Rubber Mallet for Caning and Upholstery, Mini, 8 oz or 16 oz

A steel hammer dents wood and flattens spline. A rubber head spreads the blow, so you can tap reed spline down into its groove and drive caning wedges home without marking the seat frame.

Three sizes:

• Mini, with a 25 mm (about 1 in) double-faced head, for spline work. The small face stays on the spline and reaches into the corners.
• 8 oz, for general caning: driving wedges to press the cane into the groove, and tapping the spline down level.
• 16 oz, for heavier jobs such as seating L-nails for a Danish cord seat, or knocking a loose chair joint back together after gluing.

On a pressed cane seat:

• Hold each wedge upright in the groove and tap it straight down. A glancing blow can tear the cane.
• Soak the spline in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes first, so it bends around the corners instead of cracking.
• Run glue into the groove, then tap the spline in a few inches at a time, starting at the middle of the back rail, until its top sits level with the seat.
• To spread the blow further, lay a wedge on top of the spline and tap the wedge.

Many light, even taps do better than a few hard ones. Hard blows bruise the spline and can split a thin groove wall.

Black rubber can leave a faint grey scuff on pale or unfinished wood. It wipes off with a damp cloth, or you can tap through a scrap of cloth on show wood.

The rest of the supplies for the job are on the replace a pressed cane seat project page.

For pressed cane seats, the mini mallet gives the most control. It is light, so you work in many small taps, which is what spline needs, and its small face is easy to keep on a narrow strip.

Pick the 8 oz if you want one mallet for all your caning. It drives wedges with fewer blows and still taps spline in gently.

Pick the 16 oz for Danish cord seats, where a typical seat takes 30 to 50 L-nails in hardwood rails, and for knocking joints back together when you reglue a frame. It is heavy for spline, so pair it with the mini if you do both kinds of work.