RUSH SEATING
Rush seating, employing either genuine rush or substitutes, may be
done to good advantage and with excellent results in manual training
shops. No equipment is needed to maintain such work. The addition of a
woven seat to a chair or stool constructed in the shops will
necessarily employ a new, interesting medium in conjunction with
woodwork; and materially increase the pupils' knowledge of materials
and possible combinations. And, as with caning, the resultant interest
in the work at hand more than justifies its introduction in manual
training shops. Rush seating employs a very simple weave. Different
materials employed in weaving naturally require different degrees of
skill, and the difficulties encountered are those resulting from
handling materials and not because of the complexity of the weave. One
may very readily undertake the rushing of ordinary seat frames after a
study of printed directions and illustrations. It should be understood
at the outset that, in discussing rush seating, materials other than
genuine rush are included in the term.
=Historical.=--In the British Museum in London is a seat of curious
shape of Egyptian manufacture, which, it is estimated, was made
previous to 4000 B.C. A small amount of rush still clings to the seat
frame. The relative date of the construction and weaving of the chair
seat would indicate that rush seating is by no means a modern art,
altho at present rush is extensively employed in furniture.
The use of rush in England dates no earlier than 1720. Several types
of chairs were made there between that date and 1870. In France rush
was used extensively in the seating of furniture of Normandy and
Brittany about 1750. Flanders produced rush seated chairs at an early
date, and many were constructed in this country in early colonial
days, prior to 1776, as well as later. Such chairs were undoubtedly
patterned after those brought over from Holland, France, and England
to the early settlements in America both before and after the
Revolutionary War.
[Illustration: FIG. 36. ADAPTATION OF LADDER BACK CHAIR.]
In early times rush always served a function in the seats of chairs
and stools, and was very seldom if ever used on the better class of
furniture. The use of cane or rush on furniture for decorative
purposes only is distinctly a modern idea. Utility rather than beauty
prompted the introduction of seats of rush.
Modern furniture of excellent design and workmanship employs rush
seats. These are either woven over a separate frame and inserted or
are an integral part of the chair, being woven over the seat rails of
the chair itself. Fig. 36 shows a modern adaptation of a ladder back
chair with rush seat. The rush on this chair is woven over the rails.
Fig. 37 shows a flat view of the seat.
=Rush.=--Rush is the name applied to many fistular, stemlike plants of
similar or like growth. Properly, rush belongs to the sedge family.
The different species vary greatly in appearance; some are low and
slender, some are tall and leafless, and some are broad leaved. They
are found in wet places thruout the northern hemisphere, along banks
of sluggish streams, and in lowlands and marshes. The great bulrush
is common and familiar, while the chair-maker's rush is not as well
known. The plants most commonly known as rush are called by the names
of flag and cattail. In fact, flag and cattail are very generally used
for rush seating. The technical names of the different species of rush
are not pertinent or desirable here.
[Illustration: FIG. 37. SEAT OF LADDER BACK CHAIR.]
=Other Materials.=--Materials other than rush may be used for rush
seating, as has been stated. Rush is rather hard to manage in that no
appreciable length may be handled because of the shortness of the
leaf. Twisting is necessary. Fiber, or similar materials, is to be
recommended for shop use because a great length is procurable, and the
twist is made. It is made of machine-twisted paper, and comes in long
indefinite lengths. It is tough, strong, and serviceable, and
procurable in spools of about one hundred pounds each. Fig. 38 shows
such a spool together with a bundle of rush. It is manufactured with
or without a flexible wire center and costs from 10 to 15 cents a
pound. It may be had in several colors and sizes.
Raffia is well known thru its general use in basketry and allied work.
In rush seating it has no conspicuous place, altho it may be utilized
to great advantage. Raffia is the leaf of a certain palm, cut in
narrow widths and varying in length from 2 to 5 feet. It is bought in
hanks by the pound, bleached or unbleached, and in colors. The natural
unbleached raffia costs about 25 cents per pound; colored about 75
cents. The hanks should not be untied, but as strands are needed they
should be pulled out from the head end of the hank. If improperly
handled, raffia will become badly tangled.
[Illustration: FIG. 38. SPOOL OF FIBER AND BUNDLE OF RUSH.]
Corn husks, taken from close to the ear, may be used, particularly for
seating chairs of toy furniture. The husks near the ear are not as
coarse and brittle as those outside. The shortness of the husks
precludes their general use, altho they produce an excellent seat when
properly woven.
The materials mentioned by no means exhaust the list of available
mediums for rush seating, but will give considerable and sufficient
variety for shopwork. As the weaver comes to appreciate the limits and
advantages of the various mediums for certain grade work, he may
utilize local plants and grasses suitable for such work.
=Preparation of Materials.=--Rush--and in the term are included
cattail and flag--is common to almost any locality in our northern
states. It should be gathered when full grown and still green. It is
ready for cutting when the tips of the leaves begin to turn brown.
This is usually about the middle of August. The leaves are tied in
loose bundles for convenience in handling, and dried in the shade,
preferably a darkened room. They should remain here until thoroly dry.
Before using, soak the rush about ten hours in water. Less time is
required if warm water is used. When it is soft and pliable it is
ready for weaving.
[Illustration: FIG. 39. ISOMETRIC DRAWING OF FRAME FOR RUSH SEATING.]
Before weaving, the butt ends of the leaves are cut off about a foot
from the base. These are too coarse and stiff to weave properly. One
leaf may be used or two leaves may be twisted together to make a
strand. Three leaves make a coarse strand, two a medium, and one a
fine strand. A long, tight twist is necessary to produce an even,
smooth strand. The twisting is always done in one direction. One leaf
is recommended for beginners in rush seating, for adding to one is
much simpler than adding to several. The under side of the seat need
not be as smooth and as well woven as the top. In fact, twisting need
not be done underneath at all unless the individual worker so desires.
Raffia is easy to manipulate because of its pliability, even when dry.
Several lengths will need to be twisted together to produce a strand
of sufficient size. It requires little soaking to make it ready for
use. Raffia produces an even, smooth surface of pleasing appearance,
and is very desirable in a seat.
[Illustration: FIG. 40. METHOD OF WEAVING THE FIRST STRAND.]
Fiber may be woven as it comes from the spool. However, it is better
to dampen it by plunging a quantity in water and removing at once.
When it dries after weaving, a slight shrinkage results, thereby
making a tauter seat than could be woven with dry strands. Inasmuch as
the fiber is paper, it cannot be soaked in water.
=The Weaving Process.=--With the frame ready and rush in proper
condition the weaving may be started. Fig. 39 shows an isometric
drawing on which corners are lettered and the rails numbered in order.
Fig. 40 shows another drawing on which the corners and rails are
similarly lettered and numbered, showing graphically the method of
weaving the first strand. The arrows indicate the direction of weave.
The operation is practically complete once around the frame. Reference
may be made to either drawing in the following detailed directions for
weaving.
Start arbitrarily at any corner--in this case, _A_. A strand of rush
tightly twisted is laid over rail 1 next to the cap with its short end
turned down. The beginner may find it advantageous to tack the end in
place. Draw the strand over the edge and bottom of rail 1 and up at
the inner corner, then over the top and edge of rail 2. This binds the
loose end in place if it has not been previously tacked. Pull the
strand directly across the frame opening to the top of rail 3 at
corner _B_. Draw it over the edge of the same rail and under, then up
at the inner corner and over the top and edge of rail 1. Pull directly
across the frame opening to the top of rail 4 at corner _C_. The
operations at corners _C_ and _D_ are identical to those at _A_ and
_B_, and these repeat themselves indefinitely at each corner, or until
the seat is completed. This applies to square seats only. The end of
the last strand may be secured with a tack under the proper rail, or
twisted around a strand underneath the seat.
[Illustration: FIG. 41. STICK FOR STUFFING INTERIOR OF SEATS.]
The strand is twisted as the weaving progresses. This may be done with
the palm of the hand and thigh, in much the same manner as a shoemaker
waxes his thread. If one leaf of rush is used to make the strand, new
leaves are added by tying the two ends in a square knot at a corner,
or wherever such joining will not show on the finished seat. When more
than one piece of rush is used for a strand the pieces should be of
uneven lengths initially. One leaf or piece at a time is then added.
The upper or top end of the leaf is used to begin the seating and each
leaf added is attached at its top end.
Some expert rush seaters do not tie knots in making strands, but add
leaves by twisting the end of the preceding leaf about the added one,
"like the color on a barber pole," as one old rush weaver remarked.
Adding by twisting only is difficult, and requires great patience and
dextrous handling of the material. In fact rush should be used by the
more skilful boys only. Others may use the excellent substitute,
fiber.
Care must be exercised to keep the strands from overlapping
improperly at the corners. The strands should fit snugly where they go
over the rails. To assure this, tap them sharply with a mallet used
over a block of soft wood. This may be done at frequent intervals or
when several strands have been woven over each rail. Uniform tension
on the strand is desirable and this should be tight.
[Illustration: FIG. 42. METHOD OF FILLING IN CENTER.]
As the work progresses the interior between the upper and lower rows
of strands is stuffed. This is done with the same material as that
used in the weaving. The butt ends of rush are used to stuff the seat
of rush; raffia is used to stuff a raffia seat; craft paper to stuff a
fiber seat; and so on. The packing should be done in a thoro manner,
for it builds up the seat and prevents its breaking down at the inner
edges of the rails, and sagging with continued use. A slightly curved
hardwood stick about 12 in. long may be used to advantage to do this
work. Fig. 41 shows a sketch of such a stick. It is ¾ in. in diameter
at one end and tapered to ½ in. by ⅛ in. at the other. Considerable
force needs to be exerted in packing, and caution used to avoid
breaking strands.
=Rectangular Seats.=--As stated, in weaving a square seat the initial
process is repeated at all corners until all openings are filled. In
rectangular seats the spaces on the short rails will fill before those
on the long rails. Weaving around corners is then manifestly
impossible. Fig. 42 shows a partly woven seat with the short rails
filled, and the process of filling up the remaining area under way.
The method is this: Go over and under a long rail, across half the
frame opening and up thru, then across the remaining distance, and
over and under the other long rail. Repeat until the seat is
completed. Fig. 43 is a sketch of a partly woven seat, illustrating
the method of filling in the center just described. It supplements the
photograph and makes the method clearer.
[Illustration: FIG. 43. METHOD OF FILLING IN CENTER.]
It should be noted that the strands in crossing at the center must be
compressed one-half of their diameters. They will need to be tapped
sharply with a small mallet or hammer to produce proper crowding. Fig.
44 shows a stool seat of fiber woven by an eighth grade boy. Fig. 45
shows the complete stool. The seat is woven over a separate frame and
inserted. Fig. 46 is a child's chair of oak, with a seat of fiber
woven over the rails of the chair.
=Irregular Seats.=--The usual or standard shape of chair seat is like
the one illustrated in the drawing, Fig. 47. The front rail is longer
than the back, and the side rails are equal in length. Seats of this
shape are rather difficult to weave because special treatment is
necessary to fill up portions of certain rails.
[Illustration: FIG. 44. COMPLETED TOP OF FIBER.]
With reference made to the drawing, the method employed in locating
lines for rushing, and for rushing such a seat is this: With the beam
of a square laid against rail 4 with its corner against the cap at
corner _A_, scribe a pencil line across rail 2. Similarly, mark the
same rail using the square against rail 4 at corner _D_. Stated in
other words, these lines may be obtained by determining the difference
in length between the front and back rails, and laying off one-half
this difference from each corner on the front rail. This distance is
indicated by the brackets in the drawing.
[Illustration: FIG. 45. COMPLETED RUSH SEATED STOOL.]
[Illustration: FIG. 46. CHILD'S CHAIR WITH FIBER SEAT.]
Now tie with a string as many strands of rush as will be needed to
fill in this difference between front and back rails. Fasten them
underneath the rail at corner _A_. Then use one strand, twisted, and
weave around corners _B_ and _C_ and fasten under the rail at corner
_D_. The weaving is identical to that described in square seats. Weave
in each strand in the bundle at the same corners and tie under the
rail at corner _D_; or until the spaces marked off on the front rail
are filled. It may be necessary to add to or to remove strands from
the bundle if calculations as to number of strands necessary were
inaccurate. Tie all loose ends together at corner _D_, fasten securely
and cut off all extra lengths.
Start now as in beginning a weave on a square seat, weaving around all
corners in the regular way. The first strand around will effectively
bind the bundles of ends at corners _A_ and _D_.
=Suggestions.=--In using paper fiber or similar materials which come
in long lengths, a strand 20 or 25 ft. in length may be used at one
time in weaving. For convenience in handling it should be formed in a
loop and held together with a strong rubber band. The strand may be
unlooped a little at a time as the weaving progresses. In using rush,
raffia, and like materials, the strand is made as the weaver works, so
at no time is there a strand exceeding 5 ft. or so in length to
handle. No special expedient is therefore needed.
[Illustration: FIG. 47. METHOD OF STARTING WEAVE ON SEAT OF IRREGULAR
SHAPE.]
Raffia, fiber, etc., may be purchased from supply houses and in many
cases direct from the manufacturers. Rush may be gathered in many
communities by an energetic instructor and pupils, and properly cured.
In fact, gathering the raw material and preparing it for use is
desirable in many ways, and is to be encouraged. Ordinarily rush may
be obtained from manufacturers of rush seats. It costs 15 cents per
pound, dry.
[Illustration: FIG. 48. WORKING DRAWING OF A STOOL FOR RUSHING.]
Fig. 48 is a working drawing of a stool or seat. The constructed
problem would appear very similar to the one shown in Fig. 45. The
seat frame is fastened to the base with concealed screws. The upper
caps are temporarily fastened until the weaving is completed, when
they are removed and the frame fastened to the base as indicated. The
caps are then replaced permanently. Generally speaking, for initial
work in rush seating it is advisable to weave over a separate frame.
Such a frame is conveniently handled, and better work will result.
=Finish.=--Some agent to preserve a rush seat is necessary. Rush
should be coated with equal parts of oil and turpentine, followed by
two coats of tough, elastic varnish. The necessary time should elapse
between coats. Some manufacturers do not use oil, and apply varnish
only. Raffia and husk seats should be treated as rush. Fiber is
varnished only. A brittle varnish is to be avoided, for it will chip
off with a little use, and a seat is subject to hard wear.
[Illustration: SUGGESTIVE PROJECTS.]