Cane seats are dryed out and rotted. So I have the frame and was thinking of making my own web seats. Any pointers?? Staples, tacks,glue?? Love to hear from anyone that might have tried this??
Thanks
your seat frames , are they the type …
– Last Updated: Apr-22-10 11:22 PM EST –
...... that have a spline pressed into a routed groove around the perimeter of the seat frame , similar in fashion to screening set into a sreen frame ??
The only other way I'm aware of is the cane is passed through holes and then woven by hand in one of the various patterns .
It's a pretty easy deal with the pre-woven cane sheets and spline method , although if the spline was glued into the groove , the prep work can be a bit tedious removing and cleaning out the routed groove .
There are just a few "special things to be sure of" when re-caning if it's the spline method type .
The hand woven cane method using the holes is fairly time consuming .
Not sure about using staples or tacks for the spline method , I've just pressed it into the groove with a bed of glue in the groove on chairs I've worked on .
Staples on something marine (or exterior) should be corrosion proof as possible , like Monel , stainless , etc. .
Well, before we get too far into it…
…you might want to check these two recent threads…
http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=advice&tid=1272586
http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=advice&tid=1273950
Here’s what I did.
– Last Updated: Apr-23-10 12:20 AM EST –
I've posted this a few times before, so no, I'm not getting old and forgetful (yet). The original seat on my packboat had an improperly glued spline. The builder kindly sent me a new seat, but I salvaged the old one and installed webbing.
Before cutting the webbing into usable sections, I pre-stretched it by pulling it tight with a car, and left it under tension for about 14 hours. That lengthened it by a noticeable amount, so I think that doing this was good for preventing later sagging.
I attached the webbing on the bottom side of the frame using sheet-metal screws (!). They seemed a lot more "grippy" than tacks or staples, and I had plenty on hand. When attaching the second end of each strap, I pulled it tight by gripping it with wide-blade Vice Grips (the kind used for bending sheet metal). I pried the Vice Grips with a screwdriver to create lots of tension in the strap, while installing the sheet metal screws with my free hand (having someone help with this part would be a lot easier).
I installed all the straps in one direction first, as tight as practical. If the straps in the other direction are installed later, the act of weaving them back and forth through the first set really tightens those first straps a lot more, and creates a much stiffer webbing job than if you alternately install the straps in both directions. Most of the commercially made webbing seats that I have are not as comfortable as the one I laced myself, because the commercial makers usually don't stretch the webbing tight enough to prevent the front cross-member of the seat from becoming a square-edge pressure point under your butt.
all great
information. I would not have thought of the webbing getting slack. I think I will soak it and hang some weight on it for a few days. Sheet metal screws are what I was thinking as well. Thanks for the help.
Will take photo’s to share.
Hair shirts
– Last Updated: Apr-23-10 12:39 PM EST –
Why all this talk of drum-tight webbing? I have come to the opinion that somewhat slack webbing is more comfortable than that which is strung so tightly that the tuckus cannot discern between the canoe seat and a piano bench.
The interior of my seat is larger than most (18"w x 14" l) and after trying to get tight webbing, even investing in polyester webbing to limit stretch when wet it became readily apparent that slack web formed a bucket for my tuckus to sink into.
Ahhhhhhh. Comfort.
Jim
Edited to correct misspelling of "tuckus"
For what it is worth
– Last Updated: Apr-24-10 7:38 PM EST –
I have perfect cane seats in my Penobscot, but on a long trip the butt gets sore, (commonly known as "canoe can", so my wife improvised as follows:
She used the el cheapo sleeping pads that you get at wally world, and made tractor style seats using four layers for each seat. She formed the hollows using a piece between the layers, and cut out "cheek" holes out of the top two layers.
She used two strips of velcro on the bottom of each, and then added the matching velcro on the top of the cane seats, so the improvised ones can be removed if we want to.
We used them last Saturday on a 16 mile stretch of river, and not once did we feel "canoe can", and could have kept right on going.
We also have foam pedistal seats, (for white water) under the cane seats, so we can just remove the cane seats if we want.
The boat is now outfitted for WW, long trips or lilly dipping.
Improvising is the ticket!
Cheers,
JackL
webbing for seats
If you want to use staples, you will need a power stapler to drive staples large enough to hold well. If you don’t use stainless steel staples, they will rust.
I use 1 1/2" or 2" wide nylon tubular webbing. Use a simple over and under weave pattern. Tubular webbing is softer than flat webbing. Polyester (like auto seat belts) or polypro can also be used. Lots of outdoor stores, especially those who cater to rock climbers, have tubular nylon webbing.
Nylon does stretch a bit, which I find desirable. I haven’t found it necessary to prestretch it. If you want it tighter, you could probably wet the nylon before fastening it and it will tighten as it dries.
I use stainless steel wood screws and stainless steel finish washers to secure the strips. If the seat frame is symmetrical top to bottom, you can turn it upside down so that none of the rout that was used to secure the cane will be visible. If you don’t do that, just a little of the rout will be visible, mainly at the corners of the original cane. Just figure out how many strips you need and cut them with a soldering iron, or flame the ends after cutting so they don’t fray.
I make the strips long enough to reach around the outsides of the frame, then wrap underneath the seat frame and up into the inside part of the seat frame. I secure the strips to the inside portion of the seat frame rails with the stainless steel screws and finish washers. It helps to poke a pilot hole through the webbing at the location the screw should penetrate using a scratch awl. This also facilitates getting the webbing tight. Also drill pilot holes in the seat frame where the screws should go.
You can fasten the strips at the underside of the seat frame instead, but if you ever put your feet underneath the seat, you are going to get scraped up a bit by the screws and the rather rough free ends of the strips. It is much smoother if the screws, washers and strip ends are placed up inside the frame.
“Tight” is a relative term,
I have some commercially made seats on which the webbing sags almost an inch with very little load, so the front cross-member is the main thing supporting you. That’s about how tight the webbing will be if you don’t try really hard to make it tighter. You’d need special machinery to make the webbing as tight as you describe.
how many screws
Can you give me a little more detail on the screws - what size, how long, and did you do one screw per webbing end?