# Mid century modern table question



## Jacob (21 Mar 2022)

Can anybody identify this? Doesn't have a makers mark. Very well made - extensions slide in and out perfectly. Looks a cut above the average with nice details. It's big 36" x 63" or 103" extended.
Thought I might give it a going over as per this chaps instructions, not something I've quite done before.


----------



## Against_The_Grain (21 Mar 2022)

It’s a table, from the mid century period I would say.


----------



## Jacob (21 Mar 2022)

Against_The_Grain said:


> It’s a table, from the mid century period I would say.


No really? That's useful to know I wonder who made it!


----------



## Against_The_Grain (21 Mar 2022)

Jacob said:


> No really? That's useful to know I wonder who made it!



Well you did ask to identify it, which it is a mid century table.

Who made it is another question, you’ll probably never know for certain as so many companies were making similar items back then, all quite naff by today’s standards and largely undesirable despite being made relatively well.


----------



## Jacob (21 Mar 2022)

Google says could be John Herbert Online Shop | Buy Furniture/Lighting/Design at PAMONO but there's a lot around very similar.
Not naff at all nowadays they are highly fashionable in certain quarters, even though it's the sort of stuff my mother in law used to have!
PS getting closer? Mid-Century Teak Dining Table by John Herbert for A. Younger Ltd., 1960s


----------



## Against_The_Grain (21 Mar 2022)

Jacob said:


> Not naff at all nowadays they are highly fashionable in certain quarters, even though it's the sort of stuff my mother in law used to have!



People are distancing themselves from the mahogany, teak, and other exotic hardwood furniture more and more as time goes on, whether in favour of more fashionable pieces or for ethical reasons in regards to deforestation, they don’t want to be associated with it even if it is over 50 years old.

The best thing for it would be to paint it over with some pastel paint and distress it for effect, people will eat that up.


----------



## --Tom-- (21 Mar 2022)

A fair amount of pieces in that style were coming from Denmark, so could be a danish piece.
Guessing the top is veneered boards rather than solid?

Refinished it’ll be a nice table though to my eye looks a bit top heavy when fully extended.


Mid century is a definite trend, have seen ercol pieces I picked up for about £50 now changing hands for £500. Is nice to see as i was buying it for less than the price of chipboard let alone solid timber


----------



## Jacob (21 Mar 2022)

--Tom-- said:


> ......Guessing the top is veneered boards rather than solid?.......


Chipboard with teak lippings and veneer (?) and teak legs etc below.
Actually in terms of ethical sourced timber this sort of design uses as little as possible quality solid wood. The battens etc out of sight are all cheaper stuff.
The design is very neat and clever - I wonder if any modern makers attempt to copy this sort of stuff? I guess not - it'd be batch production.


----------



## jcassidy (21 Mar 2022)

I have restored my share of tables; unless there's a sticker or mark branded on, it's a guessing game which brand that table is from. 

Quite frequently, unscrupulous people will remove the stuck-on (e.g. GPLAN) or nailed-on labels (e.g. Mackintosh) from recognisable pieces - on the basis that they're clearly GPLAN or Mackintosh whatever - and stick them on less valuable pieces, so they have 2x pieces of brand-name furniture. I don't believe the item in that video had a label so it's been removed at some point. There's a dark mark on the inside of your table that looks to me like it might be the glue left after a label is removed???

Anyway the only thing I'd add to that video is, I usually remove the top and, for a dining table, I can usually dismantle all the legs too. Makes life far easier. And I wouldn't have sanded the top as much as he did. Dings and nicks are part and parcel. I also generally avoid doing anything with legs unless they really need it - 90% of the time, only the tabletop needs looking at.
hope this helps, have fun.


----------



## TRITON (21 Mar 2022)

Against_The_Grain said:


> People are distancing themselves from the mahogany, teak, and other exotic hardwood furniture more and more as time goes on, whether in favour of more fashionable pieces or for ethical reasons in regards to deforestation, they don’t want to be associated with it even if it is over 50 years old.
> 
> The best thing for it would be to paint it over with some pastel paint and distress it for effect, people will eat that up.


A cynic 
Nothing wrong with painting, it can be the desired design effect.  Though i do wonder somtimes at the prices in these hip places. Cover a jumble sale 1950's utilitarian drawer unit in newspaper, then paint it in chalky blue, and its worth a fortune. London prices


----------



## --Tom-- (21 Mar 2022)

TRITON said:


> A cynic
> Nothign wrong with painting, it can be the desired design effect.



But hard to rationalise painting some pretty nice teak that’s in good nick.


----------



## Jacob (21 Mar 2022)

TRITON said:


> A cynic
> Nothing wrong with painting, it can be the desired design effect.  Though i do wonder somtimes at the prices in these hip places. Cover a jumble sale 1950's utilitarian drawer unit in newspaper, then paint it in chalky blue, and its worth a fortune. London prices


If you can't beat them, join them!


----------



## TRITON (21 Mar 2022)

--Tom-- said:


> But hard to rationalise painting some pretty nice teak that’s in good nick.


Charles Rennie mackintosh. House for an art lover.





If you consider what other houses were like at the time, and to cover everything in white paint(and having looked at most of it) its pretty shady a paint job. but in comparison to what was usual it was blinding.

Personally I'm not a great fan of painting, but if needs must...


----------



## --Tom-- (21 Mar 2022)

TRITON said:


> Charles Rennie mackintosh. House for an art lover.
> View attachment 132147
> 
> 
> ...



If it’s going to be painted it’s a good excuse to use some less visually interesting timber, if all that was rosewood underneath it would be a shame to my mind.


----------



## Inspector (21 Mar 2022)

My father was making Danish modern furniture like that through the 60's until the brown chipboard, machine turned spindles, with plastic moldings junk became the fashion. Their small 3 to 5 person shop couldn't compete so the went into repair and refinishing for antiques. He didn't do the mitred corner to leg detail like yours. His had aprons with corner blocks and the legs were bolts on with hanger bolts. Made for a smaller shipping package He used veneered plywood or lumber core plywood with solid edging for the tops. Solid for legs and skirts. Teak, walnut, mahogany and white oak. I have a walnut waiting room chair in need of reupholstering and a prototype oak dining room chair that needs some repair and paint removed that he made. I wish I had more of it. 

Pete


----------



## Jacob (22 Mar 2022)

Inspector said:


> My father was making Danish modern furniture like that through the 60's until the brown chipboard, machine turned spindles, with plastic moldings junk became the fashion. Their small 3 to 5 person shop couldn't compete so the went into repair and refinishing for antiques. He didn't do the mitred corner to leg detail like yours. His had aprons with corner blocks and the legs were bolts on with hanger bolts. Made for a smaller shipping package He used veneered plywood or lumber core plywood with solid edging for the tops. Solid for legs and skirts. Teak, walnut, mahogany and white oak. I have a walnut waiting room chair in need of reupholstering and a prototype oak dining room chair that needs some repair and paint removed that he made. I wish I had more of it.
> 
> Pete


Interesting. 
The mitred corner detail on mine is bolted through so the whole thing could be flat packed and easily put together. The whole design is very clever!


----------



## plum60 (22 Mar 2022)

Jacob said:


> Can anybody identify this? Doesn't have a makers mark. Very well made - extensions slide in and out perfectly. Looks a cut above the average with nice details. It's big 36" x 63" or 103" extended.
> Thought I might give it a going over as per this chaps instructions, not something I've quite done before.
> 
> View attachment 132114
> ...


It's Danish if it's that well made. The British makers copied their designs but are half as valuable compared to Danish. In fact the Danish are buying some of their pieces back that were exported years ago to the UK, especially rosewood. To keep value never ever paint over wood or wood veneers unless there is a great big burn or something un-restorable. It took those trees a long time to get there so some respect for wood and you will win financially as well. A dealer would have to spend a long time stripping it if it was painted and even then the paint gets down into open grain so sanding looms! The rule in mid century is to keep value not to mention a nice looking item, keep it as original as possible and never change it so it cannot be changed back to it's original state.


----------



## Jacob (22 Mar 2022)

plum60 said:


> It's Danish if it's that well made. The British makers copied their designs but are half as valuable compared to Danish. In fact the Danish are buying some of their pieces back that were exported years ago to the UK, especially rosewood. To keep value never ever paint over wood or wood veneers unless there is a great big burn or something un-restorable. It took those trees a long time to get there so some respect for wood and you will win financially as well. A dealer would have to spend a long time stripping it if it was painted and even then the paint gets down into open grain so sanding looms! The rule in mid century is to keep value not to mention a nice looking item, keep it as original as possible and never change it so it cannot be changed back to it's original state.


Nothing against paint but hadn't crossed my mind for this one!

PS talking of painted tables - I made this one recently - Formica on ply, mahogany knobs, redwood everywhere else. The design lifted from a book of trad welsh farmhouse furniture. Much heavier than Danish table above


----------



## Jacob (10 May 2022)

Jacob said:


> Can anybody identify this? Doesn't have a makers mark. Very well made - extensions slide in and out perfectly. Looks a cut above the average with nice details. It's big 36" x 63" or 103" extended.
> Thought I might give it a going over as per this chaps instructions, not something I've quite done before.
> 
> View attachment 132114
> ...


Stripped sanded and now oil polishing. Is very easy except multiple applications required over a longish period. Raw linseed really brings out colour. The extending leaves different shade due to having lived under the top and getting far less wear or sunlight than the top.






All the advice says put oil on with cloth around a weight (half brick etc). I put the cloth around a box with a lead weight in it











Lost count of how many times I've done it but it looks very nicer every time! Several horrid scratches which I thought would need remedying have virtually disappeared.


----------



## Phil Pascoe (10 May 2022)

TRITON said:


> A cynic
> Nothing wrong with painting, it can be the desired design effect.  Though i do wonder somtimes at the prices in these hip places. Cover a jumble sale 1950's utilitarian drawer unit in newspaper, then paint it in chalky blue, and its worth a fortune. London prices


----------



## Jacob (10 May 2022)

Phil Pascoe said:


>



It's getting like Notting Hill around here, Derbyshire. 30 years ago was heavy industry quarrying, manufacturing, farming. Shop all disappearing and turning into cafes and flash designer gift shops.
It'll be like Cornwall before we know it! Wirksworth as the Derbyshire Totnes!


----------



## Phil Pascoe (10 May 2022)

There's the Cornwall normal people live in and the Cornwall tourists visit. Two different places.


----------



## Jacob (10 May 2022)

Phil Pascoe said:


> There's the Cornwall normal people live in and the Cornwall tourists visit. Two different places.


Right. I didn't know normal people lived in Cornwall!


----------



## Phil Pascoe (10 May 2022)

The few of us left do.


----------

