Restoring table - way out of depth??????

[Not Waving]

Hello woodpeople,
I have just come upon this table which I love the character of and would like to use as my dining table. However, the gaps between the wood have evidently been filled and then deteriorated. Having looked at some advice on these forums, I was wondering whether I should take it apart, remove all the old filler and put it back together.
My only experience with wood is having planed the odd door and sanded floors, is this a ridiculously big job requiring lots of professional equipment or is it worth a crack?
Thank you for any advice,
Lisa

[ColW]

I'd probably start by giving it a good sand, i suspect the boards
are tongue and groove, so the depth of the filler may only go to
4-5mm and could be chipped and scraped out.
Personally i'd probably clean out the gaps and re-fill them with a timber inlay.

That would, however change the character of the table, so perhaps
just start with a good sanding, try not to go across the grain on
the two end pieces, start with a 120 grit on a power sander if you
have one then clean out the gaps.

In the past I've used an old kitchen knife with the end filed square
for such a job, it's not sharp enough to damage the edges of the
gap but sturdy enough to chip and scrape out old putty.

Once it's cleaned up you can then decide where to go from there

So here's a few probable options
Leave it at that, gaps and all , finish sanding with finer grits
if you like the color simply give it a few coats of poly or lacquer
and you're done.

Refill the gaps with an appropriate filler , finish sanding, re-stain
it to your desired color, coat it etc

As i said my personal bent would be to fill the gaps with a timber
inlay, i'd then sand it all level and finish it with tung oil followed
by a wax and a decent buff. but thats just me

You wont require a treasure chest of tools for a successful
outcome here, a sander with a few grades of paper, something
to remove the putty and the appropriate items to apply the new
finish

good luck
col

[hap97]

I would suggest using a random orbital sander. They are a great versatile sander suitable for many jobs.
A typical one is the Bosch, as in this click link .
(http://www.bosch-do-it.com.au/boptocs2-au/Product.jsp;jsessionid=2C135BF16DF1AEECC96490A265D7AE0F.worker1?country=AU&lang=en&division=hw&ccat_id=95255&object_id=5983)

[rrobor]

What about Col's idea. Make a simple jig to hold a router then route the slot a bit wider and fit in an inlay of your choice of wood. I think your chances of pulling it apart and rebuilding is not high because the gaps are wood shrinkage rather than the table getting wider so if you pulled it apart, the end boards would have to be cut to fit.
Had to edit because Col recomends a finish I hate. I would use a quality oil, Organ hard burnishing etc Well thats my choice for a hard working table.

[paul k]

Just another idea , once it is sanded and the gaps have been cleaned out , why not fill the gaps with a black sika flex , it is flexible and will move with the timber . I might be thinking outside the square a little bit , but the table reminds me of the teak decks on boats i have laid in the past , like i said just another idea

Cheers , Paul , K

[hap97]

Here is a link to a table that had Sikaflex used on the joints. Table Link
(http://www.woodworkforums.com/album.php?albumid=17&pictureid=106)However, in this case I would be inclined to use TimbaMate or Cabots wood filler, I have been impressed with its holding capacity in gaps.
Hap