tape for Shaker Chairs

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I have been wondering the same thing  but do not know whom to ask.  There used to be an expert on Shaker chairs in western Michigan  however I lost track of him.  Do you think Chris Schwartz would have such info?  As of October, he was not a member of SAPFM however he had said he might rejoin.

Jim Vojcek
 
Here are links to a couple of sources.

http://www.basketmakerscatalog.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=TBMC&Category_Code=CANEST

http://catalog.countryseat.com/shakertape.aspx
 
Thanks for the info, everyone. I went ahead and got some from Shaker Workshops in Arlington, Mass. It's made in the US and cotton, so I gave it a try and wove a seat. It took under 2 hrs and came out fine, so I think I'll do the rest in the same stuff. I fashioned a shuttle from thin cherry and it made the over and under trips across the strips pretty easy.
These are the simplest chairs I've ever made, really fast to do and very comfortable, in case anyone's looking for a quick set for themselves. I was going to keep one for myself......but I might do two.-Al
 
Al,
I wasn't able to give you any recent comparisons of this material from one supplier to an other.  But I can tell you that about 10 years ago I replaced the rush seats on four Shaker style kitchen chairs with the tape from Shaker Workshops, and with the exception of some soiling of the white tape, they have worn like iron.  So for what it's worth and provided they haven't changed the quality of their material, I think you'll be happy with your choice.

-Chuck
 
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