question on restoring PICS ADDED

[kreed]

Hi all,
Today I acquired a sold oak old farmhouse table. Tatty to say the least...
broken tenon on an edge piece connecting to a leg. Warped top boards, splits on the legs & a missing extension key.
Weighs a ton & looks the part.
However, with limited expertise & minimal tools, do I restore or break down for the oak ( turn the legs)?

I'm also tempted to Ebay with a £20 reserve, the wood has to be worth that.

opinions please.

 

[ColeyS1]

Do you need the table ? If not take it to bits (if the timbers any good) and keep the wood for a project. Oaks not cheap, so even if it made £ 20 it would probably cost alot more to buy the same quantity

Sent from my GT-I9300

 

[longinthetooth]

We need a photo or two to make judgments.

 

[No skills]

1. Bodge it up and use it.

2. Take it to the most affluent area around you and sell it for silly money.

3. Burn it.

4. Restore it and use it.

5. Break it up and use the timber to make a work bench.

Just how I see it

 

[AndyT]

Yes, let's see some photos. We need to know if it's one of those cheap Chinese horrors or a proper table.

 

[kreed]

Well,
Here's some pics. Hopefully it shows up as a fine old table....

 

[Steve Maskery]

Personally I'd recycle the boards. That top is quarter-sawn.
S

 

[kreed]

Thanks Steve.

Ok. That's the boards, but is it worth then doing any replacement & restoration?

 

[Steve Maskery]

Well I wouldn't, but then that's not my thing.
S

 

[AndyT]

In my opinion, if you really want a table like this one used to be, you could spend a lot of time and put it back as it was. It would not be a commercial proposition, but if that's the sort of table you want, consider these bits as a kit to make one with. You will need some new wood to replace breakages, either by inserting bits or replacing whole components. It won't be easy.

On the other hand, if you want a smaller table, it looks like it could be a suitable timber donor. I'm not an antiques expert but it does not look valuable as it is; many other people would have skipped it already.

Whatever you decide will be better than that; there is too much good wood thrown away and it's fun to make new things out of some of it.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Restoring old and damaged furniture is usually very time-consuming and often difficult. That table is in quite a state. If you want one like it, I'd buy some new wood and start again from scratch, using the old table as a pattern. It would be far quicker and the result better. Use the wood from the old table for other stuff.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[kreed]

Thanks guys.
Decision made, gonna be stripped down for turning & other projects.

I'll post the results as & when. (missus has lots of things for me to do first!)

 

[dickm]

Reckon it would be a real shame to break that up - I know "brown furniture" isn't in vogue at the moment, but if we still lived near Bedford, I'd have it off you like a shot for restoration. It's probably not an antique according to the official definition, but a lot better than anything comparable you'd buy that's been made recently.
IMHO

 

[bugbear]

Reckon it would be a real shame to break that up - I know "brown furniture" isn't in vogue at the moment, but if we still lived near Bedford, I'd have it off you like a shot for restoration. It's probably not an antique according to the official definition, but a lot better than anything comparable you'd buy that's been made recently.
IMHO

Round here. if I had that table, and wanted it restored, I'd buy a better one at auction .

They're still cheap.

BugBear