Caning Chisel for Removing Old Spline, 1/8 or 3/16 in Blade

Getting the old seat out is the slowest part of re-caning a pressed cane chair, and it is where grooves get damaged. A screwdriver or an ordinary wood chisel pries against the groove walls and chips them, and a chipped groove will not grip new spline.

This chisel is narrow steel with a wooden handle, about 8 in long overall, ground to slip down into the groove and lift the old spline and cane out without widening it.

How to use it:

• Soften the old glue first. Cut away the cane in the middle of the seat, then wet the spline with warm water or white vinegar and give it time to soak in. Repeat if the glue is stubborn.
• Set the blade in the groove along the edge of the spline and work it along with hand pressure or light mallet taps, levering the spline up as it comes loose.
• With the spline out, run the chisel along the groove to scrape out the old cane ends and glue. A clean groove with straight walls is what lets the new spline lock tight.

Pick the blade that matches your groove width or one size smaller: 1/8 in for #7 grooves, 3/16 in for #8 and larger. A blade wider than the groove cuts into its walls.

Work safely:

• Push the blade away from you, and keep your other hand behind it, never in front.
• Wear safety glasses. Dry spline and old glue can snap and fly.
• Clamp the chair or brace it against a bench so it cannot shift while you work.

Check the width of the groove beside the old spline, or of the old spline itself, before you order. A #7 groove (1/8 in) takes the 1/8 in blade, and so does a #7.5 groove (5/32 in), since the 3/16 in blade is wider than that. A #8 groove (3/16 in) or anything wider takes the 3/16 in blade.

If you restore chairs from different makers, the set of both covers grooves from 1/8 in up and saves guessing each time. When unsure about a single chair, the 1/8 in blade is the safer pick: a narrow blade still works in a wider groove, but a wide blade will not go into a narrow one.