Knitting Table
I saw this table on the side of the road while taking a walk with my wife. It was in pretty rough shape but was too cool looking to leave behind. It needed repairs and refinishing.
The repairs were pretty easy to do. It gave me an excuse to buy a dowel jig and learn how to use it. I am always up for buying new tools.
Refinishing is never easy. It always ends up being more work than anticipated. I remembered a friend had told me about products to restore finishes. I consulted Dr. Google and decided to use the products manufactured by Howard Products Inc. It worked out pretty well. The restored table is not show room "Holy cow look at that! Chuck you are a master craftsman" quality, but in the right lighting conditions and with stuff piled on it, it looks pretty good. I was pleased. The juice to squeeze ratio was satisfactory.
Products Used For Project
Got the dowel jig and the 7/16" dowels from Amazon.com.
I really like this 3M sandpaper. It is durable and does a nice job. I get it at Home Depot.
"Before" Pictures
The table had seen better days. It did not look so good. The first thing I did was use the Howard Clean-A-Finish to remove accumulated grime. It worked well. The table looked better but was still rough looking. I do not have any post-clean pictures.
The Repairs
I cut the ends off and made news ones. I was lucky to have some wood laying round that was the same width as the legs.
This was my first time using dowels and glue to provide the structural integrity. One benefit of doing projects is I get to buy new tools. The dowel jig I bought worked well.
Three of the four legs were loose. I removed them and reworked the dowels. A few of the holes needed cleaned up, Some of the dowels were covered in dried glue and needed sanded.
Prepping and Restoring the Finish
I decided to lightly sand the table parts before applying the Restor-A-Finish. There were spots on the existing finish where it had turned dark brown/black. Lightly sanding it removed many of the brown/black spots and improved the overall appearance. I used 220 grit sandpaper. The below pictures show what the legs and top looked like after sanding.
When sanding was complete, I applied the Restor-A-Finish with a rag. After applying, I wiped all surfaces down with a dry rag to remove any excess product. Then I waited an hour or so and applied Feed-N-Wax. It was quick, easy, and I was satisfied with the results.
Do Restor-A-Finish & Feed-N-Wax Perform as Advertised?
Yes!
