I hope someone can help this breaktimer out…..
My darling girlfriend has a set of chairs that have “fan” detail done in what appear to be 5/16″ dowels. On closer inspection the “dowels” appear to be very similar to your typical 1/8″ bamboo skewer or at least reed like. There are no nodes that I’d expect to see if it is bamboo.
Several of the “dowels” are broken and I’d like to replace them with the same material and avoid bending hardwood dowels if I can.
Any ideas on what this stuff could be and where I can buy some are greatly appreciated.
Jim
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
– Fyodor Dostoyevski
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The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
- Fyodor Dostoyevski
Hi,
quite possibly these are rattan - bloody awful stuff while growing but makes lots of practical furniture. Try here http://www.wickerworks.com.au/diy.html for a description but he's helpful on the phone but probably a bit far away for you to consider a casual visit.
dave
Thanks for the replies. The chairs were made in Italy and it seems quite possible the the "dowels" are indeed rattan (or something very similar).Any help with a source in the U.S. would be greatly appreciated.
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.- Fyodor Dostoyevski
FN: Nice quote. I'm rereading his "The Idiot". A great writer.
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Well, you could Google "wood dowel." There are a number of companies that make/sell wooden dowels. It's impossible to advise you on the species without knowing what species you are wanting to replace. It largely depends on where the chairs were made. If they were made in the far east, like China for example, then they may be made of what I've seen termed "Chinese Birch" which appears to my eye to be a bit browner than North American "Birch" dowels.
I don't know if there are 5/16" dowels readily available, though. If not then you could always buy a Lie-Nielsen doweling plate ($45) and make your own as it is capable of making 5/16" dowels.
If you can't narrow down the species close enough then you could try either bleaching or staining your own dowels - depending on whether they're too dark or too light for a good match.
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