The Country Gallery Antiques
Restoration-Table
conversions
Take me back to
the Restoration page!
The Country Gallery
Antiques
Janet Fram and Børge Hermansen, shop proprietors
P.O. Box 70 1566 Rte 315
Rupert, Vermont 05768
telephone 802 394-7753 e.st. fax 802 394-0076 e.s.t.
e-mail
us at antiques@country-gallery.com
Categories on this page...
Boots
How to put in the
leaves
Bread board Ends
Polyurethaned Top
Banquet Table Conversion
Scrolled Table
Sides
Boots
Tables from 1880 and earlier often need boots.
Sometimes because the casters that were often found on these heavy tables are
damaged or missing or because over time the bottom of the leg has been damaged
due to damp floors or puppy chewing. My husband will then put on a boot to achieve
the desired height.
Here is a beautiful leg
with a boot added and restored with mahogany wax.
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| An example of
a tiny boot, applied in time past. |
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| An example of a boot
applied perhaps 50 years ago. This table leg is unrestored as yet by the
way. We actually did not even see the boots until we lifted the table
up onto another table for storage. The entire table can be seen on the
tables page. It is the tea table at the bottom
of the table page.
You can see that boots are not readily visible.
We often find them on old tables or need to apply them. |
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Banquet
Table Conversion
Bread
Board Ends
Bread Board ends....
This table needed a bigger top for comfort.
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Borge added breadboard ends and enlarged the width as well. |
and another before and after example...
to 
 
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Borge in his workshop, polishing a plank table
to which he has just added bread board ends and since this family has young
children, polyurethane on the top. |
A round table becomes an oval when
the leaf is added.
The original leaves for this table did not
have aprons. The original owners would have used a table cloth when the
table was extended.
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For contemporary use, we have added aprons
to the leaves so that the table can be used fully extended without a tablecloth. |
Putting in the
table leaves
Pull the table apart first.
This is a photo isolating what Borge thinks
of as the Primary Leaf. The leaf is marked with a line which means one
on the one side and two lines which mean, well two on the other side!
Match the one line to the one line on the
permanent table top always. The double line will match to the second leaf
OR to the permanent table top on the other side. When you only need one
leaf in you use this one. The second leaf will not fit in by itelf!
Match up these dowels.
if your table has leaves with aprons it will
look like this...
this is how it looks underneath |
  You
will need to tip in the second leave.
The one mark on the permanent table top. Look for the same mark on the
leaves and match up notches. The one mark should face each other when
assembled.
Table top assembled and locked. Remember to use your table locks or the
top may separate or warp!
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The table fully restored with 2 leaves.
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These are leaves from another table, but you can clearly
see the marks on the leaves....
and the matching marks on the table...
and 
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Here is how you screw in table legs....
Legs screw in COUNTERCLOCKWISE.
Legs are removed by twisting CLOCKWISE!!!! This is the opposite of screws!
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Here is an example of adding an apron to a table with a fluted
apron....
Polyurethaned
Top
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This table has been restored.
The base is waxed light brown and the top is polyurethaned and waxed. |
Scrolled
Sides
Scrolled sides look like this!
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or this!
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