It's a very large table that seems to have seen some rough use. I think you'd be doing it a favor to refinish it. What do you have in mind?

No! No! No!! Don't refinish it!
First let's see more pictures...Hard to tell if we are just looking at a dirty table, original paint or a ruined finish.
But the size and style of the table make me think it's got to be quite special.
Don't mess with it until you get more opinions based on better pictures.
Linda C

Linda, if not refinishing, what should be done? it isn't great looking as it is. Yes, the size is remarkable. What sort of wood is it? Is the paint peeling off of bare wood? What IS happening there?

Just clean it!
I finally took time to look at all the pictures. djblue, try posting again and copy and paste the middle line, the tag into, your message here and the pictures will show up in your post rather than people having to copy and paste each URL individually.
I am guessing the table is poplar. I am guessing it's perhaps late 18th century, but certainly early 19th century. It has stood a long time on brick or stone surface, look how the bottoms of the legs are worn and rotted.
The legs were painted and the top likely never had any paint, just scrubbed wood.
I would wash it with soap and water...not a lot of water nor soap....and let it dry.
I would clean the legs gently, clean the top a bit more vigously, have someone make 2 new legs and perhaps have some discs of wood glued on the bottom of the rotting feet so they don't break as you move it.....and enjoy it!
As to refinish? Ever heard the term "as found" or "original finish"?
This table is as found...with the original finish. If you want to preserve value and still use it, do what I suggested, if you don't care about value, you can refinish it.
It's a wonderful table if you have a place to use it! Imagine the poplar tree that that board for the top came from!!
Linda C

What's you intended use of the table ? Depending on how your going to use it would (for me) determine weather or not to refinish it or leave it as is.
I'm not sure I would bother with new ( matching ) legs unless you go the refinishing route.I would like to see some kind of support in the center though.
If you refinish it, making new legs would be easy and they would match perfectly, you'd never know they had been cut. Left alone,you'll never match the patina on the new legs to the rest of the table.

Thank you all for your advice. I've reposted the images below as lindac requested, so they show (I hope).

To answer questions posed:

**What do you have in mind?
I had in mind cleaning the table, perhaps lightly sanding the top surface, filling a few holes on the top surface, and applying some sort of finish to protect the table top. Short term I will use as a very large desk. Longer term, I would like to use as a dining table.

Does anyone have recommendations for a finish? I like an oil finish, but that may be too invasive, perhaps just a wax finish?

**First let's see more pictures.

It's in storage, I'll see if I can supply more pictures later in the week.

**What sort of wood is it? Is the paint peeling off of bare wood? What IS happening there?

It's a softwood, hard to tell what, since it's so weathered. It sat outdoors for sometime. The table top appears to be raw wood--perhaps it had a wax finish at one time? The legs and and frame were painted, and are now a fragile peeling patina, peeling off bare wood.

**I'm not sure I would bother with new ( matching ) legs unless you go the refinishing route.I would like to see some kind of support in the center though.

The table is very strong, even with just 4 legs. It may be strong enough if I just make sure the 4 legs that are left are properly attached.

Any recommendations on how to reinforce the 4 legs that are left, without doing any damage?

Thanks again for your help.

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x74/djblue_bucket/IMGP1511-sm.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x74/djblue_bucket/IMGP1529-sm.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x74/djblue_bucket/IMGP1538-sm.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x74/djblue_bucket/IMGP1534-sm.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x74/djblue_bucket/IMGP1515-sm.jpg

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1385313}}

In short if your going to use it as a dinig table I think you need to have all 6 legs ,especially if your going to make use of it's size and have dinner guests around the table.
People will be leaning on the table and it's just to long of a span to not have some kind of support in the center.

If you going to "just wax it or just oil it" It's not going to be a proper protective finish if used as a dining table. Waxing is not a one time event. It's a life long commitment ( if you want to do it properly). It will need to be waxed frequently. Eventually you'll have an awful wax buildup and you'll be sorry you wasted your time.
If your going use it as a dining table you'll need to protect it from "liquid" .Wax really will not do this properly.
You should refinish it and apply a satin lacquer ( a low lustre). Lacquer is the hardest,least expensive ,most user friendly finish that can and should be applied.( by a professional)It should be sprayed on NOT rolled or brushed.

Also applying and sort of finish to an unclean surface will without question yield bad results. Just sanding it will probaly not be enough. Do forget there are years of dirt,grime,wax etc.. lodged into the grain/surface of this table. Your cannot be sure your finish will adhere to a surface that has not been properly prepared.

"I would clean the legs gently, clean the top a bit more vigously, have someone make 2 new legs and perhaps have some discs of wood glued on the bottom of the rotting feet so they don't break as you move it.....and enjoy it!
As to refinish? Ever heard the term "as found" or "original finish"?
This table is as found...with the original finish. If you want to preserve value and still use it, do what I suggested, if you don't care about value, you can refinish it."

That doesn't make sense. Don't touch the finish at risk of devaluing it, but add two brand spankin' new legs? (Possibly where no legs existed previously.) Replacing/adding/removing parts (especially when not done by a professional) can devalue a piece just as much as altering the finish.

It's a lovely table. Were it me, I'd have it appraised by a professional who can see/touch it before doing anything further to it.

djblue, have you shown it to a professional? It would be interesting to see what s/he says. Intriguing table!

{{gwi:1385313}}

Moonshadow...look at all the pictures...it originally had 6 legs. Replacing the legs is not altering the antique, since it is clear that the 2 legs were originally there and if you add them you also can remove them.
I think you need the legs for support.
Linda C

I don't disagree that additional legs would support it. But that does not mean they originally were there. (the lawn photo their appears to be a bit of swayback in the center, as if the aged wood is bowing.) Either someone neatly sawed them off at some point ~or~ they never existed. Adding something to a piece that was not part of the initial construction devalues it. Replacing something that is missing, if not done by a pro, can devalue as well. Just like altering the finish on certain pieces can adversely impact value. It's an unusual and appealing table, has some interesting history behind it and were it me, I'd get a pro opinion in person.

This proves to me that there were 2 other legs originally.
Linda C

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1385314}}

Here's a link to a table that looks similar to the one the original poster listed. I found the table on Ebay.

If the link disappears after a while, basically the table had center legs and all the legs were attached around the bottom.

{{gwi:1385315}}

{{gwi:1385316}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Farm Table on Ebay