Gateleg table rejuvination

G'day All,

Just picked up the circa 1960 gateleg table from a second hand store with the hopes of repairing and stripping back the top.

For the first time, in a long time, I have actually remembered to take photos before I started to do the work.

A couple of questions before I get right into it though.

Looking at the exposed edge, I am guessing it is an oak of some description. Is this a correct assumption?

And for some reason, the centre joint of the top has finish on both surfaces, so technically not joined together. I this normal?

I was going to domino the separated piece back to the other, so while I am at it, I will join the other section together as well.

These Jacobean revival things were popular . Ive seen imported stuff in Oak . Australian made stuff, some in Oak and plenty in Aussie hardwoods. I remember seeing some mixed with both timbers in the same piece, like a top of Oak and legs and rails in hardwood.
That timber piece you show looks like a piece of Hardwood . With a colour job like that piece has , I have no idea what the rest of it is . There's a good chance its all Hardwood .

Personally I wouldn't be adding Dominos or anything to the broken joins . I would if it needed the help but its not the restorers way to add or change stuff . Just restoring it the way it was made is the way . Its up to you though .

Every joint in that top is gone . That has me wondering if it may have been put together using the rubbed joint method . Hide glue is what would have been used . Good joints and clamps is very good construction . Ive always thought rubbed joints were only good enough for corner blocks in plinth construction or cornice construction . Its great there . Table joints were done that way as well though . And any slight gap with hide glue ends up looking like that.

What I would do is just take the top off . Break it down into parts and scrape off the old glue and gunk with a sharp cabinet scraper , or just a filed square fresh bit of steel. lightly re shoot the joints . Re glue with Hide or what ever you like that's good . Titebond , or two pack . Re sand , specially around the moulding as it may be out a little now that you have taken some wood back. Then re finish a better colour or the same .

Rob

Isn’t that maple - either Queensland maple or perhaps Pacific maple.

Thanks for the advice Rob,

My wife is a bit hard on furniture, dragging it around when she has the whim to change the room layout.

A bit hard to see in the photo, but there is bugger all glue residue on that, and the other, joints.

I am not real confident getting good clamping pressure due to the curved outer edge. I have made some curved blocks to use, but as you would expect, it is not a perfect curve, so at one point, I get full contact, and others, only two points.

I’ve been toying with the idea of using hide glue for a while now, so this might be the time to give it a go. Not keen with melting my own, so will probably use the liquid type.

i will keep you posted.

I’ve never used liquid Hide glue . It’s got a reputation for being not as good as the old way . It’ll stick stuff though . Joints have got to be spot on for hide glue . If there are any gaps the stuff fails .
When joints do fail the dry glue residue just turns to dust and falls away with any movement over time. With round top jointing restoration you normally carefully shoot the joins slightly hollow and one clamp across the centre does the job . Curved bearers work well if they are needed .
The timber could be Maple as well . A lot of the ones I have seen were Melbourne / Victorian made and things change quickly with furniture over distance . It’s pretty amazing . I went driving / picking with a friend years ago and from here to Adelaide then up through NSW by road all we did was search for Antique furniture. We got a good sense of the changing styles of the same period from a lot off different points along the way . Like the way 1880s chest of drawers were styled . Or Chiffoniers . The timbers used was a similar thing . More Maple or Silky Oak is seen used up north compared to down here . Obviously there is a lot of possibilities with the wood type and that sample is not enough .
Rob