Biker Caner!

This was one unique way to take home your rush!

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

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

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

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!!!!

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

  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.