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Chair Cane by the Pound, Narrow Common 3.25 mm, 1 lb Coil
A 1 lb coil of natural strand chair cane in the narrow common size, 3.25 mm wide, sold by weight for restorers who cane larger seats and chair backs.
Strand chair cane is the glossy outer peel of the rattan palm, split into long flat strands and woven by hand through the drilled holes of a seat. This coil holds one pound of it in the narrow common size, 3.25 mm wide, about 1/8 in. Buying by weight instead of by the hank suits restorers who cane larger seats and backs.
Because it is sold by weight, the length varies a little from coil to coil.
Narrow common sits between medium (3 mm) and common (3.5 mm). Use it when your holes fall between those two sizes, or when the old seat was woven in this width.
Working with it:
- Soak only a few strands at a time, in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes, and keep the strand you are weaving damp. Dry cane cracks as it bends through a hole.
- Each strand has a glossy face and a dull back. Keep the glossy face up on top of the seat, and don't let the strand twist as it passes through a hole.
- Pull a strand between your fingers: one way it runs smooth, the other way it catches on the nodes. Weave in the smooth direction.
- Leave the first layers slightly slack. The diagonals tighten the seat, and the cane tightens more as it dries.
Binder cane, the wider strand that covers the holes around the edge at the end, is sold separately.
Store the coil dry, loosely coiled and out of direct sun. Draw strands out one at a time and leave the ties on the rest, so the coil does not spring open and tangle.
How to choose
Size follows your chair's holes, not the size of the seat. Measure the hole diameter, and the spacing center to center averaged over several holes, then compare with the chart in our hand caning guide. Narrow common, at 3.25 mm, falls between medium (3 mm) and common (3.5 mm).
The surest test is the cane itself. If you have a clean piece of the old seat, measure its width in mm. Or soak a strand and pass it through one hole a few times: every hole takes several passes plus the binder loop, so if a few passes already fill it, go one size finer.
Choose this coil over a hank when you have larger seats or chair backs to do.
Questions
How long is a 1 lb coil?
It is sold by weight, so the length varies a little from coil to coil. If you need a known length, our strand cane hanks come in 270 and 1000 ft.
Is narrow common the same as common?
No. Narrow common is 3.25 mm, a little narrower than common at 3.5 mm and a little wider than medium at 3 mm. Match it to your holes or to a piece of your old cane.
Does it come with binder cane?
No. Binder, the wider strand that covers the holes around the edge, is sold separately in 4, 5 and 6 mm.
How long do I soak it?
10 to 15 minutes in warm water, a few strands at a time. Keep the strand you are weaving damp with a sponge as you go.
My chair has a groove, not holes. Will this work?
No. A grooved seat takes pressed cane webbing held in with reed spline. Strand cane is for seats with a row of drilled holes.
Cane Webbing Roll
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