Child's Chair

[SteveA]

Do many here do your own weaving - rush, splint, cane -  This was an easy over under pattern and the wood sealed and lacquered over
SA

[gene]

I have a rocker very similar to that in my van. I've had it at the studio for years and went to throw it in the dumpster last week and just couldn't get rid of it. It needs repainted and new caning. I just can't find the time to do anything with it, but I keep thinking it's such a nice child's chair.

Beautiful job Steve!

I would cane my chair myself if I ever redo it. There's a retired couple across the river who do caning while they watch TV. I send folks to them. I've found caning takes a lot of time and it's difficult to get paid well for it.

gene

[baileyuph]

Wow!  What a transformation Steve!!!!

A few questions:

1.  The original finish or existing finish on a chair like that was what-- Oil and a clear coat
of .........what was likely used in that day (some type of oil?).  The chair does come off as antique.

2.  Then, you stripped the old finish and did what........any bleaching or?
3.  Did you next apply any stain (the fini8sh looks so nice and consistent is why I ask.

4.  Spray or brush the sealer?   Couple coats?

5.  After the frame was prepared and the weaving (rush/splint?)was applied, it looks so consistent I am thinking you coated the weave with the same clear/sealer?

That job is a professional at work!!!!!

Bring on more projects.

Doyle

[SteveA]

This is splint weaving - very simple  pattern.  The weaving took less than 2 hours to do,  and although I don't weave fast enough for the weaving to be profitable  .... I like doing it.  Billed $ 150.00 total job -

This is a semi antique chair - re: the wood -  re glued couple of rails -  washed down existing finish with lacquer thinner -  touch up - Bulls Eye Seal Coat the wood...  did the weaving = sealed the weave with orange shellac - top coated all the wood and new seat with clear satin spray lacquer - 2 light coats.
The chair was originally used 50 years ago by the customer who is now passing it on to his granddaughter. 
SA

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

That is incredible workmanship Steve!  Congrats on a job well done!

I did a child's chair a couple of year's ago (upholstered), that had belonged to my customer and her sibling.  I'm not sure how she came to be in possession of the chair.  At any rate, she never had children.  Her brother was now grandfather to 2 children.  She gave the reupholstered chair to him for his grandbabies to use.  She sent me the cutest picture of the 2 little ones sitting in the chair together and told me that she and her brother had similarly shared the chair but couldn't find the picture of then "sharing so nicely".  It was a darling picture.

Virginia

[byhammerandhand]

I have done some Shaker tape weaving, but leave the caning and rush work to the same couple that Gene knows.  Between the two of them, they do about all types.   A typical chair costs about me $100 labor and material to hand cane.   It would probably take me all day even if I knew what I was doing.

Here's a chair I refinished and repaired and they cane



Many years ago, I took a class in making a ladder-back chair in the Appalachian style.  We started Monday with a log on the ground and by Friday noon we had a chair.  Only tools we used were wedge and sledge, froe, drawknife, spokeshave, chisel and brace and bit.  It was based on "Make a Chair from a Tree" book.  Every piece of that chair had grain oriented a certain way and dried to a certain level so the joints locked together when reaching EMC.  The instructor said we could use Hickory bast to weave the seat if we wanted to go out to the woods in the spring, drop a hickory tree, pound the bark, split the bast, smooth it out, and soak in water to weave.  That week he was fixing one of his chairs that his wife had decided to stand on to swat a bug and broken the seat out.   I opted for the Shaker tape.

[SteveA]

Nice little pressed back - I like the dark color.  Some folks have sets of these oak chairs. 
I took Mario Rodriguez's chair class about 25years ago. I was interested to learn more about steaming and bending wood.  We used a froe to split a green ash log - steam bend the back rest and clamped it in a curved caul - great class -  I built my steam box from the one the in Tage Frid's book. 
Are you going to stain the cane seat ?  Looks natural

SA

[Darren Henry]

Great work both of you guys. Thanks for sharing the pictures. It does however remind me how brain numbing the stuff I get to work on here is. LOL.

I think this question came up a few years ago when we were talking about steam bending etc... and I was sharing pics of my "McGiver" steam box/kettle set up that we came up with at the sign company (yeah that long ago). What is a "froe" ? I can't remember what we call them up here. Is that what we call an adze up here? Kinda looks like some one left a grub hoe, an axe,and a sledge hammer in the shed over a really cold winter. In the spring you  could straddle a log and  swing it like  a crochet mallet to square a log into a square beam etc... if you didn't hit a knee, or worse. Cringe!!!

I've also always wondered ( having never done it) how are the ends of the canes, like Steve did, secured to the frame?

[byhammerandhand]

I have not found a good way to darken cane other than age.   Nothing seems to stick to the hard surface and trying to dye from the back didn't get me far either.   I've had to repair some and just used a bit of toner.   I don't know what the factories use, but then again, if I have to repair the chips, it must not be very durable, either.

I tried to post my ladderback, but it didn't show up.   Try again:

[byhammerandhand]

Oh, and here's a froe.   Used to split wood along the grain.  You put it on the end-grain, club it across the top of the blade, then lever to complete the split.   Age-old tool.

[SteveA]

The ends of the splint are stapled and glued to the underside.  If you didn't want to use staples use white glue and a pinch clamp -

SA

[Darren Henry]

thanks guys. Don't know if I'll ever get to use the knowledge---but I have it now.

That froe is not the tool I was thinking about. I don't think I've ever seen one , but I can sure see it's usefulness.

Kindling after dark and a couple of wobbly pops would definitely by safer at the  very least. LOL

[SteveA]

The benefit of the froe is that it will follow the grain and the result is a stronger piece of wood. 
SA