Restoring oak Demilune table

[rowan.bradley]

I have recently acquired a small oak demilune table (probably made in the 1920s), which I would like to restore (see photos). I have some woodworking skills but am pretty new to antiques restoration, so I would appreciate some advice on the best way to do this. The issues that I have noticed so far that need attention are:
1. There is a crack in the top of the table where two different pieces of oak were glued together. One piece of oak is at a slightly higher level than the other. I would like to re-glue the pieces of wood together, make sure that they are both at the same level, and try to arrange that they don't crack again (if the cracking is due to the wood expanding and contracting).
2. The upstand does not fit to the table top exactly, leaving a crack between the two (see photo). My instinct would be to remove the upstand and plane it flat (assuming that the table top is actually flat, which I will have to check) before refitting it. Is this too drastic? Is there a better way?
3. The top of the table is not a tight fit to the frame all the way round. Do I just remove the table top, try to level all the elements of the frame, then refit the table top with screwed on blocks so that I can pull the table down onto the frame? Or is there a better way?
4. Some of the joints are loose. What is the best way of fixing this? Do I have to dismantle the table and re-glue them? Or can I just use Chair Doctor glue? Or what?
5. There is some woodworm in the lower part of one of the legs (see photo). I have already treated this with Rentokil, but would now like to fill the holes.
6. I suppose the whole thing would look better if it was cleaned and re-polished. What is the best process for this?

Thank you for any advice - Rowan

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[q9]

I'd re-glue the crack together, re-glue loose joints, and not worry much about the rest. If the joints are just loose, but don't come apart, injecting some hide glue via needle and syringe might work for you. Liquid hide glue - Old Brown Glue works well, is liquid at room temperature and if you stick a syringe of it in hot tap water for about 5 minutes prior, it gets nice and runny. Not sure the issue with the top, but if it is wobbly and loose, then maybe some careful packing out might work.

Wax fill the worm holes if you must, but some people like to see them :dunno: As long as the worms are dead. A good quality wax should be enough to make that look pretty good, without going overboard.

[rowan.bradley]

Thank you for those useful suggestions. I think a plan is coming together!

[auscab]

Top off and dis assembly would be the thorough way to go for the loose joints if they are all loose. Or mostly loose.

The problem with what you have though is a special band clamp is needed to re assemble it properly. The makers would have had one in order to build that piece. I would definitely not use anything else to try and get the pressure required to pull that back together right.

This is something like the clamp would have looked like. Steel strap in tension like that is very good at pulling such shapes together. This one was made for clamping Victorian chairs together that have the same shape as your table around the seat frame. The shaped timber bearer matches the front of these chairs and yours would just need a straight piece for the back of the table.

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You could make something suitable using plywood or chipboard built up in thickness that is cut to the shape . Two of them and that may work if its built strong enough.

Getting some thin strap sheet metal and wrapping it around then fixing it to two blocks of wood so it can be pulled tight and clamped around the frame would be better but a bit of a fiddle setting it up while the glue is drying.

If you can bend and weld steel, making the U sections and using threaded rod to make two of these would work perfectly but spending 5 hours making two clamps roughly ??

Yep, check how loose the joints are and see if you can work in glue first.

Rob.