How to Cane Benches

Begin Caning

• 1

  Clean, repair and paint or stain the seat or bench prior to caning. Let the seat dry completely before beginning the caning.

• 2

  Mark the four sides of the seat north, south, east and west. This is essential since you will need to turn the chair or bench while caning, and you must always be aware of the orientation of the caning.

• 3

  Soak several long strands of caning in a pan of water as you find the center hole on the north and south sides of the bench, and mark them with a peg.

• 4

  Remove the south peg and draw a strand of cane up from the bottom through the hole. Make certain that you have the shiny side of the cane oriented right side up. Pull it across the seat opening and down into the center hole on the north side. Leave a 4- inch tab under the north hole and re-peg the hole. At the south hole, pull the cane firm and re-peg the hole.

• 5

  Pull the cane under the seat from the north hole to the hole immediately to the east side of the south peg. Pull it up through the hole and across the seat opening to the next peg east of the north hole where you have the peg. Pull the cane firmly and move the pegs over from the center to the new hole locations that have just been filled with cane.

• 6

  Continue in this manner until the back rail is filled, excluding each corner hole. Move the peg each time to hold each row taut.

Add More Rows

• 7

  Find and peg the center holes of the east and west sides of the seat.

• 8

  Remove the west peg and draw a strand of cane up from the bottom through the hole. Make certain that you have the shiny side of the cane right side up. Pull it across the seat opening and down into the center hole on the east side. Leave a 4-inch tab under the east hole and re-peg the hole. At the west hole, pull the cane firm and re-peg the hole.

• 9

  Continue to run cane across the vertical strands in this manner, keeping the holes square, and moving the pegs each time. Fill up all the horizontal peg holes with cane, except the corner holes.

• 10

  Add another row of cane running north to south. Place this second north/south row on the right side of the strand that is already in place.

• 11

  Begin weaving by starting in the middle of the west side with an additional strand of cane. Placing the cane on the south side of the horizontal strand already in place, weave the strand under the first vertical strand and over the second strand. Continue on in this fashion to the east side. Repeat with all the rows until you have four strands of cane in every hole.

• 12

  Flip the seat over and knot all the ends of the caning. Spritz the tabs with a spray bottle of water and slip the ends under the nearest strand, weaving the ends through the strands until they are woven in place.

Weave on the Diagonal

• 13

  Start in the northwest corner. Draw a new strand of cane up through the empty corner hole. Weave over the closest pair of horizontal strands, then under the next pair. Keep moving over one row and down one row until you get to the southeast corner. Place a peg in the southwest corner hole.

• 14

  Bring a new strand up in the same northwest corner hole. Start weaving immediately to the right of the first diagonal strand, over and under. Move over one row and down one row with each weave until you once again get to the southeast corner. Re-peg the hole.

• 15

  Continue weaving in this fashion until all of the rows are finished.

• 16

  Start the next weave in the opposite direction. Weave from the northeast corner to the southwest, weaving over the vertical strands and under the horizontal ones.

Finish the Seat

• 17

  Wet the binder cane pieces and cut to size, plus 1 inch.

• 18

  Tuck one end of the binder cane into a hole and hold it flat. Push a piece of cane strand up through this same hole, loop it over the binder and back through the same hole, leaving a 4-inch tab.

• 19

  Continue around the seat, holding the binder piece into place with cane strands.

• 20

  Turn the seat over and weave the tabs into the underside of the seat.

• 21

  Let the seat dry for one day before using.