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Antiques & Collectibles

Old drop leaf table

11 years ago

Does anyone have any idea about the background on this little table? I have searched on antique drop leaf pedestal table but can't find anything with a pedestal similar to this one. Is there some kind of descriptive word I should be using to bring up tables with this style pedestal?

The table belonged to my husband's Grandmother. We don't know where or when she got it.

It is a rather short table. It is 25 1/2" high and 34" round with leaves up.

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Comments (5)

chibimimi
11 years ago
Are you sure the top is original to the table?

There are two reasons I ask. First, the top seems of lesser quality than the pedestal. It could just be due to the normal sunlight and use damage that tops are more prey to, but it also has knots.

Second, the pedestal seems a little small for the top. I would expect either a small, non-folding top or a plant-stand top on this base. Is it wobbly when the leaves are up?
minty88
Original Author
11 years ago
Boy Chibimimi you are good!!! I checked the table and it does wobble even with the leaves down. If I push a side that has no leaf, it really wobbles.

Here are some pictures of underneath the table. It does look strange how the pedestal is larger than the part it is connected to. By looking at the photos below does this verify to you that a different top has been added? Thank you.
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chibimimi
11 years ago
Okay, that does look like the base and top were "married" -- brought together well after birth! The fact that the pedestal overruns the top support and that poorly applied screw certainly hint at this.

Take a close look at the corners of the box the pedestal is attached to. Is the wood lighter there? Does it look like there might have been legs that were sawed off? I'm guessing the top was originally on four legs. One of them might have broken and the owner looked around for something else to hold up the table.

It's hard to tell exactly what the wood he pedestal is made of -- hardwood, and possibly something like gum. At first glance I thought it might be Victorian, but the shape of the feet makes me think it was made in the '20s or '30s, when they made furniture out of generic hardwoods and stained them heavily to mimic a more expensive wood, such as mahogany. I think this has been stripped of its original finish, possibly when the repair was made.

I can't tell on my monitor what the wood of the top is. Walnut, maybe?

If you want to keep the two pieces together, I suggest beefing up the join. Ideally, there would be some sort of triangulating support at the top of the pedestal, but I'm not sure how to do that. At the very least, take them apart and add a larger piece of wood to the top of the pedestal, screwing it in several places to both the pedestal and the support pieces of the top. Then use the table sparingly and carefully. It's never going to be very strong.
nyboy
11 years ago
wow chibimimi you are good!
minty88
Original Author
11 years ago
Chibimimi, there is a hole in each corner of the box about the size of the tip of my little finger.

I'll have my husband reinforce it. Then I'll re-stain it. I like it because it is different.

Chibimimi, you sure know your furniture. Thanks again.

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