Replies

1. 
   MBerger | Mar 23, 2008 02:59am | #1

   I've always admired the look of woven wood panels ever since I saw this photo in our Gallery:

   http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/Gallery/GalleryImage.aspx?id=4333

   There's a great line in the description of the piece: "The 3/64th-in.-thick lath that was used in the formation of the screens took three people to weave."

   I assume the maker of that screen milled all the wood for the weave, because I'm having trouble locating a source online for material to that dimension. If it is milled, the process is probably a back and forth between the jointer, planer and bandsaw. Here's a good video on that:
   http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/subscription/skillsandtechniques/skillsandtechniquesarticle.aspx?id=26707

   For material, any hardwood should do the trick. The link above is cherry but I think maple would also work nicely. And ash is traditional bending wood.

   The weave process is relatively simple, but time consuming. We have a few articles and videos on our site that describe the process for the thinner, more traditional woven seat. Do a search for "weave."

   If you don't want to go through the effort of milling and weaving, you can purchase premade wood weave (see link). The same retailer also sells weaving materials for chair seats and such. Here's a link: http://vandykes.resultspage.com/search?w=weave+wood&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=Search

   For a finish, I'd say a basic oil finish is a good choice. There's a lot of surface area to cover and you want something that's going to wipe on easily and not require fussing around.

   Hope that helps!

   Matt Berger
   Fine Woodworking