Great Aunt Otelia's farm house table

While I wait for the concrete to fully cure for my new gate project, Im tackling this old, solid Oak, Farmhouse kitchen table has been around for a long time. It was my Wife's great great aunt's table and was handed down to my Wife's, late grandmother's (who would be 112 years old now). My wife and I have had the table for more than 30 years. Before that, (When it was owned by my Wife's Grandmother, it was used at threshing time, when a multitude of farmers needed a dinner table.

Before that it was owned by Great, Great Aunt Otelia. Its unknown who owned it before that . Based on what we know, its approximately, 150 years old and in need of refinishing. Looking at the rings in the oak boards, the trees used to saw the boards were well over 80 years old so its safe to assume, the oak (s) were growing around just after the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I cant find any maker's mark or brand that would signal that it was made by a furniture company. It appears to be hand crafted in the 1800's.


Sadly, the chairs did not stand the test of time. We used them until they were no longer serviceable. We recently bought new chairs which prompted the refinishing of the table top.


Its a big table with 3 leaves that can be added as needed making it 6 feet by nearly 4 feet wide. I sanded the top to abraid the old finish and then gave it 4 coats of water based Polyurethane. It will likely last another 150 years so after it leaves our little farmhouse, the kids and grand kids will have to do the next refinishing.











click here for a brief video of the final finish

Beautiful table and excellent works you've done!

Could you show the underside of the table please? It's not common to see a fifth leg but it certainly provides better support at the center.  

May Lotito wrote:Beautiful table and excellent works you've done!

Could you show the underside of the table please? It's not common to see a fifth leg but it certainly provides better support at the center.  

Your expert care really shows in the end product, it looks new with that finishing

In an era where traditional handiwork is not readily respected,  I salute you. Appreciate the family history, thanks for sharing

That is a beautiful table and a lovely restoration project.

I also love the kitchen cabinets.

What a wonderful family legacy piece, I like thinking about the trees being around during events which stand out in our history and still matter now, imagining the trees quietly happily growing and just doing their thing and not knowing their fate would ultimately lead to something special.