Thread: Tabletop type identification - need some help!

Sorry that you haven't had any answer to your query in the week since you asked, but I suspect that it hasn't had a lot of exposure to people who could advise you. I suggest you repost the question in the Restoration section to expose it to people who have more experience in this area. It might also pay to list the overall thickness of frame around the extension and the depth of the recess between the underside of the frame and the underside of the infill panel, this would give readers a chance to estimate the thickness of the infill panel. Some quick measurements of the seams in the top and bottom of the extension would help. Adding a pic or two of the underside of the end panels to compare with photos of the top might help also.

Some of the damage showing in the later photos suggests delaminating veneers, but I am not certain about the extension panel.

Have a look on both sides of each panel. If the grain is not close to identical on both sides generally, you likely have veneers, which I suspect is the case. Sometimes a cabinetmaker will match the veneers on both sides of a panel ... I often do ... but this is reasonably rare on commercial furniture.

I'd go forward assuming they are veneers, and are likely thin commercial veneers (about 0.6 mm) rather than thicker (2 mm) shop cut veneers.

In the past I have had success renovating veneered tables and the like by using paint stripper to remove the old finish. Sanding is too likely to go through the veneers.

If you choose this path, be prepared to apply and remove several coats of stripper. I use metho to wash down the surface after stripping to avoid making the surface wooly, which must be sanded off ... something you want to avoid.

When you have finished stripping, allow the job to dry and sand very lightly with about 320 grit sandpaper. Repair any bubbles or edge delamination. I do this by slitting the bubble with a Stanley knife and injecting Chair Doctor glue into the bubble (Chair Doctor glue comes with a thin nozzle to help here). Then I clamp the repair closed after putting a piece of ABS plastic over the repair. Almost nothing sticks to ABS, so glue seepage should not be an issue. Avoid PVA glue, just in case that's the glue originally used. PVA glue does not stick well to old PVA glue. Joint repairs can be done with PU glue or resin, for the same reason.

When sanding such panels, I generally use a rubber block. Take your time and be gentle. All you want to do is to touch up the surface for refinishing. A few small marks remaining on the surface is better than sanding through the veneers. DAMHIKT.

The obvious thing is to see if the end grain matches the faces if it is even obvious end-grain -chances are tis solid. Few if any have end grain veneer to pretend that It's solid wood. I have done such in the past once. Was redgum over mountain ash .

That makes a lot of sense, the grain doesn't match on the top and bottom. Looking at it more and more as the days go by I am convinced it must be veneers because there is definite lifting of laminate layers in some places. Would you recommend Chair Doctor glue for repairing the delamination as well?

Thank you so much for your detailed reply!

I have successfully used Chair Doctor glue to repair bubbles and other delamination in the past. I like it because it is thin, and runs into very narrow spaces and because it comes with some fine needle type nozzles that make injecting it into tight places (like bubbles or where the edge of a veneer has lifted) easy.

Perhaps others have even better ideas, but so far it has not let me down.