McLoughlin House: Drop Leaf Table

MPF Conservation conserved several objects for the McLoughlin House in Oregon City, Oregon (which is part of the Fort Vancouver NM); this page documents the Drop Leaf Table circa 1830, shown above before treatment, part of the McLoughlin family collection.

It is very similar in design to the Caribbean Mahogany Pivoting Game Table, and we surmise that the family purchased them together from the same furniture house.

Above, the Drop Leaf table during assessment. The drop leaves on either side are only about 14-inches wide, and so only increase the length ever-so-slightly. A central threaded steel shaft connects the base and runs through the urn-shaped column and into the table top.

The base had several cracks, some of them structural, some only veneer cracks.

The base has several deep cracks in the aprons, with fragmented and missing veneer, images one and two above. MPFC created a curved padded planked jig to hold replaced veneers in place during the glue curing phases. The entire table was clamped onto the workbench.

After veneers were glued and cured, hard wax was applied to infill voids.

After curing, Mitchell gently removed excess consolidants by scraping with a neoprene scraper, and the table was ready for finish treatment, below.

The top, above, before finish treatment. It was thoroughly cleaned of dirt, fats and waxes.

The surfaces (base too) were pounced with rottenstone powder, above.

Felt blocks were immersed in oderless mineral spirits. MPFC uses Gamblin’s Gamsol. The top was then rubbed along grain lines with the felt blocks until friction created enough heat to meld the microscopic tears in the original varnish. The top was cleaned of slurry and the polish was complete, above.

After polishing, the table was waxed and the table was ready for delivery, below.

Items MPFC treated as of this date from the McLoughlin home are:

Return to main page of the McLoughlin House.