Peerless Rattan

Making Splint Chairs from Scratch

2012-03-10T13:20:00.007-05:00

John Berkshire makes furniture down in Central Arkansas. He enjoys making ladder-back style chairs in the old time fashion - splitting and riving parts from oak logs, then shaping the parts using a draw-knife, spokeshave, and lathe, then steam bending and assembling all the parts using wet dry joinery and other traditional methods. Pictured is his first painted and woven splint piece. It's black milk paint over red. This is a prototype he built from a white oak log he bought from a sawmill up in the Ozarks. John says they're awfully fun to make. He loves this splint woven seat. He's looking forward to doing more. Isn't it amazing? Beautiful job John!

Round Hand Cane Seats

2012-03-04T14:00:00.009-05:00

One of the most asked questions for new caners is "what hole should I use in a round or non-square seat?" We had a set of chairs where each one of our caners took one, and each one was done a little differently...they all had the same final look where they had "x's" on each side, and yet they all used a different hole along the sides, front and back. I always lay a piece of cane from front to back or side to side and "guess" which hole is even with the rest of the horizontals or verticals in the chairs. You will always have to skip holes, and double up on holes in each corner...sometimes two or three times in each. The more chairs you do, the better you will get at knowing which hole to put the cane. Below are several photos to show the skipping and doubling up of holes along the sides.

Notice how holes were skipped Notice how we doubled up strands in the corners

Notice the "x's" along the front, back and sides

Stuffing Rush Chairs

2012-02-06T16:01:00.004-05:00

Over the years we have discovered very interesting things people use to stuff rush chairs. Rags, newspaper, raffia, folded up paper and even cotton. Ed even found a silver dime wrapped up inside some paper. We have seen seats stuffed on top, bottom or sometimes nothing at all. We recommend stuffing because it helps maintain the form of the seat for a longer period of time. In our workshop we keep a huge supply of heavy cardboard cut into various triangular shapes so it would be easier to stuff the seat with them on hand. We also recommend stuffing both the top and bottom. Some of the newspapers have interesting articles dating back to the '60's. The prices of things have sure gone up! Sometimes we will find someones name and address on cardboard. Hum...that would be good to do. Good luck with stuffing your chairs - if you need more help or suggestions with your rush chair click here

Meet Jan Noall - a Special Caner!

2012-02-03T11:34:00.000-05:00

Jan Noall is a special caner. Well I should say she is just a special person. She volunteers her time helping Seniors (and really anyone) that wants to learn how to cane. The group meets weekly in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio at the Park and Recreation Center. They meet Mondays from 9am to 2pm. These classes are FREE! What starts out as a teaching session turns out to be a group of good friends.
Jan has a home based business, with over 30 years experience in all types of chair seat weaving, wicker furniture repair and basket repair. She also makes structural chair repairs and for a small fee will pick-up and deliver. You can call Jan 1-330-929-0715 or email her janol@att.net To check out more about Jan and her group, click here

SAGE Eldercare - New Jersey - great volunteers

2012-02-03T11:10:00.003-05:00

The mission of SAGE Eldercare is to support the independence, well-being and quality of life of older adults, their families and caregivers, through the provision of client-centered health, social and support services.

As one of the oldest and most respected senior service agencies in New Jersey, SAGE Eldercare helps thousands of frail, older adults, their families and caregivers each year. We are proud to offer a wide range of programs and services that support seniors in the challenges they face during the later stages of life

Check out more about their caning and furniture restoration shop - http://www.sagenj.org/workshop-resale-shop/index.html

Special People!

2011-11-10T11:39:00.007-05:00

One of our recent customers came to our shop with this rocking chair and wanted us to repair the seat. It had been put together with string and a cushion sat on top. They thought it might be a good idea to have a new seat put in. The chair came from their barn. Mr. Watson said that his dad told him that he was rocked in that chair when he was a baby, and he was born in 1890. Mr Watson and his lovely wife still live in the same house the family built in 1850. Both are now in their 90's. What a great story - I'm sure that chair has many more years of rocking to come.

Helen Cribbs of Chairs Caned

2011-10-16T16:34:00.006-04:00

Four years ago we purchased Peerless Rattan from Helen Cribbs. Even though Helen retired from the business, she didn't retire from caning. She is an expert on intricate weaves using wide binding cane and splints. Visit her website www.chairscaned.com for more examples and instructions. Below is just one example of her awesome work.

Family History

2011-09-19T06:38:00.006-04:00

When I was 26 with two children, I began an interest in antiques, my family history and just history in general. My mother came from a poor family that worked farms around Michigan, while my dad's family had a hardware store in Northville Michigan. They are both gone now, but not without leaving me with a great appreciation for what has gone before. This same sense of hard work and history is what I would like my kids to have and remember what it took to get them where they are.
I started caning after finding nobody in the area that could. Little did I know that it would become a passion and end up with us in business as not only doing the cane work but providing cane materials to people all over the country and world.
My daughter started helping me with the work. She took to it so naturally and has developed her own shortcuts and individual method. Adrian has caned so many chairs now, I can't even begin to count.

Caning helped me provide monies for education, weddings, vacations and extra fun things too. My hope is that both my kids will someday become interested in the value of the old, the great craftsmanship and time it took to make furniture and put the seats in them. I hope to find someday, tape marked with their names in back of furniture that they want because they appreciate their family history.

Memories of a Cane Rocker

2011-09-02T19:34:00.004-04:00

Congratulations are in store for this grandmother on the birth of her first grandchild. She found this chair in her basement and tons of memories came to her as this was the chair she used to rock her child in...now she can rock her grandchild in this same rocker. We have so many cane and rush chairs in our home and each tells a story of children, grandchildren, cats, where we purchased them, who gave them to us - even how a foot went through the bottom. I dare say you have some cane and rush chairs in your homes that tell a story...we'd love to hear about them.

Hand Made Boxes

2011-08-22T08:20:00.003-04:00

One of our customers makes oval boxes to resemble shaker type boxes. He had an idea to cane the top. It took a lot of figuring out how to make the holes, how many and how big in an oval on top of a box that wouldn't break. He makes all sizes and stack-able. After they are completed, he uses them for potpourri and the holes made from the cane make it possible for the fragrance to seep out into the room.

Fiber Rush Factory

2011-08-16T20:39:00.002-04:00

Did you know that fiber rush was invented in the United States in the early 1900's? It was used to make wicker furniture and then later used for rush seating due to the Chinese embargo of rattan materials. Recently we went through a fiber rush factory - check out our video...

Rush Project

2011-07-23T08:09:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, one of our customers came by for baby rush 3/32 for a project at the Trinity Senior Living Communities. The residents there are making St. Brigid Crosses. Thanks for sharing this!

Jeannie tackles something new

2011-07-12T08:10:00.002-04:00

Jeannie has been caning for over 30 years - started when she bought a $4 chair and took it to a caning class. She says this round seat is one of the most complicated things she has ever tackled.

Biker Caner!

2011-06-29T21:16:00.004-04:00

This was one unique way to take home your rush!

2011-06-22T18:32:00.008-04:00

Star Student!!
Meet Dave. Last winter he took a caning class from Peerless Rattan and caught the caning bug. He takes his caning very seriously, and because of it - his projects turn out great! Here he has redone a little sewing rocker from the refinishing of the wood to the replacement of the back and seat. He put in the daisy and button pattern. Isn't it beautiful? Dave finds caning very therapeutic...not that he needs therapy! Good job Dave - Ed and I are so proud of you!

Take a closer look at the pattern Dave put exactly in the middle back while using the x's and fish-heads.

Unusual Rush Patterns

2011-05-11T06:55:00.018-04:00

When you are rushing an unusual rush seat, it is important to pay careful attention to the way the seat was put in while you are taking out the old material. It would even be a good idea to take pictures of the process. Check out the pictures below on some of our recent seats.

The Wonderful People We Meet

2011-02-28T08:56:00.003-05:00

Recently we replaced the seats in several chairs for Mrs. C. Her husband passed away a few years ago and he was the caner in the family. He liked to cane for relaxation - with accomplishment at the end. They had a house full of cane chairs some of which Mrs. C remembered as a girl. The dining room chairs were smaller than the norm and worked just right for her and were so comfortable. We are delighted to meet people that love cane chairs and have a story to tell about them. Do you have a story to tell - let us know.

The most asked question...staining cane

2011-02-15T06:07:00.003-05:00

How do you stain cane? Is it possible? Well we don't attempt to try...we used to but we found the easiest way was to find some refinishers that are expert stainers. They mix stain and laquer and spray on the stain/laquer combination. Cane does have a natural finish, and therefore doesn't penetrate like wood. It is almost like painting on the stain. When chairs are made - they put in the cane and then spray the entire chair. It is very difficult to duplicate the color after years of wear and new cane is put in. More power to you if you have discovered the trick - but as for us we leave that up to the professional stainers.

Glue!!!!

2011-02-02T09:01:00.001-05:00

After spending many hours trying to get gorilla glue out of the holes, and talking to several people who just had the same experience - I thought I'd mention that it is not necessary to use "cement" on your chairs to keep the cane in. We just had several hand cane chairs where the caner cut off all the ends on the back and used epoxy in every hole...plus on the seats they actually tied them and then poured glue all over the ties. This is not necessary.
Have you ever had a pressed cane job where people did the same thing? All that is necessary is either Hide Glue or Elmers White as they are water soluble and easier for the next person to get out. Remember - you may be that next person!

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Cane Class

2011-02-01T10:28:00.000-05:00

We just started a new cane class every Thursday evening from 7 - 9 pm. People bring their own chair and learn how to cane or rush. This class is a floating class where you can jump in at anytime...people work at their own pace - some have even completed their project. What a fun way to fend off the winter blues - meet new people with the same interests and learn something besides. If you have a chair that needs work and are in our area - (Kalamazoo - Plainwell) come and join us. Call 1-269-685-1858 to find out more details.

Wing Craft Show -

2011-01-31T09:27:00.000-05:00

The Craft Show at Wings Stadium was a little disappointing as it was Christmas and what we had were stools that were not convenient to drag along as you were looking at other booths. But we talked caning all day long and handed out about 300 business cards in which we feel will pay off someday.

The booth across from us had a food item and they were giving out samples - so the next day we brought samples from our items for sale "stool samples" and the people walking by (especially nurses) really thought that was pretty funny.

Would we do that again? Probably not at that particular venue - but it spurred us on to thinking about another venue - The Alamo Depot Antique and Craft Mall. We have antiques as well as a great spot to feature the stools with the different types of rush and cane - plus advertising for us as well.

Did you know....

2010-11-08T08:45:00.000-05:00

We list Caners on our website (www.peerlessrattan.com) and have features of Caners in several areas of the country.

Christmas is coming....

2010-11-01T15:19:00.002-04:00

Ok, Halloween is over....it's now time to start thinking about Christmas - if you haven't been already! The Annual Christmas Craft show at Wings Stadium will be on Saturday December 4th and Sunday December 5th. This event is a MUST for all those living in West Michigan. It is perfect for those hard to buy for people!

Peerless Rattan will be having a booth at the show this year!! We will be showing and selling many different types of stools from hand cane to shaker tape to rush as well as splint! Come and check us out and buy for that person who "has it all"!

Updated Website!

2010-10-22T12:10:00.002-04:00

BIG NEWS!
Peerless Rattan has updated our website: www.peerlessrattan.com

We have been working diligently on this project and are excited for you to check it out.

You'll find all the same features you are used to, plus a few new ones. The biggest change is that we are now set up to accept credit cards as well as Paypal.

You will have to re-register as a new user as we weren't able to transfer over your password. It is an easy process, and you'll only have to register once.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us.
Thanks for supporting us, we look forward to supplying you all your future caning needs!

What is a Steamer?

2010-10-04T10:50:00.005-04:00

Peerless Rattan is the only North American supplier of the Steamer...what is a Steamer?

A Steamer is a special type of caning needle imported from England. It is used in pairs in an innovative new way of caning. Once you adjust to this new method, you'll be hooked on steamers! You can purchase them from our website: http://www.peerlessrattan.com/. Instructions are included with every purchase. They come in both 20" and 30".

Losing it's Memory...

2010-09-23T19:00:00.002-04:00

If the cane in your chair begins to "lose it's memory" (become loose) simply put a wet towel on the underneath side (tip your chair over) overnight. When you take the towel off and tip it back over the cane should tighten up. It it doesn't tighten up, then your chair has "lost it's memory"!

Basic Instructions for Hand Caning

2010-09-20T12:53:00.004-04:00

Before you begin, make sure all of the holes are cleaned out throroughly. Find the center of the back and front and mark that hole with a caning peg. Soak the cane in room temp. water, and keep damp throughout process.

Step #1 By using the center holes pull the cane from back to front making sure that you leave at least 3 inches for tying off. Move the cane under the seat to the next hole and run it from front to back...continue this until the entire seat is done. Keep the shiny side of the strands up.

Step #2 Using the back left corner of the chair use the same method as described above only go from side to side. Try not to use the corner holes.

Step #3 Same step at #1 - only place the cane on the right hand side of step #1 placing the strand over step #2.

Step #4 This is where the actual weaving begins. By following step #2 go under over, under over. This step is on the bottom side of step #2. You may only be able to pull through a few at a time.

Step #5 Beginning in the upper right hand side of the chair, use the corner hole. Weave over strands from front to back and under strands from side to side. You will need to double up in the corner holes and you will see it form a "fish head" in each corner. The reason for this is that usually there are more holes in the front than the back, and it will help to form "x's" along each side as well.

Step #6 At the upper left hand side of the chair use the opposite corner hole. Weave under strands from front to back and over strands from side to side. You will notice "x's" forming in the front and back and even along each side. If you don't then you need to adjust your strands to do so.

Binding the Outside: By using Binder or Finishing Cane, cut a piece and lay over the holes. By using a piece of cane, go up through each hole and under each hole to hold the binder in place. After you are finished, you must now tie off the loose strands hanging underneath the chair. Use an awl to pick up the cane, slip the strand under, and then by using the same strand, make a tie. You need to trim any excess cane off. Our PLATO nippers are an excellent tool for this. You can use round reed to "peg" the hole you start and end with.

On-line Video Slide Shows

2010-09-13T20:23:00.002-04:00

Our website http://www.peerlessrattan.com/ has several on-line video slide shows with pictures showing step by step directions and instruction.Here are some quick links to them:

Seat Weaving Using the Blind Knot

Cane Seat Weaving

Pressed Cane Seat Weaving

Rush Seat Weaving

Christmas at Wings

2010-09-09T15:13:00.003-04:00

Peerless Rattan is getting ready for "Christmas at Wings" on December 4th and 5th 2010! This holiday events brings in over 30,000 people to Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo, MI.

Garage Sale Finds

2010-08-25T20:20:00.002-04:00

Be on the lookout at estate sales and garage sales for caned chairs that have holes in them! You can pick them up for cheap, cane them yourself and either re-sell them for a nice profit or keep them! I just found 4 pressed in cane chairs in great condition and the lady sold them for $6 Bucks! They look to be about 40 years old. I can't wait to get them fixed up and see what I can get for them!

Peerless Rattan in Memorial Day Parade

2010-08-10T11:06:00.002-04:00

Peerless Rattan owners Ed and Cindy Hammond were in the Plainwell, MI Memorial Day Parade this year. Their children and Grandchildren all wore matching Peerless Rattan shirts and walked along-side the company mini-van passing out candy. Sitting on top of the mini-van was a caned rocking chair! It was a fun time and they can't wait to do it again next year - maybe behind Papa's tractor?!

Care of Cane Seats

2010-04-22T19:10:00.002-04:00

Follow these helpful hints to prolong the life of your caned seat.
1. Keep cane chairs away from extreme heat situations and areas with low humidity.
These conditions cause the cane to dry out and become brittle and break. Fireplaces forced air heating, and sunny window exposure should be avoided.
2. Distribute weight evenly on the seat.
Never kneel on your seat or use it for a stool or ladder, which will cause the cane to break.
3. Is your seat starting to sag?
Cane has a memory (a natural elasticity) which over the years it will lose. (sound familiar?) If you don't tighten this up - your chair will start to break along the edges. If they aren't too far gone, you can tighten them up. All you need to do is tip the seat upside down, and place damp cloth on the under side overnight. The next day, tip right side up and the cane should tighten right back up. You should not sit on the seat for 24 to 48 hours to give it a good amount of time to dry. You can also mist the underside of the seat and you could even do this periodically to add moisture and prolong the life of the cane.
4. Cane and wicker storage.
Try not to store your furniture in places with high humidity or places where mold and mildew can develop. Keep your cane clean and mold free.
Caring for your cane seat can help them to last anywhere from 5 - 25 years.
Any other suggestions - please share.

To Knot or Not to Knot

2010-04-16T16:42:00.000-04:00

To Knot or Not to Knot - that is the question. After using the no knot method for the last few chairs - I am not convinced that it will hold over the long haul. I do see its use for chairs where there is a groove underneath...the David Dick method is good for backs (located on our website). But I am just fine with the old fashioned method of tying. I will keep using the different methods to suit each chair.

Sentimental

2010-04-01T19:07:00.000-04:00

Today we had a man here at the shop with a chair that he had rocked his daughter in - we needed to replace the cane seat so he can give it to her for her new baby coming soon! What an awesome idea.