This just hurts my wooden heart

[Woodshop]

so a customer brings me what once a fine piece of furniture.
WHY? WHY would you do this?
Yes that is lawn chair webbing and lots of staples and nails




 


nice looking lines any one Have any idea of what chair/maker it is?

 


What use to be a nice caned chair


 



I need to make a new arm and partial spindle for it.


 
 
 


I'm thinking Mahogany? not sure

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I have some Mahogany but its a bit different, much darker without the distinctive stripe pattern. the chair parts look the same all the way around, no change in pattern like no face grain.

picture for comparison
Mahogany ,Chair leg, and Walnut.
I know it not walnut
what ya think?

[Kansas Gary]

I think it might be Teak wood myself.......

[Guest]

Agree with mahogany that's been neglected and out in the weather a long time. See lots of this on boats. Too bad. That was a nice chair once upon a time.

[handi]

The style is certainly Sheraton.

Ralph

[Phil S.]

I'm doing a similar refurb on some oak pressed-back chairs. The cane seat was replaced with a perforated plywood one tacked to the frame. They started as machine cane seats held with splines. Someone had the bright idea to drill through the splines to do a woven seat. Once they made a hash of that I suspect they nailed on the plywood. I haven't come up with a good way to treat the nail holes. I tried gooping them with a dab of Titebond and sanding over them, but wasn't pleased with the result. Do you have a method that works?

At first glimpse I was thinking your chair was walnut, but after seeing your close-up, I think you're right - mahogany.

If I'm seeing it right it looks like the cane in your chairs was also held with a spline and that a bunch of the tacks are driven into the spline. That will be an easy fix by just replacing the spline which you'll have to do anyhow to fit the new piece of cane. The tacks in the front rail will be more of a problem and replacing the arm is at a whole nuther level.

Good luck on the restore. I'd love to see some pics as you make progress.

[Paul K. Murphy]

It's Sheraton. Funny thing is, a Sheraton type would look good with a sort of "peppermint stripe" upholstery. That would be the correct fabric. The section up top looks like that. Is it? Or is that just how the lawn chair web makes it look?
Sheraton is a Neoclassical style for those taking notes.

[Paul K. Murphy]

Just looked again. I see that it was originally cane. Okay, that's good too.

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

Nice job, Paul. I'm impressed.

[Paul K. Murphy]

Don't overlook the fact that handi identified it first.
Today, I feel in possesion of my wits, so I'm not going to guess wood types from Internet photos. It seems logical that it is mahogany. It does not seem logical that it would be teak, but if the chair maker used teak, then, whaddya know, it's teak.
Mahogany does not always have interlocked ribbon grain. That feature is a good clue, but not the only thing to look for.
Since knowing things about Sheraton is fun, here's a little tidbit, he was not well liked. I read this in Herbert Cesinski's book as I recall. He lived in a crummy apartment, and at the time of Cesinski's book, only one piece of furniture was attributed to him. Sheraton was the type of guy who, if you said, "Good morning" would tell you how you needed to find God & etc. He also opens his book with scathing criticism of his fellow artisans, insisting that everyone is "doing it wrong." Interestingly, he actually praised Chippendale, but not overmuch. I don't think it was real respect, he just didn't want that fight. A sad example of a man with skill and ability who's personality was his biggest stumbling block.

[Woodshop]

It was originally caned and it was hand woven. I'm probably going to have to use mahogany as I don't know what else to use. it is darker red than what I have, perhaps it's different type mahogany ?
Thanks Paul. good information.