Rattan reaches a workshop in a very different state from willow. It is a climbing palm whose long stems are processed at source into two main products: the smooth outer bark, sold as cane, and the inner pith, sold as round or flat core. Because it arrives clean and uniform, rattan is often the material people meet first in a beginner course.
Core versus cane
The distinction matters because the two products behave differently:
- Round core is the pith turned into even, dowel-like lengths. It absorbs water quickly and is the usual choice for woven baskets and frames.
- Flat core has one flat face, useful for broad, smooth surfaces.
- Cane is the glossy outer skin, strong and slightly waxy, traditionally used for wrapping rims and for chair-seat weaving.
Preparing rattan
Rattan needs far less soaking than willow. A short immersion in lukewarm water is usually enough to make core pliable, and over-soaking can leave it soft and prone to fraying. Cane is dampened rather than soaked, often just wiped with a wet sponge as the work proceeds.
Rattan core can develop fuzzy fibres as it is worked. A light pass with fine abrasive paper once the piece has dried tidies the surface without removing strength.
Why it suits round baskets
Because round core is so consistent in thickness, it weaves into smooth, regular walls and forgives small mistakes in tension. That uniformity is why many round storage baskets, trays and bird-feeder shapes are made from it. The same evenness makes it well suited to practising the standard strokes — randing, pairing and waling — before moving on to less predictable willow.
Cane and the chair seat
The most recognisable use of rattan cane is the woven chair seat, with its familiar six-step pattern of strands crossing in two directions and then diagonally. The work is slow and methodical: each strand is threaded through holes drilled around the seat frame and held under even tension. It is a repair skill as much as a making skill, since many older chairs were originally caned and can be re-caned rather than replaced.
For a beginner, the appeal of rattan is simple: it is predictable, widely available from craft suppliers, and quick to prepare, which means more time spent learning the strokes and less time fighting the material.