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The Complete Guide To Chair Caning: Restoring Cane, Rush, Splint, Wicker & Rattan Furniture

Jim Widess, co-author of the best selling Caner's Handbook, owner of The Caning Shop, and one of the field's top authorities, presents crafters with five amazingly detailed chairmaking projects they'll treasure for years to come. Best of all, with the help of a thorough basics chapter, reader-friendly instructions, and a plethora of illuminating color photographs, even beginners can complete every beautiful item. Find out how to use machine-made caning to restore an old chair, or create an entirely new one by hand. Fashion a durable and comfortable rush seat, using fiber that's twisted into long strands, or create a traditional splint-caned porch rocker. There's invaluable information on the different types of available cane, various woven patterns, and interesting rattan wraps.

Hardcover: 128 pages

Publisher: Lark Books (January 28, 2006)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1579906133

ISBN-13: 978-1579906139

Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #464,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #79 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Crafts & Hobbies > Folkcrafts #491 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Home Improvement & Design > How-to & Home Improvements > Home Repair #784 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Home Improvement & Design > How-to & Home Improvements > Woodworking > Projects

The instructions for weaving a cane seat were much better than the instructions for replacing a rush seat. For the caning section, he could have included some tips for what to do when strands break and better advice for avoiding out-of-whack patterns. Also, the directions for weaving the binder cane were not very clear. For the rush seat instructions, beware the instructions in the beginning where you are told to measure your chair to determine how much of the corners must be filled in in order to "square off" the chair. After you determine the measurements for the chair you are working with you are instructed to "mark off one inch." Don't do it! Mark off the measurement for your chair, not the example chair the author uses.

This is a good book for anyone starting out in chair restoration. Instructions are clear and there are many good illustrations.It gives good basic instructions but no variations in pattern.All in all, it is an excellant starter book.

I found the pictures in this book very helpful, but I really needed more help when my chairs differed from the ones the author was caning. (This is the only section of the book I use.) I've used 3 books and two videos as I have learned to cane (I'm still not very good at it; I take lots of rows out and on one chair had to rip out all of step 5 and most of step 6) and each one has different strengths and weaknesses. The color photos in this book were of great help, although I would have liked closeups of the caning along with photos of the entire finished chairs. I also wish the author had given more helpful hints on how to avoid problems!I have concluded that the best way to learn how to cane is to take a class or apprentice yourself temporarily to an expert caner. But I'm having fun!

I had an old ladderback chair that was in need of redo. The instructions on how to do the rush technique were very good. Once you go a few cycles it goes fairly quickly. If you are going into rehabilitating any type of chair renewal for the seat, the information is very extensive. Lots of photos and drawings to explain how it is done. Mostly this work requires patience and attention to detail. I was very pleased with the outcome and so was my wife. Plus we learned a new skill.

Beautiful photographs and good information about the history of the craft and how rattan cane is processed. It's a nice book to look at. However, if you want to learn how to weave your own chair seats with cane, rush, or flat reed, you would do better to buy the author's original book on the subject, The Caners Handbook by Jim Widess and Bruce Miller. Here you will find the details of how to weave any chair seat or back, and how to solve the tricky problems. The photographs are black and white, but the level of detail is far better. Although The Caners Handbook is out of print, it is readily available used on .com.

Photos, detailed lists for what you need, step by step, and helpful hints. I am a beginner and have found everything I need to know. My father recommended this book and he has been canning and repairing furniture for over 50 years.

I borrowed this book, originally, from the library. After learning how to "rush" chairs, I just had to have a copy for my library. If you are interested in this hobby then I would strongly recommend this book.

books were ordered for my wife's chair project and she was greatly surprised that I had ordered her both of her choices. When ask of her a couple of nites later if it covered her project, she replyed with that one and more. Thanks for offering these books at such a good price

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