How to replace chair cane webbing
This page is under construction as of March, 2012
Chair Cane is peeled bark from the rattan vine and comes in various sizes...
Step 1) Removing the old cane and spline
To remove the old chair cane webbing and spline, carefully score around perimeter of spline with a box cutter. Press firmly as you cut inbetween the outer edge of the cane spline and the chair frame. What you are doing is separating the cane spline from the chair frame which are basically glued together by the original finish applied to the chair. You only need to cut approximately 1/16" deep to accomplish this first step though going deeper is OK to. Some cane chair splines remove quite easily (most don't) Now on to the next step
Step 1b) Slow down in the curves with the cutter so you don't damage the chair frame.
Step 1c) Cut your new cane webbing piece and start soaking it in hot water mixed with a drizzle of clear dish soap while you complete steps 1 through 9. I recommend 90 minutes and will explain why later.
Step 2) Prepare to drill holes into the cane spline
This step is done just before you drill multiple holes into the cane spline. Simply take a scratch awl (ice pick) and push starter holes into the spline about 7 inches apart. If you don't have a scratch awl or and ice pick, just find something sharp and pointy. The spline is quite soft so what ever you use to creat these starter holes does not have to be anything special. You can even use a nail for example. (By the way, cane is pealed bark from the rattan vine. What's exposed after you peel the bark is pith which is used to make caning spline and a meriad of other useful items)
Step 3) Drill multiple holes into an through the spline
Take any power drill (light duty is ok) fitted with a 3/16" drill bit and drill through the caning spline at each of the starter holes you created in step 2. The reason for the starter holes is to keep the drill bit from wandering onto the chair frame as you begin to drill, which can cause quite a bit of damage. If possible, use a fairly slow rpm speed to drill the holes because your want to listen and feel for when the drill bit breaks through the spline so you can stop the drill from continuing on the the chair frame beneath the spline. There is usually a small gap between the bottom the cane spline and the chair frame which you want to feel for. Once the bit reaches that void, stop drilling.
Take any power drill (light duty is ok) fitted with a 3/16" drill bit and drill through the caning spline at each of the starter holes you created in step 2. The reason for the starter holes is to keep the drill bit from wandering onto the chair frame as you begin to drill, which can cause quite a bit of damage. If possible, use a fairly slow rpm speed to drill the holes because your want to listen and feel for when the drill bit breaks through the spline so you can stop the drill from continuing on the the chair frame beneath the spline. There is usually a small gap between the bottom the cane spline and the chair frame which you want to feel for. Once the bit reaches that void, stop drilling.
Step 4) Inject 50/50 solution of hot water and white vineger
The title says it all. Get yourself some common household white vinegar and mix it with an equal part of hot water. If you wish, you can put the solution in a coffee cup then heat it up in the microwave. Then find something that will enable you to inject the solution through the holes drilled in step 3. Flavor injectors like the one pictured to the left works fine. Just use your imagination. Now inject the solution into the spline through as many holes as it takes to saturate the groove with the solution. Now wait two hours as the solution softens the glue which makes the cane spline removal a great deal easier. Some times you have to do this more than once.
Step 5) Remove the old cane spline
Now here is where things can get difficult and perhaps a bit messy. Take a scratch awl or ice pick and shove it into the spline seem then underneath the spline and start prying the cane spline up as you work your way all around the groove. You can also use a narrow chisel for this step but i find a scratch awl works better and is less likely to damage the wood chair frame. Sometimes you get lucky and some or all of the cane webbing can come up in this step if you are able to get the awl underneath the spline at the same time.
Now here is where things can get difficult and perhaps a bit messy. Take a scratch awl or ice pick and shove it into the spline seem then underneath the spline and start prying the cane spline up as you work your way all around the groove. You can also use a narrow chisel for this step but i find a scratch awl works better and is less likely to damage the wood chair frame. Sometimes you get lucky and some or all of the cane webbing can come up in this step if you are able to get the awl underneath the spline at the same time.
Step 6) Remove the old cane spline
In this step you simply take a box cutter or a heavy duty pair of scissors then cut out and remove most of the cane webbing. Cut within 1/2" to 1" of the groove. You leave a little bit of the cane webbing intact to give you something to grab hold of in the next step. Be careful not to cut yourself while using a box cutter. Always cut in a direction that if you lose control it won't come into contact with yourself. If the color or the old cane webbing is other than natural, I recommend you keep some of it to use as a color sample should you decide to stain the new cane to match.
In this step you simply take a box cutter or a heavy duty pair of scissors then cut out and remove most of the cane webbing. Cut within 1/2" to 1" of the groove. You leave a little bit of the cane webbing intact to give you something to grab hold of in the next step. Be careful not to cut yourself while using a box cutter. Always cut in a direction that if you lose control it won't come into contact with yourself. If the color or the old cane webbing is other than natural, I recommend you keep some of it to use as a color sample should you decide to stain the new cane to match.
Step 6) Remove the old cane spline
At this point you take your scratch awl or 1/8" narrow chisel and methodically go around the groove and remove the remaining portion of cane webbing and spline. It's a good idea to do steps 1 - 7 quickly while the cane webbing, spline and glue are still soft from soaking. If you pause during these initial steps the glue will dry making removal very difficult. Besides, you'll have to pause after this step 6 anyways to allow the groove to dry so you can go onto the next step which is to sand the groove.
At this point you take your scratch awl or 1/8" narrow chisel and methodically go around the groove and remove the remaining portion of cane webbing and spline. It's a good idea to do steps 1 - 7 quickly while the cane webbing, spline and glue are still soft from soaking. If you pause during these initial steps the glue will dry making removal very difficult. Besides, you'll have to pause after this step 6 anyways to allow the groove to dry so you can go onto the next step which is to sand the groove.