That seems really overpriced for a broken table unless it's really exceptional in some way.

They are plentiful and inexpensive on my local (SF) craigslist--I hate to admit it because I have one! It might be different in your area of course, and this one might be special.

It is exceptional only in that it is loooooong. And cheap. Most listings for Duncan Phyfes are for tables that extend onlt to 8 feet. I need an extra long table, and this one fills the bill. I am just about to check craigslist.

Being that the top is veneer, not solid mahogany, I think that price seems a bit high. The one on ebay that was similar to what you're talking about was priced at $99 - this seems more reasonable. If it had a solid mahogany top, like mine does, then the higher price would be more justified. I'd see if the consignment shop would take a lower price, especially because it's going to need repairs, too.

I saw that listing, but the seller said the top had pretty bad damage. This one has very little. Because of the other damage, I will see if they will take less. I'm feeling a little squeamish about about buying a damaged table the first week of table shopping.

I'm in the market for the same thing, muffinqueen, and if I"m reading between the lines correctly you are finding what I have--that getting a *long* extension table, in the style you want, is no easy task!

I actually think it sounds like a good deal. I've been searching and searching and tables that extend are not cheap and not super easy to find in the double pedestal style. While you might be able to get one here, there or elsewhere online the value in being able to see exactly what you are getting to me would weigh heavily.

So my advice is to go for it! I would suggest asking if the woodworker can do the necessary repair at no extra cost, and/or trying to bargain a bit on the price.

Good luck, send us a picture if it works out :).

Ann

Repairing that damaged veneer top will be major. It can be done but it won't be cheap to have it done right....but on the other hand....10 feet.....wow!!! Have you seen all the leaves? And are they in decent condition?
Linda C

Reminder that veneering was a common practice on even high end tables, especially of that period, and in itself does not indicate lower quality at all.

This is tough. Perhaps buy it, but look into restore/refinish as best as you can afford. Bottom line, will this be "good enough" for you? Only you can decide.

Perhaps if you buy it and if you ever find your "dream" banquet table in this style in better condition that won't break the bank, you can resell this one.

I think it's a bargain and totally agree with runninginplace.

I would talk to their woodworker to ask how they intend to repair the damage and then I would take pics of it to my local furniture restorer and get their opinion.

Most nicks can be camouflaged and will the gouges really be noticed when the table is being used and covered with plates and decor?

All good table tops are veneer. Solid wood tents to warp
swell and shrink with the humidity conditions.

These tables are very expensive, our daughter has
a kendell 18 century dining room set with a 10 foot table,
and it sounds like what your describing. It's a gorgeous
table.

If the damage to the top is not horrendous then the table is
a steal. The leg can be repaired.

Find out exactly how much it will cost to do a proper repair on the table leg before you buy. If the repair work is reasonable, it could be worth it. I found an amazing deal on a 8' mahogany pedestal Kindel table this summer. It's also has a veneer top and I was told it was a very expensive table. The veneer also has a few tiny scratches and I don't mind at all. While duncan phyfe style tables are common on classifieds in my area, I'd never seen one of this quality before. If this one fits your room and your needs and the repair can be done well, I'd snap it up.

Did you buy? I only saw the $99 one and one for over $1000.

Red

Just one little disagreement-not all good tabletops are veneer and not all solid tabletops warp.

Everything that has a big field such as a dining table
is almost always veener, especially in fine furniture. Veener is stable, lot less chance of it
shrinking or moving. There are exceptions such as country
type tables that are solid wood planking glued together,
however that is totally different look.

When people hear veneer they think it's cheap, quite the contrary.
You are correct cny, when you said that not all solid table tops are veneer...
We made our kitchen table 45" round it is solid wood,
five quarter, aged walnut, it's a small table, chances
of it being effected by moisture conditions are nil.
we used 4 pieces of glued up walnut. If this was a large dining table it would be veneer over stable composition board.
the reason we did glued up walnut rather than veneer is because it's a kitchen table and takes a lot of abuse,
I can drag it outside sand it down and varnish it the same day. We made our living room coffee table from mahagony veneer,
because we wanted one solid piece, like many good quality
dining tables are made.

one solid piece of mahagony veneer over mdf. this is the only table we made from veneer. all our other tables
are made from solid wood, however they are end tables,
night stands etc... nothing with a big field.

I think that price is not unreasonable giving the size.
Would they let you take some photos to post on here. I find photos sometimes even gives you a different view and you see things you otherwise overlook.

i guess I thought it sounded like a good price, assuming the repairs weren't much more than the cost of the table.

I can't think of a store where I could find a 10ft solid wood, finished table for under $600. (and I say solid wood because even though it's veneer, it's not over mdf in this case)

$325 plus the repairs and the restoration and the delivery (or deliveries to/from restorer) = ???

I poked around on the Internet for just a minute and found this stunning one for $1500. (CL near DC) And there likely are others out there at auction and on CL if you are willing to look and pounce.

Not seeing the one you are considering and not knowing where you are (shipping) or the final cost of the consignment one, hard to compare the two. But there are other tables out there. You are looking for a large size, yes, but not many others can use that large a size. And if they have a 16 ft DR, would they be shopping used? You could be a rare buyer and have an real advantage.

To me the DR table is an important 'thing', so I would want one that I absolutely loved. Do you love it?
Think of all that you have spent and will spend, and decide whether X dollars more or less is worth it to you.

Here is a link that might be useful: another table

Well, maybe there aren't that many out there. (Iam bored so I am trolling for you)

Another stunner, floor model by Hickory Chair. But 2750.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hickory Chair mahogany

now I think that $1500 one celticmoon posted is gorgeous and I think that is a very good price!

Nice Henrendon perfect condition for 700 in DC. Just listed Saturday. But queen ann rather then duncan phyfe.

Are you committed to mahogany and/or duncan phyfe?

Do you need chairs?

Here is a link that might be useful: henrendon listed today

A Kittinger mahogany Duncan Phyfe in Raleigh posted Monday for 1200/ best offer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kittinger Duncan Phyfe

Gorgeous mint antique DP. 12 feet with a price to match. Good to have a peek just to see what's out there at the 4.5 k mark.

This is fun... have to get to like page 26 on the searches to find these.

Here is a link that might be useful: way high end

A Drexel with an Asian twist. With 6 chair, pads and a small buffet. Not sure it is long enough. San Diego, Tuesday. 800.

Here is a link that might be useful: Asian table with extras

Here's some eye candy. They distinguish "long" (= 10-12 feet) from "extra long". Link is to "long" tables. There are some gorgeous ones!!

Hey, I just remembered I have one in my basement. Mahogany, DP knockoff, pedestal, 10 feet (I just measured). It was DH's grandmother's on the farm. He uses it for the world's longest desk.

I am not kidding.

Here is a link that might be useful: big and pricey

Last one, and I will stop. This is a dealer in Atlanta that has a lot of banquet size mahogany, starting at 2750.

That pretty much lets you know what is out there. There probably are a bunch in consignment shops here and there that don't pop in an Internet search. It is a matter of how hard & how far you want to look, how much you would spend, and your patience vs wish to grab a deal, get it done and move on.

You could find other options over time. But 'bird in the hand' and all... Bottom line: do you like/love this table you found?

Here is a link that might be useful: Atlanta dealer

I didn't mean to imply that veneer was cheap, just that it is harder to repair than solid wood, and usually sells for less. My mahogany table top is solid, and has no warping. It had severe gouges and scratches on it's top when I inherited it, all of this was easily repaired by sanding and refinishing. If it had been veneer, the restoration would not have been that easy, thus devaluing the table, IMHO.

All I suggested was that with the repairs to the top and leg that needed to be done, perhaps the OP should look for a price reduction.

If the leg is easily fixed, I think its a good price. It is hard to find DP pedestal tables, and it seems to me only about 20% of all tables, in general, are pedestal. I further limit my search to a red mahogany toned table. I am looking for a smaller table and it is still hard to come by. That being said, I think alot of people are getting rid of these old world tables (shame) to get the new Pottern Barn look. Good luck!

Wow! You guys are amazing! I need a bumper sticker that says "I Love Garden Web." I appreciate all your expertise. An update: I took DH to see the table on Saturday The table is in pieces, so we were able to turn the pedestal upside down and inspect them more closely. Much to my horror, I found that several do the other legs looked like they were about to come off or had been badly reglued onto the pedestals. I went running to the shopowner, who calmly said their furniture repair person could fix all of the problems for $200. That would put the price of this table at $500. So no, I did not buy the table on the spot. I told the shopowner that I would look at the table again after repairs. That gives me time to troll Craigslist and some of the many antique stores in the Atlanta area. I went down the street to a store that sells a few antiques, but mostly refinishes them. The shoppwmer there made a face when I mentioned the price on the (repaired) DP table, so I will definitely do some bargaining if it comes to that. On the upside, this same guy said he has 8 matching DP chairs in his warehouse, just waiting for someone to have them refinished. I am not fixed on DP, but I like it better than some other styles, and it would go well with my very formal dining room. I apprciate all the info on veneer--I had very little knowledge, and now I know that since I want a very large table, veneer would be a very reasonable choice. I know $500 makes the table less of a deal, but of couple of things will keep it on the radar: 1) We went over budget on the kitchen, and I'm trying to dave DH some money 2) $500 is still way less that the 1-4k that I've seen these tables listed for online. 3) If the repairs are done correctly, the piece will be stable and strong for many years to come.4) It's big. And right here. Bird in the hand, and all that. Thank you, everyone, (especially celticmoon) for all the pictures. Some of the tables are beautiful, especially tha one with the roping around the edge. Drooool. Off to do some table trolling... oh and I have seen one leaf (the other one was upside down beyond my reach,) but I'm sure the shopowner would have mentioned any major damage. I just wish I knew what happened to this poor defenseless table...

It sounds like you are being very level-headed about it. Fingers crossed the repair turns out good.

Muffin, how far are you from Auburn AL. I saw a DP table at a local consignment shop last week. It was too large for my needs so did not inspect it but it had many pedestals. I also did not note the asking price but saw an ad in local paper today with a coupon for something off of $100 purchase or more.
dorothy

Well, I'm going to throw more irons in the fire.

I think the table you describe at that price, in that condition, is wildly overpriced.

Whether or not a solid piece of wood warps or distorts depends on several things. Mainly, the type of wood. A soft wood is much more likely to warp than a hardwood. Age, pore size, pressure treating...all of these determine the likelihood of warping. Also, if wood isn't sealed on BOTH sides, it's more likely to warp. And the obvious...the amount of moisture the wood is exposed to. Wood in New Orleans is more likely to distort than the same wood in Arizona.

A veneered piece can also warp. The structural integrity of veneer depends entirely on the substrate to which it is attached. Veneer is used for several reasons, but the main one is that is much less expensive to have a beautifully grained and figured sheet of wood 1/8th thick, than it is a solid piece. The other reason is structural. Many woods that are considered beautiful (or that stain beautifully, or are rare) don't have good structural qualities. They may be too soft, to brittle,etc. It's quite common for all parts of a piece of furniture (legs, aprons, top, sides, etc.) to all be made out of different woods to make the best use of the qualities of each of those species. Veneer can be tricky to repair, but a lot of times, it can be done if you know the tricks. If not, all you have to do is soak the old off and replace it with new.

The bottom line is that there's pros and cons to solid vs. veneer, but you should understand what they are and why to make an informed choice.

Back to that table in question...while I do love the style of Duncan Phyfe, it's not known for it's sturdiness. By the sheer design of it, it tends to be delicate, and I don't know that the style suits itself to a hard use family dining table. Lovely, yes, but only if you're handy with the glue.

Duncan Phyfe tables are a dime a dozen on the Baltimore CL. I bought a 3 pedestal DP table with 3 leaves, pads, 4 chairs, a china cabinet and a nonmatching but goes ok buffet for $250 about 4 years ago. No repairs needed. Only new fabric for the chair seats.( My neighbor had 2 matching chairs in his attic that he gave us) I think the furniture was made in the 40s-50s.
I often troll ( ok, I will admit it,addiction here) and saw a similar table for about $250 about 3 weeks ago and it looked to be in great condition.
I often see great looking DP table and chair sets as well- some with china cabs and buffets, sometimes just the table and chairs.
I think you may be able to do better- depending on your location. The local GW had a DP set in November- table,6 chairs china, and buffet for $500- in pretty good shape too.

I would have to agree with franksmom as to the style of DP not being known for it's sturdiness. We bought a beautiful DP table for our daughter at auction six years ago, the table with two leaves, and 6 chairs, all in excellent condition, for $350. Sadly, the leg on one of the pedestals was damaged in a move and now needs repair. It appears to be a clean break, but it is right at that lower part of the curve where you commonly see the most breakage. The leg design has it's flaws, it seems.

Link to Duncan Phyfe Dining Set - 10 Piece - $2000 (Jacksonville, Florida) on craigslist below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Duncan Phyfe Dining Set - 10 Piece - $2000 (Jacksonville))

That Jacksonville table only goes to six feet, so it would unfortunately be way too small for the OP

Did you catch that that set is "manufactured by the high quality furniture company Duncan Phyfe" ?

I am guessing not so much.