an antique table repair

 it didn't take too long to go from the basket case above to the reenergized table below.  good for another 100 years if my clients can keep the movers away from it.  it was hard for us to imagine quite how it ended up in the shape above, but it looks good now.  we can't figure out exactly how old it is either, not being experts on early factory ?? furniture.  it did definitely have some obviously hand done joinery and a 'bricklaid'  veneered apron, which puts it on the early side, but it also ahd some factory like elements, including the little buttons over the screws holding the aprons on, some slotted brass machine made screws reinforcing the leg joints, yet the top veneer pattern had a hand done feeling to it.  i'd peg it early 20th century, english.  comments?  click the photos to enlarge them ...

 ta dahhhh .. striking piece with a decent, but probably not original shellac finish.

 the breaks in the stretcher were mostly on the long grain and after will stuck them back together with glue and masking tape, i routed in some 3/16ths" maple 'bars' over the repaired breaks to reinforce them.

 i also cleaned and replaced the 4 dowel joints where the stretcher joined the legs.  there were some earlier minor stretcher repairs so it wasn't the first tragedy that befell it ... i don't believe the previous mishaps were as serious as this one though.  will also replaced some broken off pieces on the leg top yesterday and repaired the area where the aprons joined in the bridle joint.  we swabbed on the hide glue today and wriggled the stretcher into place.  no clamps necessary except on the bridle joint.  (almost) good as new.