The split cane seat rail

Well I decided to repair the rail rather than replace it. The split was glued using modern permanent resin glue and left clamped all weekend in a warm place. It's now solid so ready for the next phase of repair.

Cane puts an enormous strain on the frame, so you have to be sure that the repair is going to be strong enough. It helps to add some small hidden dowels between the drilled holes along the frame for a bit of extra grip.

 

Here it is. The holes have been cleared of glue so it's now ready to be fitted back into the frame.

Next job is to restore the original faux rosewood finish on the beech frame - always a bit fiddly.

Here's the remnants of the finish on the back rail that I need to copy. Not much left to go on!