Hi! I recently bought this table at auction, and wondered if anyone here would have some advice on making new leaves for it.


It is just over 43" across. I will be re-finishing the top (someone had glued some kind of plastic covering to the top) but the pedestal and legs are in great shape.

The table came with no leaves, although it does come apart in the middle to accommodate leaves. How do I go about making new leaves - Do I have to find "quartersawn" oak boards, or would any oak boards that are the right thickness look ok?

If I need "quartersawn" oak - is this something that's widely available? Is there another name for it? I have heard of "edge grain" but I am not sure if that is the same thing.

And once I sand down the surface, and find a stain to match the pedestal colour, I wonder if the old wood tabletop will be a different colour than the newly made leaves - will I need to take that into account when staining the new leaves? Or will the stain make the old and new wood match?

thanks!
heather

quote:

Originally posted by heatherD:

How do I go about making new leaves -

That depends on your woodworking skills. Most likely you will want to glue up some thinner boards (after running through a jointer and planer) into a wider 12" or so size plank (because 12" wide wood can be hard to find or expensive when found, especially if quartered). It also depends on whether or not you want your leaves to have matching apron sides similar to the table, which involves more work, but looks more complete when inserted. However simple plain boards without aprons would be easier to make and cheaper, plus easier to store when not in use. Since you don't have at least one existing leaf to use as an example, the question of apron or non-apron leaves is up to you (unless you can find a similar table in existance to compare to).

quote:

Do I have to find "quartersawn" oak boards, or would any oak boards that are the right thickness look ok?

I guess it would depend on whether or not the table top has quartersawn oak or not (which can't be seen from the single included photo). I would think that you would want the leaves to match the table. Again it's up to you. Is having leaves strictly about function (in which case any flat board would do, regardless of the material), or is it about restoration which requires attention to exact detail?

quote:

If I need "quartersawn" oak - is this something that's widely available? Is there another name for it? I have heard of "edge grain" but I am not sure if that is the same thing.

You most likely won't find quartersawn oak at your local big box home center. You'll probably want to go to a woodworking or lumber supply to find it, and yes it will be slightly more expensive than regular flatsawn wood. Quartersawn wood involves milling it differently to get the quartered grain, but results in less lumber from the log (and also harder to get wide boards except from the largest of logs). But the expense can be worth it if you want that arts and crafts look of the flake/rayed grain and the strength of quartered grain.

quote:

And once I sand down the surface, and find a stain to match the pedestal colour, I wonder if the old wood tabletop will be a different colour than the newly made leaves - will I need to take that into account when staining the new leaves? Or will the stain make the old and new wood match?

Yes, the staining the new wood to match the old wood will be a learning process. Even if you had the exact mixing formula of the original table when it was made, the aging/usage of the piece changes the color over time. You'll just have to mix something up and apply to a scrap/test piece and it will be a process of trial and error. Since you are refinishing the top, you'll be able to match them better with the new leaves since it will be fresh stain on both. Even if you get them to match the pedestal exactly, they still might look different due to lighting and angles, so I would not worry to much about it really. Close enough should be good enough, and you can also adjust the color by adding or subtracting shellac coats and colors as needed. Plus even waxing can subtly change the color based on the wax color and number of coats. Most of the time, tables with original leaves don't match in color, due to the habits of the various owners it has had through the years. Many owners only put the leaves in when actually needed for a large dinner, but then otherwise remove them and put them in storage. Thus due to storage, their color ages different than the rest of the table that is getting regular daily usage.

Dear Jeremy,
Thank you so much for your very helpful response! I've learned a lot, and I'm sure other people have found it helpful too!

I'll post again if more questions arise as I get into the project..

Thanks again!
heather

I should add that sometimes leaves are smaller widths than 12". I saw an AC table the other day (forget which website) with 8" wide leaves, which might be doable without having to joint multiple boards together (depending on what source of lumber you can find).

I guess you might want to just spread open the table all the way and then get a measurement of how wide, subtract an inch or two for the leaf/table pins, and then see how even it divides into how ever many leaves you have in mind. You could also consider using veneer, especially if the top is already veneer. Veneer would be much cheaper, but you would have to be very careful during finishing as to not oversand since it is very thin.