Early Summer 2015 - Large Scale Sheet Caning Projects

I recently got to work on two really cool large scale Sheet Caning projects - an antique wheel chair and a register cover from a 1920s Bexley home. Both things I only see in a blue moon! They were a nice diversion from the typical, normal size chair seats and backs I do day-to-day.

First up- the Wheelchair!

What can I say about it.... it was B-I-G!!!

I don't often take pictures with my work, but in this case I had to! I am 5'8" and this was the largest antique wheel chair I had ever seen.

Needless to say it got nick named "Big Daddy" pretty quickly.

The owner loves antiques and found this in a store south of Columbus. He is also in the medical field- what a great and interesting find for him! He refinished the wood before bringing it in to be caned.

How I tackled the "Big Daddy" (LOL!)

The wheel chair was too large to fit down the stairs to my workshop- so, it being summer and all, I did a little en plein air caning. I had to break it up into 3 nice, sunny days- one for each panel. Anyone living in central Ohio this summer knows 3 sunny days has been hard to find!

The seat was physically difficult to do as it was hard to work around, up and over the wheels, arms, tall back and foot rest. It seemed like there was always something in the way. My back hurt by the time I was done from all the contortions and I was glad to have a chiropractor for a husband!

Day 1 - seat install

Day 2 - Back install

Day 3 - Leg rest install

The back and leg panel were a bit kinder to my body, but I needed to be careful not to stress any of the antique wood that had less metal support structure than the seat. I also needed to fit, glue and clamp the folding foot rest into place. The hillbilly cardboard was a buffer between the wood and the clamp so that the pressure of the metal of the clamp would not mar the surface of the chair.

Here it is- the finished chair!

Personally, I do not believe that this would have been used as a wheel chair for the user to push themselves around or at least not often. They might have been able to pivot or scoot a bit if needed, but the big back wheels are not easy to turn while sitting and there is a convenient handle in the back for pushing. The extended foot area and front wheels that stick out make it a little harder to maneuver.

It likely was an invalid chair- for a patient who  could do very little, if anything, on their own. It reclines almost flat and at it's height would make it easier for someone to be transferred from the wheel chair to a bed.

An amazing marriage of furniture traditions with mechanism!

The owners late, beloved cat enjoyed sitting on the top- it got heat from the radiator below and sun from the window above. Over time, heat, sun (and probably claws) the caning dried out and became full of breaks and holes.

The second larger scale Sheet Caning project I did was an original radiator cover for a home in Bexley.
Not a level of detail you see in today's homes! This large cover goes over the original, working radiator. The caning lets the heat pass through, but the custom piece hides the radiator.

Old caning panel and wood frame

New caning going in

At first blush this looks like straight forward Sheet Caning with spline that would hold the caning into a grove in the wood. But it wasn't. The caning came out by unscrewing and removing a wood frame that it was stapled to. Installing new cane by staples was deemed impossible- the unfinished wood frame was very dried out and brittle. So I opted to install the new cane by positioning it into place and screwing and sandwiching it in with the wood frame- piece by piece. Since this was not a piece of furniture to be sat on and purely decorative, that option would work out just fine. This panel was pretty tricky to replace and I needed a few extra hands to help out for install.

After the caning was installed and trimmed- from the inside

From the top- new caning panel

After it was finished the owner took it to Coup Restorations for an overall tune up and staining the new cane to match the old.

Obligatory baby update-

Our little girl turned 6 months and desperately wants to learn to cane! Or do anything mom is doing... It will all come soon enough for the littlest Emza.

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