Drop leaf table

10 years ago

Can anyone help identify this table? Made of dark wood, gabled legs, very sturdy and opens to a large table. I am also wondering what it might be worth.

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Comments (10)

chibimimi
10 years ago
Wow! A ceiling table -- very rare indeed, but only useful at Christmas! ;-)

What you have is a gate-leg table, a form that has been around for hundreds of years, but your table is much more recent. It's really hard to tell without seeing better shots, especially of the wood, the finish, the hardware, and the underpinnings, but I would guess it is from the '30s at the earliest, and more likely the '50s. The top with leaves down is wider than the original form and it looks like it might open to allow leaves to be added. The shaping of the edges where the leaves meet the fixed top is a "modern" detail.

Value depends on your local market more than anything else.
calliope
10 years ago
LOL chibimini! JoyKay, I have one just like it upstairs used as a work table in one of my bedrooms, but suspect it may be a smaller version. May I ask dimensions of the top when opened? Mine does not accommodate a leaf and mine is older than fifties, but not a true antique. I'm going to go look at the finish details to see if they match as well.
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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.
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That's a beautiful table, well-made and a genuine antique. Notice how the legs are mortised and pegged. There is one problem. Suppose you were a master craftsman making a table like that, wouldn't you pick the absolute best quality boards for the top? The top shown is all secondary, shelving grade lumber. Is it possible that it was veneered and the veneer has been removed? Also, there is nothing about that table that is unique to Belgium, many examples just like it can be found which are American made. Link has pic of cherry grain which this table clearly is not. Here is a link that might be useful: Cherry pic
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Comments (18)
Oly, you're spot on, so I passed on it. Leaves aren't rock solid either. My current table is a Jacobean revival. It's ok but not rustic enough for my taste, not to mention that my Parsons chairs don't fit between the legs :( (looks pretty much like this, but this is not my table) I also have a beautiful antique cherry table which has one leave right now but could be pulled out to 8 feet? However, it would require an additional leave to be made. Not to mention that I hate seeing it destroyed by my messy family members. Maybe I just let them wreck it???? Thanks so much, Cyn, for posting the tables, but I need one that can seat at least 8 people. I'm basically looking for a farmhouse table, and to complicate matters further, I also like the Arhaus Tao table... Indecision paralysis, which is why I don't want to plunk down 2K.
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Comments (11)
Nice satinwood accents and banding inlays. Definitely better than the current crop of institutional furniture. There were really cool pieces in the Brookings Institution after WWII as well. I would like a better pic of the detail where you can see the end grain transitioning into the tabletop just where you can see a glue joint. Right now I would have to say by default it's veneer, until I can see the seam in the end grain and the face grain aligned. Very light mahogany, where it's clear enough to tell (legs and apron). Casey
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daituom
10 years ago
It`s a cheap, mahogany veneered, gateleg table.From about 1960. Firewood, really.
Stocky
10 years ago
daituim , why do you say it's cheap and firewood .

It's a very common design, made of mahogany veneers for the 3 surfaces and poplar for the base .

There's nothing bad or cheap about it and far from firewood .

Don't toss it, keep it if you like it , refinish it if you love it . Beautiful veneers are under that old stain/finish .

enjoy it .
User
10 years ago
Those were very popular for a very long time, so it's hard to pin down a date.

Definitely worth cleaning it up and using it.

And definitely not "firewood".
daituom
10 years ago
It is a poor imitation of a Pembroke table. Not an antique.
User
10 years ago
"not an antique" is a long way from "firewood".

It's sturdy and is cleaned up has a long life in front of it.
gininmn
10 years ago
quotes from daituom,
Mon, Jul 22, 13:
It`s a cheap, mahogany veneered, gateleg table.From about 1960. Firewood, really.
& Tues, Jul 23: 13:
It is a poor imitation of a Pembroke table. Not an antique.

Harsh!
mrlogo
10 years ago
this is a modern (mid 1900s) gate leg drop leaf table. - estimate today, vintage retail in Central Virginia, about $200 on the floor and out the door at $125.
texasredhead
10 years ago
Where did you obtain the table and was there a cost involved? Can't really tell much from the upside down picture. Does appear the top and drops are veneered.

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Drop leaf table

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chibimimi

calliope

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