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refinishing rocking chair - Halfathumb - 11-15-2021
The old webbing is missing and was replaced with 3/4 RO. Want to replace the wood with 1/2" Fine Open Mesh Pre-Woven Cane that I found on line. What is normally used to install the webbing securely?
Thanks
Jim
RE: refinishing rocking chair - Cooler - 11-15-2021
They cut a groove and press in reed to lock the cane in position. There is also a coating of hide glue.
I am going to be trying that myself shortly as a cabinet door insert. Rockler has a short video on this. And they sell the tools and cane.
https://www.rockler.com/reed-spline
https://www.rockler.com/learn/How-to-install-cane-webbing-demo
Also read this: https://www.wickerwoman.com/articles/chair-caning-instructions
She also has a listing of good vendors.
RE: refinishing rocking chair - Ed in NC - 11-15-2021
Don't post often, but lurk almost daily. Love this place. I re-caned 6 dining chairs a year or so. I used some written directions, but it is exactly what Rockler shows. The only thing I would offer is to be sure that the cane is soaked well in water before using it, and don't let it dry out before using. If the cane is not soaked enough, it will crack as you try to sink it into the grooves when you hammer it home...don't ask how I know. I found that after you have done one, it is pretty easy going. Good luck on your project.
Ed
RE: refinishing rocking chair - Willyou - 11-15-2021
For what it's worth, I recaned a bentwood rocker some years ago using the pre-woven cane. I found that with regular use, the cane doesn't last very long. It stretches out of shape and eventually (a year or two at most) tears and needs to be replaced again. After the first time, I placed a solid plywood backer stained black behind (under) it. This, of course, wasn't as comfortable but the cane lasted many years. I understand that there is artificial cane. I don't know if it is any more durable.
RE: refinishing rocking chair - hcbph - 11-18-2021
Over the years, I've probably recaned hundreds of chairs and panels. I can offer a couple of suggestions that hopefully will made it a little easier for a novice.
First off, the fresher the cane the easier it will be to work with without breaking during installation. Second is I like to soak it for about 90-120 minutes in a wallpaper tray in hot water. I roll it up and rubber band it to keep it in a roll and rotate it in the pan every 20-30 minutes to insure that all of the cane is soaked well. Same thing with the spline except I soak that in a bucket. Clean the groove for the spline up well and insure the frame is tight prior to starting gluing. Spline comes in a variety of widths, my guide is if it slips into the groove when dry you likely have the right spline for your application. When prepping to put the cane in, I spring clamp it over the opening and trim it to about 1.5" sider than the opening on each side. I like to unweave the excess beyond the groove to make it easier to put into the groove. I made a tool to work the cane into the groove out of an old wide screw driver that I rounded the edges off to reduce the chance of breaking. To work the cane into the groove, I put the screwdriver on the inside of the groove and roll the edge down pushing the cane into the groove. Note that as the cane strands cross each other, work from the bottom layer then up to again reduce the chance of breaking the strands. Once you have the cane in the groove, I take the spline and put a 45 cut on one end using an exacto knife. I happen to like using Titebond 1 glue (yellow glue) and carefully put a thin layer in the groove. Now start in one spot and start putting the spline in the groove, tapping it down with a plastic faced hammer, if you have to cut the corners, I like to slip a shim shingle under the spline and cut it to length as I'm inserting it into the groove. Tap the spline into the groove and when you get to the starting point, I like to cut it maybe 1/64" long, press the tip of the exacto knife against the starting end of the spline and tap down the end so there's no gap. Some like to trim the excess cane off using an exacto through the waste into the spline, personally I prefer to cut against the outside of the groove, using the spline as a fulcrum cutting down into the groove while cutting off the excess doing and inch or two at a time. Once all the excess is cut off, use a wet rag and clean up any glue that came out of the groove. Next I put some wax paper over the cane, some wood strips over the spline and clamp them down to hold the spline in place while the spline and cane dry. After a day or so in a cool place, remove the clamps, wood strips and wax paper and clean up any remnants of glue squeeze out you find. I use a stiff tooth brush and vinegar, scrub lightly and let it sit a few minutes that go at it again to get any of that squeeze out off. If some is on the wood, many times after the first scrub it's still there and I use a thumb nail to scrape the worst off then do the followup toothbrush cleaning. Let it dry slowly for a couple of days prior to staining your new cane.
That's basically the way I've been doing it for about 30 years now and have had excellent results.
One more thing: if you take out the old spline and didn't get it all out of the gloove, typically vinegar will loosen it up so it can be removed with a caning chisel. Remember though you need to let the frame dry at least a day or two before you start recaning or any remaining vinegar residue can cause the new caning to fail.