third layer.
- 8). Weave the diagonals. Start at the right-back corner of the seat and stretch cane diagonally to the front left. Weave under and over two strands of cane at a time. Move the cane to the next hole and fill the diagonals as you did the verticals and horizontals. Repeat the process in the other direction.
- 9). Add the binder cane. This is a thicker type of cane, though you can use heavy weaving cane for this purpose. Start binding at one edge. Lay the binder flat and pull a strand of weaving cane up through one hole and over the binder. Pull the same strand down through the same hole, "sewing" the binder to the chair seat. Repeat until you have reached your starting point.
- 10
Overlap the ends of the binder cane about two inches. Use the remaining looks of cane to hold it in place. Trim excess cane and allow to dry.
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