High Backed Seat
This was to be a simple recover, however on further inspection it was to be a clean polish and caning. On removal of the seat cushion the seat revealed that it was once a “Pressed-in Cane Seat”, a pre-woven cane sheet secured in place with a cane spline. As I had not tried this technique I thought I would give it a go and bring the seat back to its original state. Based on the look of the seat I believe it might originally been a childs rocker, as time passed the rockers removed. Below is my experience of my first Pressed Caning seat and the techniques used.
With the seat pad removed I needed to remove the old spline that would have originally held the cane panel in place as can be seen from photo - the dark spline going around the seat.
Step 1.
I did not have the correct tool, a 'caning chisel' for removing the spline, so I utilised a quality 1/4" chisel. Using hot water to loosen the animal glue and using extreme caution not to damage edges I used the chisel and hammer to remove the spline, remarkably it came out with ease, beginners luck! With the spline out the groove needed to be cleaned of any remaining debris and once dry the seat itself was cleaned ready for shellac and waxing. Now shellac'd and waxed it was time to add the cane panel.
Step 2.
I started by cutting the cane sheet to size leaving about 1/2 to 3/4 inch past the groove. After soaking cane for 15 minutes lined up the cane panel over the seat groove. Using wedges to force the cane into the groove I worked from opposite sides, front/back and right/left, to keep the cane centre and tight. Cane strands running parallel to but outside of the groove were pulled off to make it easier to push the cane into the groove. Diagonal strands outside the back corners also removed.
Step 3.
With some wedges left in place I used a scalpel to trim off excess cane to just below the top of the outside channel edge.
Step 4.
With spline cut to approx length, cut at 45 degrees at the start end and soaked to allow one continuous run I then added a small amount of animal glue to channel.
Step 5.
Starting at the back centre of the seat I pressed the spline into the channel using a hammer and piece of wood to secure the spline removing a wedge as you reach one.
Step 6.
On reaching the start of the spline I cut the spline off at 45 degrees to match start however this was not as accurate as I had hoped.
Step 7.
Clean any surplus glue from seat.
