The table actually expands even farther than that - which is awesome.

And I do want to expose some of the natural wood when not in use.

That is a gorgeous table.

Just finish the leaves yourself. Be very, very careful in matching the stain. You can always have a wordsmith make leaves if you mess up. That's what I did when a friend gave me her antique claw foot pedestal table but couldn't find the leaves that went with it. (How does a person lose table leaves?)

What if that table is not real wood and that insert is pine? How to get that to match. You will probably need a craftsman to get it done. I have been told I am a pretty good wordsmith but would never tackle a project such as this. Perhaps sentence structure, but not table construction.

You can have a professional furniture refinisher stain them for you.

I suspect the price of the table is "fantastic" because it's missing its leaves.

I'd print a pic of the table, take it to a wordsmith, and find out what it would cost for them to at least cut leaves for it. Because of the beveling, it would have to be professionally done, and it wouldn't be cheap.

Then I'd tell the seller the price to have the leaves made, and get at least the cost of the necessary leave off the price of the table.

For the table to look right you will need leaves to have apron edges to match the rest of the table if you want to have it extended. DD had a man she knew who does wood working on the side make leaves for her old round oak table and he made aprons on her new leaves to match the table. Not sure if I have used the correct term, maybe there is a better word for it ?

If the leaves are self storing they would not have aprons. I think someone may have refinished the round table and never finished the extra leaves. They could very well be the original leaves. Ask the seller if they are self storing, and were stripped. If they refinished the table they could tell you if they stained it and what finish they used. Good luck. I love the table. If the leaves are original I'd buy it in a heart beat.

Did you notice the middle legs are in a different position on the round table configuration? I would guess that when you pull the top apart the extra leaves are somehow stacked under the table top and taken out one at a time to add. Just a thought. I may be completely wrong, but I have seen this. Check it out.

Tibbrix - (How does a person lose table leaves?)

I may even have them ;) When we moved, my SIL, knowing how much additional storage I now have, sent over three leaves. She thought they went to a table I have and that she was keeping them for me. They are not part of my table (I have my 4 leaves to mine), we don't know where or even which or whose table these leaves belong to still, but they are gorgeous wood with inlaid edging. Trying to think of some use for them, possibly even shelving unit of some kind, they are too pretty to discard. They are in a closet, and a puzzle.

I suspect the original leaves to that Ebay table are missing or were damaged and replacements have been cut. What a shame, the table is beautiful.

morzâ¦too funny!

I also agree it needs an apron for those leaves. You would not like sitting in that spot without them. My table has a self-storing leaf and it DOES have an apron on the leaf. The aprons fold up against the bottom of the leaf before you fold the entire leaf under.

our kitchen table also has self storing leaves with aprons...

it looks like the leaves are only for large groups and to be used with a table cloth... i would guess the 'finished' areas of the table are not all solid wood and the cost is kept way down by having the expansion leaves unfinished planks of cheap wood- to be used with a tablecloth...
i also suspect even the most talented wood refinisher would not be interested in trying to make the leaves match in color in some way...

I've never seen anything like that, and would not buy it. You would not only have to use a tablecloth with those "leaves," but you'd have to use a table pad as well, over the whole table so the height was even, underneath the cloth.

Yes. Another vote for kswl's excellent thought -- to possibly re-consider the whole purchase .... with the added expense of re-finishing the leaves OR have a woodworkers re-create new ones .....

I should add that the table is late 1800s, so its not the type you can just buy anywhere else. It is also only $400 with the comparables being:

same length/years with finished leaves: $6000
same length/years without finished leaves: $2000
almost the same table with leaves: $58000
similar table with leaves: $3000

My original questions was about table clothes. I'm not really interested in refinishing anything as the original leaves were either not finished or lost long ago.

This post was edited by Selcier on Fri, Apr 25, 14 at 14:25

I love the grace of your table! I would probably just place a small rectangular table cloth over the leaf and allow the beautiful finished edges shine!
Great find!

Yes, I would be worried that this is not a stable piece of furniture. What concerns me from seeing the picture and hearing of its bargain price is that it is a "cheap" reproduction and not worth a great deal of money but then you get what you pay for. So, if the price is "cheap" and you receive a "cheap" piece of furniture, then so note it be. Photography is everything for the salesman.

Yes, a wordsmith is a writer, reason I said I have been known to be a wordsmith albeit I need to work on my sentence structure.

Why would you want leaves with this table? I just don't know if it is real original piece, why one would not want to just leave it in one piece and celebrate its beauty without being stretched out with what appears to be unfinished pine or sawdust wood. Would you be able to take the "leaves" out and display it in its original state or has this "original piece" been dinked with until it cannot be returned to its original state without these silly looking "leaves."

I agree with KSWL that it would have to have pads. I think this is one I would leave on the Bay.

You should inspect it thoroughly before you buy. It obviously cannot be compared to a $6000 table or a $58000 table....if the owner thought s/he could get that, it would be for sale somewhere else or the price would have already been bid up far beyond $400. It could have been refinished inexpertly (difficult to see in pix) or have an unoriginal leg or two, all of which would diminish its value.

That said, I have had three horizontal runners made for my dining table. When even two leaves are in it is just too long, and all that wood is dizzying--- and not in a good way. So I put a runner on horizontally that hangs (either with a tasseled or banded edge) about 4" over each side. It breaks up the long expanse of the table and adds color, as well as a safe landing place for silver center pieces, candlesticks, etc. However, the proportions have to be right. If you use two or three leaves you cannot have a sideways runner as wide as both of them, I think the proportions would be all wrong. You could have one leaf in though, covered by a runner, but that's really your only option for daily display.

This is one of mine:

From the picture it is a lovely table. However I find it difficult to believe that an original antique table would be offered for sale at a price that low, even with the unfinished leaves. I would contact the seller and ask for a written guarantee that the table is indeed an original. If it is, it's the deal of the century. If it's not I would think about using it for a breakfast area where you can keep it round.

Is that a Gillows table??

Had to look up Gillow's table. Always something new to learn on this forum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gillow's table