Finale Furniture Restoration Services, LLC: lost art

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Caned Bentwood Rocking Chair

Rocker Before
Seat Broken

Rocker After
Seat Repaired

This is one of several rocking chairs I have worked on over the course of my furniture restoration/refinishing jobs that involved caning. This one is almost identical to the Bentwood Rocker I worked on last year, except that this one only needed the seat replaced and was not refinished. I only glued the arms as they were a bit loose, other than that I only repaired the broken seat with new cane.

This was by far my fastest caning job yet. It’s true that the more you do something, the better you get. Caning is a lost art, a true art form that takes time, patience and practice. I found the first few jobs I did I thought “this is impossible!” and didn’t think I would ever enjoy it, but with each job they process became clearer and I found myself really enjoying the caning and learning so much about the work as much as myself. I found that I really enjoy a challenge and mastering it.

I'm by no means an expert (yet) but I do feel my skill level has increased dramatically with each job I’ve done. Seats are easier than the back as they are smaller and have less distance between the front and back, or left to right as the case may be. Although curved seats are much more challenging, they’re not too bad. The most difficult part of caning is around the arms, since it’s quite congested there and harder to pull the cane through those tight holes.

It is vital that each and every pre-drilled hole is completely free of the old cane, as this can affect the process of pulling the new cane through them. The best way to do this right is to prepare each chair well and you’ll be in good shape. I personally do not like staining or painting caning as I feel it can damage the natural fibers over time and break them down much faster than letting them age naturally. This chair required a 2.75mm cane, which is considered medium, and a bit thicker and stronger than the 2.0mm I used most recently. It is easier to work on the binding as it pushes through all the previously caned holes with ease. My small needle-nose pliers work well to assist with this and the small awl is a necessary tool to pull the cane through from bottom to top. I’m satisfied with the results and more importantly, so was my customer.

Check out the previous similar Bentwood rocking I caned last year by clicking on this link:

http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2019/09/maple-rocking-chair-refinished-with-new.html

Jim’s Background

Jim has many years of experience in both woodworking and metal work. He retired in 2020 from a company where he was an industrial painter. He’d always been interested in woodcrafting and creating things from his imagination. Since he retired, he has been able to spend more time helping me with furniture work. His input is invaluable since he does the bigger repair work as well as making things for projects. He finds creative solutions to unique problems that are part of the restoration process. Jim and I both have completely renovated our home in St. Clair Shores, where we resided for 24 years prior to moving to Marine City in 2016. That renovation was a testament to our problem solving abilities that transferred well to restoring and refinishing furniture. If you know how to take something apart, you have a better insight as to how to put it back together again, but not without careful planning and attention to detail. That’s what makes us a great team!