L. Day Perry

“ In early times rush always served a function in the seats of chairs and stools, and was very seldom if ever used on the better class of furniture. The use of cane or rush on furniture for decorative purposes only is distinctly a modern idea. Utility rather than beauty prompted the introduction of seats of rush.
Modern furniture of excellent design and workmanship employs rush seats. These are either woven over a separate frame and inserted or are an integral part of the chair, being woven over the seat rails of the chair itself. Fig. ”

“ Some expert rush seaters do not tie knots in making strands, but add leaves by twisting the end of the preceding leaf about the added one, “like the color on a barber pole,” as one old rush weaver remarked. Adding by twisting only is difficult, and requires great patience and dextrous handling of the material. In fact rush should be used by the more skilful boys only. ”

“ Woodworking shops in manual training schools far outnumber those for other manual activities, and as a result, courses in woodwork have come to be termed the stable courses in a handwork curriculum. However, experience in woodwork alone is not sufficient, and needs to be supplemented by other and more varied activities to give to the boy a proper foundation for choice of vocation. ”

“ The amateur will find his greatest difficulty in properly weaving the diagonals at the edges; that is, immediately upon entering or leaving a hole. Many commendable pieces of caning are spoiled by ragged, improperly woven edges. Care must be taken to see that the cane goes over and under the proper strand or strands at these points. Fig. 6 clearly shows how the diagonals should run. Study it carefully.
The addition of a binder is generally a matter of taste. Perhaps 50 per cent of modern hand caned furniture does not employ a binder of any description. ”

“ It is a practical medium in which the aspect of design as an element of utility is paramount. It has distinct commercial value, for the boys who have had training in the shops may do chair seating outside and earn considerable money. By such work they come to see a distinct relation between the commercial field and their shop experiences. ”

“ The short thin pieces on the sides should be fully housed. On a chair of this description it is good policy to assemble the sides first. Finish both the frame and the splints with a good paint composed of white lead and oil.
Another excellent material for chairs of similar design and purpose is hickory. It is the best material for the construction of furniture for lawns and porches where weathering is constant, and it is peculiarly adapted to splint and inner bark weaving. If a person lives in the right locality he may gather young second growth hickory saplings in the fall. ”

“ Fig. 53 shows several stools different in design both in wood construction and in weaving. In two instances it will be noted that weaving is done over a separate frame, one being inserted between the rails, the other fastened on top, leaving a little projection. Reference is made to several possible weaving designs and the use of various mediums and combinations. The possible combinations of materials are merely suggestive of possible other ones, and the individual worker will find that many designs of varying complexity may be worked out. ”

“ Usually a casual looking over of the chair by the expert is all that is necessary to fix a price. No charge of less than $1 on a hand caned seat will sufficiently remunerate the worker. Fig. 18 shows a hank of cane and rolls of machine woven cane.
Any boy who has had instruction and sufficient experience in caning in the manual training shop may readily undertake jobs of caning. The boy who will investigate will find that he may work up a sizeable trade in chair seating in a short time. In fact several boys will not overcrowd a given field. Such work will pay the amateur well. ”

“ These are too coarse and stiff to weave properly. One leaf may be used or two leaves may be twisted together to make a strand. Three leaves make a coarse strand, two a medium, and one a fine strand. A long, tight twist is necessary to produce an even, smooth strand. The twisting is always done in one direction. One leaf is recommended for beginners in rush seating, for adding to one is much simpler than adding to several. ”

“ In weaving the diagonals it is frequently necessary to run several in one hole in order to keep the canes as straight as possible. Just when this should be done can only be determined by the worker. A diagonal should never be permitted to swing to any great degree out of a straight line. A close observation of the photograph of the wing will reveal many diagonal canes in one hole, and several holes skipped entirely.
FIG. 12. CANING OF FIVE STEPS.
Five-Step Caning.—Cane weaving of five steps is not common. ”

“ Rush may be gathered in many communities by an energetic instructor and pupils, and properly cured. In fact, gathering the raw material and preparing it for use is desirable in many ways, and is to be encouraged. Ordinarily rush may be obtained from manufacturers of rush seats. ”

“ There exists some element in such mediums which cannot be defined, but which nevertheless stimulates the average or mediocre boy, as well as the exceptional one, to produce the best work of which he is capable. Experience with these materials utilized in correlation with wood will prove the truth of these statements and demonstrate that they are not only worth while, but necessary to any well-rounded course in wood. ”

“ The number of spokes needs to be odd, and cut to even lengths. The weaving is done with about a No. 6 reed, running over one, under two, over one, under two, and so on. The odd spoke permits the weaver to run continuously without skipping a spoke. A new strand is begun underneath the spoke where the last strand ends. When the top has been woven to the ends of the spokes a strip of braided No. 2 reed is nailed to each spoke with a round head, galvanized nail. The braid is made in the usual manner, as in basketry, with three series of strands of four each. ”

“ Factories use a very simple motor driven machine for making the strips, and any manual training shop can devise some scheme for accomplishing this work. These strips cut in indefinite lengths must be made pliant by a thoro soaking just previous to use. In weaving they should be pressed close together with the fingers or with the aid of a hammer, as there is an appreciable shrinkage especially in their width upon drying. ”

“ If one leaf of rush is used to make the strand, new leaves are added by tying the two ends in a square knot at a corner, or wherever such joining will not show on the finished seat. When more than one piece of rush is used for a strand the pieces should be of uneven lengths initially. ”

“ The stool top illustrated in Fig. 54 employs a simple over-and-under weave, utilizing flat reed. The worker needs to decide at the outset on the character of weave to be used unless it be of unusual design. In this instance the weaver runs over three and under three strands, and the wrapping done in a series of three. To begin the operation tack an end of flat reed under a short rail at a corner, then bring the strand out and over the rail, across the frame opening to the opposite rail, under this rail, across underneath the frame opening to the bottom of the first rail. ”

“ Cane for weaving purposes should not be confused with the popularly called cane or bamboo of our southern states, where it forms the well known cane-brakes. This cane rarely exceeds a height of 20 ft. It grows rapidly and very straight, and to an appreciable diameter. Such cane is used for bamboo furniture, walking sticks, poles, etc. The ordinary domestic sugar cane, also, should not be confused with seating cane.
FIG. 1. THE CANING NEEDLE.
Equipment.—The tools needed in cane weaving are few in number. ”

“ It would prove a difficult task to make a fair estimate of the value such mediums have in manual training shops. Their use produces very definite reactions upon boys who could not be reached by woodwork alone, awakening them to a new interest in their work and making them more workmanlike and exacting in construction. ”

“ As weaving progresses difficulty will be experienced in inserting cane ends in the holes, due to their becoming filled. Force the scratch awl thru and turn it several times. This will effectively force an opening.
In many instances long ends of cane remain from one series to another. These generally, as previously mentioned, should be used in succeeding steps. There is one limitation. They should be used provided it is not necessary to carry them over more than four holes on the under side of the frame. The fewer loose ends left, the better, for the caning is thereby neater and better. ”

“ Rush should be coated with equal parts of oil and turpentine, followed by two coats of tough, elastic varnish. The necessary time should elapse between coats. Some manufacturers do not use oil, and apply varnish only. Raffia and husk seats should be treated as rush. Fiber is varnished only. A brittle varnish is to be avoided, for it will chip off with a little use, and a seat is subject to hard wear. ”

“ A definite way to produce necessary variety as applied to woodwork, especially if woodwork is the only course offered, is thru the use of such mediums as cane, reed, rush, splints and allied materials in correlation with the wood. These materials add life to the problems and generally arouse interest and enthusiasm in the work at hand. ”

“ While reeds and inner hickory bark shrink in drying, they will shrink mostly in width and not much in length. Therefore it is necessary to pull all strands, both in wrapping and in weaving, rather tight at all times. Only by doing this will the worker be assured of an ultimately taut seat. This applies also to the Indian splints now to be discussed. As fiber is woven practically dry it needs to be pulled particularly tight. ”

“ The first strand runs over one at the center, and over two and under two on either side. The second strand runs under three at the center, and over two, under two on either side; the worker must again count to the edge of the frame to determine the beginning weave, until the unit of four strands has been woven. Then the unit repeats itself at the center and at the edges of the frame. Beginning at the right side of the illustration the weaving is as follows:
Strand 1—Over 2, under 2, over 2, under 2, over 2, under 2, then over 1, and repeat across the other half of the frame. ”

“ Raffia is the leaf of a certain palm, cut in narrow widths and varying in length from 2 to 5 feet. It is bought in hanks by the pound, bleached or unbleached, and in colors. The natural unbleached raffia costs about 25 cents per pound; colored about 75 cents. The hanks should not be untied, but as strands are needed they should be pulled out from the head end of the hank. If improperly handled, raffia will become badly tangled.
FIG. 38. SPOOL OF FIBER AND BUNDLE OF RUSH.
Corn husks, taken from close to the ear, may be used, particularly for seating chairs of toy furniture. ”

“ Fig. 3 is a working drawing of a corner, dimensioned as suggested. It will make clearer the directions. It is fundamental that the spacing be done in the same direction on parallel rails, for at times [Pg 10] the last space will be a short 1⁄2 in. or whatever dimension is used. In such cases it is necessary to redivide the last several spaces into divisions as near 1⁄2 in. as possible. It thus becomes obvious why spacing must be done in one direction as stated. This applies to all rectangular frames.
FIG. 3. SKETCH OF CORNER FOR CANING. ”

“ If the holes have previously been bored, much labor is thus avoided, and the charge is naturally made less. The professional cane weaver has various ways by which he determines the cost for recaning a given seat. ”

“ Cane Webbing
The seating of chairs with machine woven cane is a much simpler process than that of hand caning them. Under similar conditions less time and skill are required on areas of like dimensions. ”

“ A chisel or chip carving knife is good for the purpose. Cut across the grain of the wood first to avoid splitting the splint. The end of the new strand A is notched as shown an inch back from the end, and is then inserted thru B and the two strands thus secured. All subsequent strands are secured in the same manner.
FIG. 63. METHOD OF OVERLAPPING WEAVERS.
Another method which works well and involves less labor than the one just described is that of fastening the strands together with metal staples. ”

“ Upholsterers generally will not be troubled with such jobs of caning for the work does not pay unless there is an amount sufficient to keep them steadily employed. Usually they are not adept enough to do such odd jobs as may come to them, even tho willing to do the work, within a time consistent with sufficient money returns. ”