Thread: Please ponder my table?

Howdya - looks like Qld Maple to me.
As to refinishing, depends on what's there now, to some extent - that determines how easy it is to clean off. It's probably varnish, but could be shellac - easy to find out with a rag and a bit of metho. It doesn't look too beaten-up from the pics, so if it was shellac, I'd clean it up and level the surface with oooo steel wool and alcohol, then repolish. You'll preserve a few scratches and dents, but you'll also preserve the aged surface. If it's varnish, one of the paint removers will do a similar, though slightly harsher job. If you want to go back to a pristine surface, then scraping and sanding is called for, followed by your selected finish coating. For a table that will see reasonably heavy use, I like to use a water resistant finish - varnish/poly. If you don't have spray equipment, you can get a finish that is pretty close by thinning varnish 50/50 or a bit more. Slosh the watery stuff on and wipe off before it gets too sticky, leaving the surface almost dry. You have to apply 5 to 8 coats (at suitable drying intervals) to get a bit of build, but you'll get a very clean surface with no brush-strokes.
Cheers,

seen this table on ebay a few weeks ago, details said it was over 100 year old made of q/land maple. Belonged to a french polisher.


Max Ripper Attachment 19663Early Australian Queensland maple extension dining table in mint condition. Two leaf inserts. Complete with windout mechanism and handle. Dimensions 180cm x 122cm closing to 122cm circular. Professionally valued in 2000 at $3,800. Private sale from Brisbane.