UNIQUE TABLE

[surfdawg561]

slat, roll out table (from 5ft into 9ft). Any info appreciated. Story below

I bought a "coffee table" at an auction without looking it over before hand. It turned out to be the same height as a kitchen table but without the clearance to sit in a normal chair(about 4" sides) with your legs under it. It was too heavy for a regular table(4'x5'), so after some investigation I found that if you pull from from both end of the table, it pulls out to be about 9ft long! the extentions come from underneath the table and roll out like the old slat desk tops. I wanted to keep the table but after a while the wife bought a new one and I dont know if this is worth hanging on to. . . I've tried looking it up with no success. If you have ever heard or seen of something like this please let me know. Thank you

[bigwull]

Can we have some pics of the underside, especially where the legs attach....i think that perhaps these legs have been shortened...either to accomodate some short arsed people,...or so that it fitted under a window sill...or something like that...furthermore. ..the legs look like they were never married to the table in the first place...

[surfdawg561]

The legs do not appear to have been cut. I just assumed that the chairs that went with the set were lower.

[bigwull]

The universal height of a table, to the underside is 25.1/2in ..and chairs have a universal height of 17.1/2in
therefore anything below this must have been modified

[surfdawg561]

I did not know there was a standard for height. It makes sence though. This table is 23.25 inches to the bottom of the skirt. Have you ever seen anything like it before?

[bigwull]

Looking at those legs, that ball on the bottom...that,s sitting on the floor...i feel there should have been slightly tapered footing below that...perhaps you can check that also...just to see if there are any saw marks

[surfdawg561]

ok, I tipped it over and got a better picture of the underside and the leg. (did I mention it's heavy) the bottom of the legs do not appear to have been sawed off and they have a metal piece on the bottom. (not threaded) I guess there could have been something that fit in it to add height but without threads, it would have fallen out anytime someone lifted the table. The round white things are some kind of stickers to prevent scratching the floor.

[bigwull]

Its missing a set of castors...they would be quite substantial ones to carry the weight, and with these the height will be around 25 1/2in...which is the normal height...to the underside of the skirt...or plinth as its sometimes known
What I think,s happened here is, this table will have had castors these are push fit...normally they have an expanding collar on the stem that goes into the hole...but some castors have a smooth shaft and the expanding socket is in the hole,...the pads have been fitted as you know to stop marking the floor...whoever had this table must have had an easily damaged floor...so they removed the castors..which would have almost certainly been brass with a brass wheel,because castors can damage a wooden floor...big time......the metal ring within the leg is to give strength to the leg where the castor fitted..this ring would help prevent the wood from splitting...

[surfdawg561]

That would also help make it easier to open up the table to its full length, though in my opinion, would take away from the look it has. Do you think this is a custom piece? I have not been able to find any other tables which use this form of extention.

[bigwull]

This form of extending..is common.the outside leaves have two wooden rails.that slide out to accommodate the centre piece...when a shorter table is required the centre section is removed complete with the supporting leg, then the two leaves are pushed together,whereby the wooden rails overlap one another,and it becomes a 4 legged table...i have the modern equivalent..when its closed its 5ft long and when its extended its 7ft...i have no centre leg because at 7ft the bottom skirt of the table is thick enough to support the insert.both of my outside leaves have the rails that overlap when its not extended...yours has the extra leg because of the span of the insert...

[surfdawg561]

It is not a traditional leaf system where you pull the table apart and put the leaf in. I dont think you are understanding how this one extends. . . I fear I am not explaining it very well. The extention actually rolls out from the bottom of the table and cannot ever be removed, only pushed back in. I'm not sure how else to describe it so I will post some pictures as it opens. The first picture is from underneath, where the slats wraps around to make up the extension when pulled.

[mart]

In this table the center section is fixed and each end extends !!  This table is probably from the 30`s from the cannonball legs !!
He is correct about the casters !!  They put casters on everything back then !! Yours would be good sized ones and as bigwull said, would raise the table to proper height !!  Personally,, I would hang on to that one !! Restore that oak and it will be a beautiful table !!  Its a unique design that a few mfrs did use !!

[ghopper1924]

I believe you have a variation of the refactory design. I've got a dining room table with a similar concept, and it dates to the 1850s. Yours is oak, and quite robust.

Wull's right about the castors. It would be easy enough to find some heavy duty castors and restore them to your table, thus bringing it up to the correct height so you can restore it to it's intended use.

In my experience castors were not removed because they wore out or because of a lack of functionality, they were simply removed to make a fuddy-duddy old Victorian more *MODERN." Many a housewife in, say, 1955 did that to their old Vicky tables, along with removing valences and refinishing.

Anyhoo, get a new set of castors, refresh the oak finish, and you'll be able to use that table for another 100 years, if you live that long.

[mart]

You sure couldn`t beat that table for large family gatherings on holidays !!