Furniture Repair Directory™

Welcome to Brad’s Backcountry Woodshop in Big Bear Lake California. Located high in the mountains of southern California I create new wooden furniture pieces as well as refinish and restore the old. I will fix dings, dents, raised or missing veneer, broken and missing pieces, spindle turnings, reweaving your cane, rush and splint chair seats, polishing old finishes.

Fine instruments to chairs, simple to complex, French polishing, color matching, toner, glazing, grain filling, these are just a few processes I take each piece through. Each piece already has a story to tell and when I am done it will have many more to tell.

These are just some of the things I have had the honor of working on and bringing back its original beauty to last another 100 years. When working on old pieces of furniture, I always wonder about the hands that have touched the piece prior to mine, the conversations that took place around a hundred-year-old dining room table or the music created by a 110-year-old reed organ that no one outside that room has heard today.

I started working with wood at a young age, as my Grandparents on both sides and father had all the necessary tools and knowledge about woodworking for me to become comfortable in working with wood. My Mom also as early as I can remember was bringing home antiques and of course, most of them needed repair.

Without knowing it at the time I was not only learning how to repair wood furniture but also was paying attention to the construction of older furniture, joinery and finish used. For long-lasting furniture, I realized proper joints, finish and proportion is essential to a great piece.

Please browse my site and see what you like! If you do not see what you are looking for in the site, just go to the contact page and tell me what you need! I am willing to work with you to create the wooden piece you have in mind or to fix whatever’s broken.

Just e-mail pictures to me so I can give you a ballpark estimate. I will pick up and deliver pieces close to Big Bear Lake, CA. If you happen to live outside California we can schedule or discuss pick up or delivery options.

Thanks for stopping by and let’s connect on social, too!

(TC-5/31/25)

Chair caning expert Helen Cribbs, owner of Chairs Caned in Delaware, OH (2019 new city location) provides experienced and fair-priced handwoven and pressed cane, plus wide binding cane in several patterns. (I now refrain from taking on wicker & fibre rush).

I have been in this business for over 30 years and since I work from home so my pricing stays reasonable. When possible, I offer pick-up and delivery within a reasonable distance from my shop.

Several furniture refinishers and upholsterers in Dayton, Columbus, and Tipp City, Ohio, keep me busy honing my craft.

Visit my website, where you will find several patterns for the DIY chair seat weaver. The 7-Step Strand Caning pattern is especially detailed with diagrams. All are free to download and use.

(10/25/TC)

Bayberry Seatweaving is now located in Bellevue, Nebraska, just south of Omaha, after recently moving from Canton, Massachusetts.

***Please Note 5/23/24: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the shop will be closed until fall. I apologize for any inconvenience this causes you but will continue to maintain my waitlist for caning jobs. Thank you, Theodore

Owner, Ted Powell had his chair caning and seatweaving business in Canton for 15 years, providing chair caning and other seatweaving services in the surrounding area before moving to Nebraska.

My mother was the Extension Service agent for Dukes County on Martha’s Vineyard – what a great place to grow up!! She taught me how to refinish, cane, and rush furniture back in the sixties when I was about ten years old.

In Canton, I concentrated on single-strand caning, pressed cane, paper rush, pre-twisted natural rush, and Danish cord. I intend to continue practicing these skills and incorporate other seat weaving types here in Bellevue as the need arises.

In addition, I provide minor restoration, re-gluing, and refinishing. My turn-around times vary depending on what is needed and the complexity of the work. However, because I am “retired,” I can respond quickly.

I provide free cost estimates and can usually do them using a few pictures and some seat measurements. Contact us today for your appointment.

Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(10/31/24-TC)

The Wickerfixer and Chair Recaner’s owners Cheri and Mike Russell in Ozark, Missouri have served the antique wicker furniture world nationwide since 1976. They are also mentioned in all of Richard Saunders’ antique wicker books and price guides.

They specialize in minor to major restoration of wicker furniture, and all types of chair seat weaving, hole & pressed cane, rush, splint, Danish cord, herringbone, and seagrass weaving. Family heirloom restoration is their specialty! They buy and sell at shows and through http://www.WickerFixer.com shop.

The Wicker Fixer will locate that special piece of furniture for you, paint your wicker and even travel to do on-site wicker repairs! Pick-up and delivery service is available, call for areas covered, and remember shipping is an option, too.

Judging from their slogan “Get your dog chewed, cat clawed, bird pecked, family abused, wicker fixed today!” The Wicker Fixer can do just about anything for your wicker and cane furniture.

(2-SUB 3/4/25)

Jim’s Chair Caning, (a father & daughter team), offers hand caning, mat caning, Danish cord, rush weaving, hickory bark, fiber rush, and Shaker tape weaving, also minor chair repairing.

Pick-up and delivery service is available, too. We are located just West of High Springs and Gainesville, FLORIDA (home of the GATORS).

Cottage Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(12/30/MO-TC)

Welcome to Seats on the Beach. We are a small family chair caning and seat weaving business, providing chair caning and other seat weaving services primarily in Charleston, South Carolina, also including the  Midlands and Lowcountry of SC.

We work with most weaving media, rattan strand hand caning, press cane mesh, fibre rush, pre-twisted natural rush (which is a good substitute for cattail rush and bulrush), Danish cord, Kevlar cord, and twisted seagrass.

We provide basic chair repair services of replacing broken rails and rungs and tightening loose joints. We also provide minor touch-up staining and refinishing but we are not skilled in full refinishing.

We do not do upholstery and wicker but will occasionally rewrap wicker joints on a chair-by-chair basis.

Call or email today for an appointment and to discuss your chair seat weaving needs!

We now have two locations for drop-off: 2995 Highway 174 Edisto Island, SC, 29438 and 10 Warren Ct, Sumter, SC 29150 (Appointments required)

We are a proud Cottage level member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(11/26/TC)

THE CHAIRMAN–Taught to weave by my grandmother at a very young age, I have made restoring our history by reweaving chair seats, my goal.

Services offered in the central Florida area include; 7-step hand cane, blind/French cane, cane webbing, fibre and natural rush and more.

Pick-up/delivery available, house calls, repairs and refinishing, and classes too! Call or email today for your appointment.

Business Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.® 

(11/01/24/CK-TC)

B-Reseated Chair Weaving has 25+ years experience in all forms of woven seating repair & restoration: hand cane, pressed cane, fiber rush, natural rush (hand-twisted & pre-twisted), Danish cord, splint, leather, etc.

We also offer our customers stripping and refinishing services and free estimates.

Our customers include:

• PQ Brands/David Iatesta Studios in Stevensville, MD
• Martin’s Chair Company, New Holland PA
• McLain-Wiesand Home Furnishings, Baltimore MD
• The Dobbin House Restaurant, Gettysburg PA

Our seat weaving work for Smilow Design has been featured in Martha Stewart Living (September 2015) and Elle Decor (December 2014).

Charter & Business Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild Inc.®

(SUB-TCGF-9/19/25)

***Update–Due to the flooding in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024, Silver River Center for Chair Caning lost their River Arts District location along with 80% of the neighborhood and 3/4 of their shop.

Consider donating to or sharing their GoFundMe fundraiser. Thanks for helping them rebuild in a new location (Spring/Summer 2025): 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-our-chair-weaving-school

Silver River Center for Chair Caning is operated by two chair nerds on a mission to cultivate and inspire a reverence for a worldwide chair caning legacy.

Our vision is to promote an enthusiasm for the craft through education, published work, restoration, and travel. Be on the lookout for our instructional manual to be published by Blue Hills Press in 2025! Watch our @SilverRiverChairs YouTube channel for virtual tours, weaving guides, and lots of nerdy goodness.

After decades of attempting to dispel the myth that chair caning is a dying art, we now see how quickly it can get swept away. The catastrophic flooding in the Appalachian mountains was devastating to a community rich in craft. We are so grateful to the chair nerd community for reaching out, sending words of encouragement, and donating to our rebuilding efforts. We want to honor your generosity and kindness in our new location on Main St. Weaverville, just 10 min North of Asheville.

We empower everyone to restore their own chairs and to encourage makers to incorporate woven seating in their designs.  We will be teaching small classes at our shop in Weaverville as well as offsite at John C Campbell Folk School & Arrowmont. We are building an online school (with a potential launch date of late 2025) so that we can expand our reach and offer classes at a lower cost than traveling to North Carolina.

Silver River is an official education center of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Memberships include The SeatWeavers’ Guild, The Furniture Society, The American Craft Council, The River Arts District Association, and we are a heritage member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild (Brandy is a 4th Generation Chair Weaver). We are proud to honor a family tradition, the craft, and all chair nerds (past, present, and future) with Silver River Center for Chair Caning.

Silver River is open Mon-Fri 10-5 by appointment or chance in our new location Spring 2025–

• MUSEUM UPDATE: Our new location has limited space for a museum display as large as it was in the River Arts District but we will be showcasing the diversity of the craft in a new way – stay tuned for our online gallery and our traveling chair weaving exhibit. Our new location will have fun displays of #canespotting, historic WNC chairs, and ephemera.
• Our classes range from beginner to advanced tutorials, and we will eventually be accepting apprenticeships once we get properly settled in the new space.
• Watch a virtual tour on our YouTube channel. Learn about materials, history, and process of 8 styles of chair seat weaving.
• You can still enjoy the reference library and educate yourself on ancient and global traditions.
• We launched over 30 small chair weaving businesses during our 10 years in the River Arts District. We are excited to continue training and advising aspiring weavers in our new location.
• Due to our focus on education, we will be doing selective restorations. We are glad to refer you to a couple of our students who operate their own businesses in WNC.
• We will eventually be accepting donations of chairs for student practice. If you want to donate, please text us a photo of your chair.
• We are glad to give remote advice on chair weaving projects – cost depends on level of assistance needed. Email us a photo along with your questions.
• Sales of chair nerd t-shirts, stickers, postcards, and bookmarks support the proliferation of chair nerd culture.
• Hire us to speak and demonstrate at museums, craft shows, schools, woodworkers associations, etc. A Brief History of Chair Caning is a slideshow timeline that covers 5,000 years and spans the globe. It is rich in historical images, astonishing displays of weaving materials, and contemporary makers with woven seating.
• We love hosting field trips and group classes/demos/tours

Note: Our restoration waitlist is often 6 months-1 year out. Restoration inquiries should be emailed to [email protected] and should include photos of the chair attached to the email.

Corporate & Board Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(4/1/NCHG)

Stephen Ambrose -“The Chair Seat Weaver” is a 4th generation professional chair seat weaver. After a recent move in early 2021 from York, Pennsylvania, where he lived and worked for many years, Stephen is now providing chair seat weaving services in Hanover, PA.

Stephen uses natural materials in the hand-weaving techniques of hole-to-hole cane or lace caning, press-in cane fabric or spine caning, and also does handwoven splint seats.

Stephen takes on minor furniture repair too, so if your pieces need some TLC in that area be sure to inquire about those services.

“Please call or email and I’ll get back to you to schedule your appointment and give directions to my shop. Looking forward to meeting you!” – Stephen Ambrose, The Chair Seat Weaver.

To put a face with the name, check out this Youtube video! Stephen’s chair caning talents were featured on the local TV station where he used to work as a broadcasting engineer before retiring!

Steve Ambrose-Retired Broadcasting Engineer now Chair Caner

A few years ago, ABC27, a local broadcast station in Pennsylvania, did a spot on Steve on their newscast, too.

Steve Ambrose, Pennsylvania Seat Weaver on ABC Channel 27

(10/22/TC)

RS Peck offers caning, both handwoven and prewoven, in most patterns including the very difficult double-blind cane technique. I also do woodcarving of reproductions (such as missing sections on furniture and mirror frames) and original pieces.

I owned and operated a furniture restoration business in Racine, Wisconsin for 24 years, prior to closing in 2014. So if your piece needs gluing or repair, as is often required with chairs and rockers, I do provide that service.

(12/16 GFSUBTC)

Chafin’s Chair Caning and Seat Weaving conveniently located between Huntsville and Birmingham, AL, has served Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia since 1999.

Services include caning (hand, pressed, and blind), rush, binder cane, seagrass, Danish cord, Shaker tape, and reed. We also offer classes, re-gluing, custom baskets, and hand-tied brooms. Call for pricing and hours.

(MO/23/TC)

Jan’s Chair Caning & Wicker Repair is a home-based business owned by Janet Noall, with 50 years of experience in ALL TYPES of chair seat weaving and basket repair.

Want to learn how to cane chairs yourself? Jan also teaches FREE chair caning classes through the Park and Recreation Center in Cuyahoga Falls, OH on Mondays from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m.

Make an appointment today to get seatweaving TLC for your precious possessions today or to find out more about the FREE chair caning classes so you can DIY and learn from a Master chair caner!

Founding Member of The SeatWeavers’Guild, Inc.®

(11/5/24 GF-SUB-TC)

Herard Seat Weaving is located in Waterville, serving central and mid-coast Maine. We can bring new life to your cane, rush or wicker chairs, benches, and rockers. Every piece from antiques to modern and contemporary chairs can be renewed with a hand-woven seat.

Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(4/01/23)

For 30+ years, Karen Scott, owner of H P Basketry and Caning LLC located in Duncan, OK has woven baskets and provided chair caning services in the area and well beyond.

This quality business includes all types of chair seat weaving; hand caning and pressed cane webbing,  Shaker tape and rattan in many patterns.

Wicker repair, basket repair, and minor structural repairs are also included, as is customer advice about the best stains and finishes to use on their heirlooms.

(6/23)

BeSeated.ca has been providing seatweaving services to Canada’s national capital area for over fifty years.

NEW OWNER & NEW LOCATION: In 2019 Michael Freen acquired the business from Pierre Amyotte, the previous owner, and relocated Be Seated to Ottawa, Ontario.

We provide quality repairs to furniture woven in a variety of materials, including hand and pre-woven cane, Danish cord, rush, seagrass, reed, splint and rawhide.

We also carry seatweaving supplies for customers who would like to repair their own furniture.

Please have a look at our website for a full list of supplies and services we have available and check out our Instagram for photos of our latest work.

Proud Cottage Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.® (TSWG)

(Sub-2/18/25)

At Doug Werner Seatweaving and Furniture Repair we have been providing seatweaving including Cane, Rush, Splint, Danish Cord and Wicker since 2005.

We serve SE and Central Texas, including the Houston Metro area.

(12/29 TC)

Step-In-Time-Antiques is a home-based business specializing in hole-to-hole chair caning, pressed/machine/spline cane, and binder cane in various patterns (e.g. herringbone, New England Porch Weave, Finger Lakes Fan Weave, etc.), paper fiber rush and Shaker tape weaving.

Will do some minor structural repair. Free estimates and local pickup/delivery. Good rates!

Charter Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(SUB 1/21/24)

Ellen Harford, owner of Island Maide, learned her craft at an adult education class.

Since taking that first class, which sparked her entrepreneurial spirit, Ellen has been providing chair seating in a variety of weaving techniques and materials for 30+ years.

Island Maide creates handcrafted seating to replace worn or broken chair seating. Services include traditional hand caning, pressed cane, half-round oval seatweaving and rush, extending the life of memorable family heirlooms.

Located on an island in Casco Bay in Maine, Ellen has made it her mission to help bring business and the arts to the island community.

She’s doing her part by adding chair caning and other types of seat weaving repair services.

Fee-based pick-up and delivery services within 50 miles of Portland, Maine are also available.

(10/05/MO-TC)

The Chair Shop providing seatweaving since 1960, hand or pressed cane, splint, rush, Danish cord, and Shaker tape. We also do chair re-gluing and have free pick up and return and give free estimates, too.

Servicing all 5 boroughs of metro New York City, NJ, also greater Poughkeepsie area Millbrook, Rhinebeck, Cold Spring, greater White Plains, NY area. Call 1-800-980-8344 for details and ask for John.

(8/3 TC)