Press - Sheet Cane

Cane webbing has been in use in furniture manufacture for about 150 years. Manufacturers would farm out the chair seat bottoms to weavers to cane the seat at home, thus establishing a seat weaving cottage industry. But by the 1890's, industrialization made it possible to produce chairs and furniture more quickly and inexpensively. Since the caning work was the most expensive part of the chair making process, a machine was developed to "weave" together cane to form a sheet. This sheet was then pressed into a groove in the chair seat bottom. Thus creating the "pressed cane" chair seat. Modern furniture still use this method for caned chairs and furniture.