I could see that as a plant stand, with a mosaic tile top. Actually, being a French flea market, maybe you could use a nice piece of marble tile, edging it with something thicker for more heft and to maybe look like a slab. I'd think about having the tile portion raised just a tad, if you've ever seen that before.

I wonder if there was another top on that base at one point. The current top seems small, at least in the pix, compared to the spread of the legs on the base, and the bolts and big round-headed metal screws used to assemble it seem odd.

I could see it painted, with other colors as accents used on various parts of the center spindle and legs.

If after sanding the wood is as nice all over as the strip you have already uncovered I would totally stain that and let that wood shine!

I am not one for painting solid wood pieces - actually I think it is a crime!

I had inherited a piece similar to that from my aunt. It had a round marble top and it was used as a plant stand. The table fell apart but I saved the marble top and use it as a cheese board! I could also see it as a small accent table between two small scale chairs.

I was wondering the same thing later last night -- the proportions look as if there might have been a larger top on it. I bet someone took the stone top off! That would be a great idea, to do a larger, maybe round piece on top. That piece does look more like a support.

What size was yours, kmcg, for proportioning?

My, you're ambitious! Can you send some of your stamina my way, I'm running low! ;)

Agree with what Les said, looks like a larger top was on there at one time. Look at the two support blocks underneath the top. When I zoom in, those appear to have a different finish to them. The bottom has the finish of a vintage Early American repro piece (no wood grain showing). But if you look at the support blocks beneath the top, it appears to me as if wood grain is visible, so those two pieces appear to have a different finish than the bottom.

Top part that you've already sanded looks pine to me from here. (Can you put a dent in it on the underside of the top with your thumbnail?) Odds are good bottom is not pine. Probably a harder wood (because there aren't a lot of dings from use, bumping, etc.), maybe maple, often used in Colonial or EA reproduction furniture.

Stripping turned pieces like that can be a real bear. BTDT many times, getting all the old stain out of those crevices is very time consuming. If it's for your booth, I'd not do a full strip on it. (Your time is worth money, too!)

So with all that said, it's probably a later vintage repro with mismatched top, not antique. It's actually not a bad little table as -is. If it's for resale, were it me I'd simply scuff sand with 150/180 grit (wouldn't go lower, if the top is pine it will gouge it), then again with 200 to smooth it a bit. Prime with Zinsser Bulleye 123 (my preferred) and paint. A soft creme, soft gray maybe with a hint of blue undertone, or a soft warm green. Appeal to the shabby chic crowd maybe.

Wouldn't do black on the whole thing, could appear too heavy for a smaller piece like that. But another option would be stain the top only and paint everything from the support blocks down black. (A little visual trick that would make the top appear a tad larger, the bottom appear a bit smaller, all around a bit more balanced.) The catch would be working around what you asked was the 'bolt' in top center. I'm thinking that's not a metal bolt. Stain does not cover metal well at all, slides right off of it. The stain over the 'bolt' is too uniform with the rest of the top. I'm leaning toward that being a wooden dowel pin rather than metal. Does it 'ping' if you tap it, or a magnet grab it?

Hard to judge the size of the table from the pic, but I just meaured my round marble top and it was small, 14" across. Perfect for a cheeseboard though! Hey squirrel, glad I found you. Could you go to my "lonely corner" thread and wave your magic wand for some ideas please, when you get the chance? Thankyou:)

I was just there, kmcg. Didn't really read the dialogue, but was admiring your colors!! So yummy. I thought the lady who wants to tone down the orange in her kitchen should head over there to see how well your paint color works with a similar wood tone ; ) Looks earthy, not orange.

If this were in Canada I would call this as Colonial maple, of which tables like this were a common piece - I thought the US had a similar phase. They never did contrasting tops, and the through-joint/dowel was done, either for real or fake, quite often. So it is not an uncommon piece, but cute as a button!

I wouldn't touch the spindles beyond a good cleaning, and since you've started sanding the top you pretty much have to finish that up and redo the finish, either clear or paint.

KarinL

I have not taken the table apart, but after closer examination it does appear to be one big bolt from bottom to top running right up the middle (hence the bolt like head on top) I'm wondering now, how to get that top back as dark as it was before, is this stain or some other product?

Just for fun, IF you were going to sell this (not at yard sale prices) what would you think you would see on this at a local antique store? I will look for something for the top, just to see what it would look like, but it might end up as is (with of course redoing the top back to where it was and cleaning up the rest)

The measurements BTW are the top is 12 inches square, the widest span of the legs is 14 inches. so with that info, do you still think maybe there was a larger top on it at one time? I can take more pics if that helps anyone?