Hey there, fellow chair caners! Did you know there’s a right and wrong way of weaving with strand chair cane? Whaaaat? There’s a wrong way to weave a strand of cane when chair caning? “No wonder I’m so frustrated,” you say?
Yes, believe it or not, there is a correct way and direction to pull/weave the strands of cane on a hole-to-hole cane chair seat to make sure you don’t damage and fray the strands.
Understand the Importance of Direction
Today, we’re diving into a super important tip for all of you working with strand cane. When weaving a hole-to-hole cane chair seat, it’s crucial to pull the strands of cane through in the correct direction. If you don’t, you might end up with a damaged and fraid strand!
Watch the Chair Caning Tip of the Day video below to see what I’m talking about, there is help for this irritating dilemma!
Identify the leaf Nodule
Take a close look at your strand of cane. You might notice a little nodule in the middle and about every ten inches or so. This nodule is where a leaf grew out, with a high side and a low side.
Pulling Direction of the Cane Strand
Let’s say you have the cane strand in your hands and you are examining it to determine which direction you should be pulling the cane, based on the high side and low side of the leaf nodules.
To make your weaving go smoothly, you’ll want to pull the strand through so that the high side goes first. This is to make sure it doesn’t catch on the other strands of cane as you pull through on that weaving step.
In the photo below, you should pull the strand through so that the right side or high side goes first. If you try to pull it through with the left side first, the nodule can get caught up on other strands you’ve already woven. Trust me, it can be a real headache!
Check Your Strands
Before you start weaving with each strand, take a moment to check them. Make sure you are pulling them through the right way. If you don’t, you might find yourself getting frustrated, and nobody wants that when working on chair caning!
Look for Hairs that help show direction
Sometimes, you can tell if you’re pulling the strand the right way by looking for little hairs on the back side or wrong side of the cane. Cane strands are similar to your hair strands, under a microscope, you can see a “right” and a “wrong” direction to the shafts.
If the cane strand hairs are sticking out and you are pulling the cane through against those hairs, then you know you need to adjust and pull through in the opposite direction.
That’s why examining each strand is important before beginning to weave with it. It’s a simple but effective way to avoid any mix-ups while you work!
Keep Practicing!
Trust me, you’ll get better and better with each and every attempt you make at weaving a traditional strand cane chair seat! You’ve got this!
RELATED: Get more chair caning tips like this!
So that’s it! Now wasn’t that a simple solution to your chair caning problem? Remember, pulling your cane in the right direction is key to a smooth and successful chair caning project. Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll be on your way to creating beautiful seats without any hassle!
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Happy Weaving, until next time!
