Hobby within a hobby

[patrick corry]

What do you call a hobby that could be a stand-alone endeavor, but is performed in service to another hobby? An AI search says- a niche skill, mad skill, or sub-skill, or perhaps a micro-hobby. I dunno but I'm thinking obsession is taking over! This little process is telling me I have a ways to go still in my education... What I really need is warmer weather so I can actually work on the current canoe project in my cold barn!

In another thread (and in order not to drift from that thread) found here: https://forums.wcha.org/threads/artificial-cane-for-seats.24184/ we discussed the minutiae of cane and technique. Here, I'm making another set of seats for an as-yet undetermined restoration. It'll probably go in another 50#er I acquired which has elegant D-shaped mahogany outwales. Anyway, having completed 6 steps of the common 7 step pattern, I was reviewing my work and on inspection I found what I think are two consistent errors. In the picture below, I think the red indicated canes should have passed under the yellow on each side of the seat. As well, the orange indicated canes should have passed between the pink at each of the four corners. Your thoughts are welcomed!

 

[samb]

I have yet to cane a seat without later finding a fault!
Sam

 

[Michael Grace]

Too often people are told bluntly that there are "right" and "wrong" ways to do these things. I disagree with such strong language, but at the same time I want my work, caning and other work, to be perfectly consistent. Seats are for sitting, and you've made a perfectly serviceable and nice-looking seat. That said, while I don't truly obsess over details, I really care about the details and try to make things as consistent as possible (which means perfectly consistent). I really don't mean for this to sound arrogant, but the reason I don't obsess is because I just make sure the details are the way I want them.

The details you point out are all places where you've got an inconsistent weave pattern, but you can still correct them if you want to at this stage. Hand-woven cane is forgiving in the you can pull out a strand, tie off the ends as usual where you have to cut the cane, and weave in a new strand. One helpful way to look at your caning pattern is to follow a given diagonal element laterally or vertically across the seat and look for inconsistencies. For example, take any horizontal row above and follow it across. Where are the diagonals that go from bottom left to top right? They are all on top except for the first and last diagonals - they are underneath the other strand of cane.

Your corner-most diagonals are inconsistent with your overall caning pattern because all four of them pass under both of the diagonals coming out of the corner holes. For consistency, simply weave them under one and over the other strand coming out of the corner hole so that this tiny element matches the rest of the over-under pattern.

 

[patrick corry]

Seat no.2; I got this one right... I think.

All four seats need binder and trimming of 'feathers'. This is good work to do when the outside temperature is in the single digits, which is somewhat rare for us here in southeast PA!