They say it’s a dying art, but chair caning and seat weaving belong to a tradition that is well worth preserving. Solid wood and hand-woven chairs are hard to find, and they are often more structurally sound than any chair you’d find today. One of the services that Bonnie Hawk Furniture has started to offer clients is replacing pressed cane chair seats as well as other forms of seat-weaving. Read on for a case study in of these glam 70s chairs needing new life.

What’s a Pressed Cane Seat?

A pressed cane chair seat can be identified by the spline that holds the cane in place. This differentiates it from chair cane that is woven organically through holes in the chair seat.

I recently restored a set of pressed cane chairs for a client. These great chairs from the 70s were full of style, family meaning and love. One chair sported a giant hole through the seat, while others had simply tired, faded cane. A little tender loving care got them looking new.

Removing Pressed Cane

This is where the workout begins. Removing pressed cane is all about loosening the glue that holds the existing seat in place. Holes are drilled carefully through the existing spline, and then vinegar and/or steam is used to loosen the old glue. A caning chisel and a lot of sweat, care, and elbow grease is required to remove the old cane. It can get a little squirrely in there.

Replacing the Pressed Cane

My client selected a herringbone weave for the new chair cane, which I found to be a little more modern than the traditional style. The pressed cane is soaked to give it flexibility. It is then snipped and tapped into the groove with a wooden wedge and a lot of finesse. Excess cane is carefully trimmed with a chisel before the spline is glued and tapped in. There is an ethics to chair caning — always be mindful of the person who comes after you to replace this cane (hopefully not for ten or twenty years). Use the goldilocks amount of glue.

Do you Have Pressed Cane Chairs to Restore in the DMV area?

If you’re the DIY type, you can find information on materials and instructions at Silver River Chairs. If you’re in the vicinity of Frederick, Maryland, contact me for a quote. I’d love to give your chair seats a fresh lease on life.

your humble carpentress,

bonnie hawk