Reed Spline Sampler Set, #7, #8 and #9, Three 6 ft Coils

Not sure whether your chair takes #7, #8 or #9 spline? This set has a 6 ft coil of each, the three most common chair groove sizes, so you can test the fit in the groove itself instead of trusting a measurement of an old, worn groove.

What is in the set:

• #7: fits a 1/8 in groove
• #8: fits a 3/16 in groove
• #9: fits a 1/4 in groove

How to test:

• Clear every bit of old spline and glue out of the groove. Old glue left in the bottom makes a groove seem narrower than it is.
• Cut a short piece from each coil and soak them in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Try each piece in the groove, with no glue. The right size goes in with firm tapping and sits flush with the wood. Spline that drops in loosely is too small; spline that will not go down, or stands above the wood, is too big.

Use the coil that fits for this seat. Each one is 6 ft, enough for one average chair. Keep the other two for the next chair, since groove sizes change from one maker to another.

If none of the three fits well, your groove probably falls on a half size or outside this range: under 1/8 in takes #6.5, the widths between take #7.5 or #8.5, and wider than 1/4 in takes #9.5, #10 or #11. All of them come as single 6 ft coils.

Choose the sampler when you cannot measure the groove with confidence: the chair is old and the groove worn, the drill bit test lands between two sizes, or this is your first seat and you would rather test than guess. It also suits anyone who restores chairs from different makers and wants the three common sizes on the shelf.

If you have already measured a clean groove at exactly 1/8, 3/16 or 1/4 in, a single 6 ft coil in that size is all you need.