How to Learn Chair Caning

Caning is the method of weaving chair seats using materials such as wicker. Wicker is derived from the skin of rattan vines native to Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. You will need to invest a bit of time and money to learn the craft of chair caning, but the end result is a fully restored chair with many years added to its life. You can learn chair caning online, in a local workshop, at the library or bookstore or by asking a seasoned professional.

Chair
Border cane
Regular cane
Small rubber hammer
Pegs
Pencil
Scissors
Golf tees

Instructions

- 1
  
  Mark the center divider of the front and back rails with a pencil.
  
  Soak the cane you plan to use for 30 minutes in hot water. Depending on the size, you can do this in the sink or in a bucket. Find the center divider of the front and back rails and mark it lightly with a pencil or by placing a golf tee in the seat's hole. You can find the center by counting the holes for the seat.
- 2
  Start at the center of the back rail and run a cane from the back hole and down the center front hole and back up the adjacent hole. Careful not to twist the cane as your work through the weaving process. Repeat this process until all the holes have a cane running to and from them and are parallel.
- 3
  Run the cane side to side starting with the upper right hole leading to the upper left hole and working your way down the seat of the chair.
- 4
  Repeat step 2 for a second layer of vertical caning. Again, start with the back center hole and string the cane through the front center hole. The second layer will sit above the first vertical cane as well as the first horizontal cane. Be sure the second layer is positioned just to the right of the first vertical layer.
- 5
  
  Snip off any excess cane ends with your scissors.
  
  Tie the loose ends of the cane under the chair. When tying the cane ends, be careful you are not tying over the loop hole, which will prevent future caning. Start in a nearby cane loop and loop the loose cane strand through the loop twice. Tug on it gently to tighten the loop, but be careful not break the cane. Snip off any excess cane ends.
- 6
  Begin the weaving process by starting at the upper right hole of the chair seat and weaving the cane over the second vertical layer and under the first vertical layer. The strand should run below the first horizontal layer. Repeat this process until you finish the bottom of the seat. Ensure the lines run parallel to each other. You can manually adjust the strands if you need to.
- 7
  Begin the diagonal weave by starting at the upper right corner hole and threading the cane through the lower left hole. Make sure to weave over the vertical canes and under the horizontal canes. Continue this process first with the back half of the seat, and then finishing with the front half of the seat. If you run out of cane in the process, tie it off as you did in step 5 and continue with a new strand of cane.
- 8
  Weave the second diagonal by starting at the upper left corner hole and threading the cane through the lower right corner hole. Weave under the vertical and over the horizontal canes. Complete the back half first, and then work your way through the front half.
- 9
  Create the border by starting at the back rail and inserting a border cane into each corner hole of the chair, covering up all the holes. With the regular cane, begin looping at the hole next to the corner hole, leading the cane over the border and back down the same hole, skipping the corner holes. Repeat this process until the border is complete, and then tie off the excess cane. Tighten the cane every 3-6 holes.
- 10
  Finish the chair caning by dabbing some glue and snugly fitting a 1/2-inch long wooden peg in the corner holes using a small rubber hammer. Tie off and trim the ends of the cane.

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