Strand Chair Cane, 1000 ft Hank for 3 to 4 Seats, 2 mm to 3.5 mm

This is our strand chair cane in the size restorers keep on the shelf: a 1000 ft hank, about three to four average seats, with four strands of 4 mm binder cane wrapped inside. It is the same natural cane as our 270 ft hank, the glossy outer peel of rattan split into flat strands, for weaving seats and backs through drilled holes.

A big hank pays off when you are caning a set of dining chairs, a settee with seat and back, or several jobs in the same size. Every chair in a set needs the right size for its own holes, so measure each one before you start; hand-drilled sets are not always identical.

Working from a large hank:

• Draw out only the strands you need for the next session and keep the rest tied in its loop. A loose hank tangles fast.
• Soak those strands in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes and keep the working strand damp.
• Let soaked strands you did not use dry before they go back with the hank. Never store cane damp.
• Weave shiny side up and in the direction that runs smooth through your fingers, so the nodes do not catch in the holes.

Store the hank dry, loosely coiled and out of direct sun. Tight coiling leaves kinks that weaken a strand at the bend, and damp storage invites mildew.

The four binder strands go around the edge of each finished seat, laid over the holes and tied down with a loop of strand cane. If your seats need a wider binder, or you want binder for wrapping and basket rims, our binder cane comes in 500 ft hanks of 4, 5 and 6 mm.

Choose the size by your holes, just as for a single seat. A quick guide, hole diameter then center-to-center spacing: superfine 2 mm for 1/8 in holes about 3/8 to 7/16 in apart; fine-fine 2.25 mm for 3/16 in holes about 1/2 in apart; fine 2.5 mm for 3/16 in holes about 9/16 to 5/8 in apart; narrow medium 2.75 mm for 1/4 in holes about 5/8 to 11/16 in apart; medium 3 mm for 1/4 in holes about 3/4 in apart; common 3.5 mm for 5/16 in holes about 7/8 in apart.

Measure the spacing across five or six holes and divide, since hand-drilled holes vary. If the chairs in a set fall into different sizes, order a hank for each size rather than forcing one size into every chair.