kauri pine table

[clock]

I have a 1950 Kauri pine table with hardwood legs fnished in a honey colour, unfortunately it has had sheet of laminex glued on top which has now come off leaving glue underneath.
I have lightly sanded this off with 120 grit so in some areas the sanding went thru the old surface and in other places especially where the table has been dinged the original finish is still there.

I'm not sure of where to from here? Do I need to sand the surface completely back to bare timber? Any thoughts on the new surface?
Any comments appreciated

[Manuka Jock]

Lightly sand the whole top until it looks pretty good . Bear in mind that if the dings get wet , they will swell from dimples up to pimples , so sanding the top until you have isolated the dings , and then wetting the timber and allowing the dents to pop out , and then sanding the top again will deal to most , or maybe all of them .
Don't get too carried away with the coarse sandpaper .

We can't comment on the new surface because we cannot see it :)

[derekcohen]

Since you have begun sanding, especially with 120 grit which will leaving score marks, I would sand the remainder and take it back to bare wood. You need to do so anyway if you plan to add a finish. Continue sanding until at least 400 grit.

All the Kauri Pine I have used has been a light and soft timber (I use it for drawer sides). This is easily dented and marked - no doubt the reason a laminated surface was later added. So I would finish with a decent poly varnish. This should add a measure of durability.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[clock]

Derek thanks for the response, I'm a weekend warrior on the internet so can I ask what do you mean by a decent poly varnish
thanks Peter

[clock]

thanks for your response I'm a weekend internet warrior and hence slow in responding, attached are a couple of photos. I'm not sure if this has worked it been an effort to work out how to do it.thanks

146487

146488

[Manuka Jock]

Clock , that top looks not too bad . Did you wet it to try and raise the dents ?

Incidentally , how thick is it ? , the top I mean .

[derekcohen]

Derek thanks for the response, I'm a weekend warrior on the internet so can I ask what do you mean by a decent poly varnish
thanks Peter

Hi Peter

Polyurethane varnish is ideal for a harder, tough and waterproof film on wood. Personally I would not use it on most furniture, but it is a good finish for pine tabletops that will see hard use.

You can buy these at Bunnings quite cheaply. Feast Watson is a brand that comes to mind.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[jimbur]

Jock's advice is good. Even if you sand all the dings out and don't damp it down you'll be left with compressed wood which will lift eventually necessitating work later on. You will also have to sand more off to get an even surface.
Cheers,
Jim

[clock]

the top is 21mm thick, I can only imagine this was the current whitewood table of its day.
Thanks for the comments I will sand it back with finer paper and see how I go

[Manuka Jock]

20 mm thick is about as thin as you can go.
Don't sand it anymore until the dents have been swollen out. Give the top a good wet down , pour the water on , flood it , and leave it to dry . And then do it again if need be , to pop the dimples .