Lane Virginia Maid Table Restoration Help

[Rside]

Hi guys, I'm new here and relatively new to woodworking, I just picked up some lane pieces today and was looking to restore them. They've all got standard scratches water stains etc but on the coffee table there's a large patch that looks really wrong. I was thinking it might have been a really terrible woodfill fix but I'm unsure. If anyone could help ID what happened and how to fix it I'd appreciate it. Also this is my first wood restoration project of any kind so any tips, guides or products to look for would be very helpful thanks!

[wtnhighlander]

That 'really wrong' patch looks to me as if a veneer was sanded through. Commercial pieces like that are often constructed of solid wood, but overlaid with a veneer of higher quality and better appearance. If that truly is a veneer, replacing it, or covering it with a decorative inlay, are the only options I can think of.

[Rside]

Thanks for replying! Any chance you have any resources on how to replace veneer then? And do you happen to know what the veneer is? It looks to be something like this https://www.veneersupplies.com/products/Marbled-Walnut-Veneer-Sheet--775-x-105.html but I'm not sure.

[wtnhighlander]

Looks like walnut to me. 

As for how to about it, I can describe what I might do, but I am not that experienced with veneer. Methods will depend on the tool set at your disposal.

Since that spot is on the bread-board end,I would probably score along the joint with a knife and straightedge, then hand plane away the damaged veneer, all the way across. A chisel and/or card scraper will help in the tight spots. Cut a new sheet a little oversized, making sure one edge butts cleanly against the joint, and the other 3 overhang. Glue it, tape it to avoid sliding, place a plywood or MDF caul over it for even pressure, and clamp for all you're worth. After the glue dries, use a router & flush trim bit to remove the overhanging edges. Proceed to finish as normal.

The trickiest part may be getting the right thickness. The veneers you buy are see-through thin. Maybe you can layer to gain bulk, I don't know. Hopefully someone with experience will chime in.

[Chestnut]

I think what Wtnhighlander above has described is good advice. The trouble is that doesn't look like walnut to me. The ribbon striping makes it appear to have some interlocking grain which makes me think that it may be something "exotic".

I also want to leave a wood of caution. The fix outlined above will most defiantly fix the patch but keep in mind wood from 50 years ago will not be the same color as wood from today. The wood is the same but it's had 50 years of oxidation and color change under it's belt. It's likely that end will never look perfect, I just want to caution you on your expectations.. An alternative would be to veneer the entire top. I have heard good things about the rolls of PSA veneer often sold in woodworking shops that you adhere with pressure form rubber rollers.

[Robby W]

I am wondering if the veneer is held down with hide glue. If so, removing the old veneer might be easier using steam. Regardless, I suggest taking this to someone local that knows what they are doing to figure it out if maintaining the original integrity of the table is important.

[Rside]

Big thanks to all of you! I spent some time today stripping off the finish on one of the end tables since that seemed more manageable for me. Following pics are of the bare veneer with a little water sprayed on to see what it might look like finished. Also waiting on some wood bleach to try getting that stain out. @Chestnut Do you have a guess at what it might be? I'm holding off on the coffee table for now as I don't want to wreck it further and I'll definitely be getting some veneer samples to see if any fit. Any idea on how much a shop might charge to re-veneer the coffee table? Or if its even worth having someone else do? I've heard Lane made quality stuff in the 50s and 60s but these are dated 1972 so I'm not sure if they're of the same quality. 

[Chestnut]

Disregard my earlier comment. That's walnut.... I must have seen on odd sport or the finish was throwing me off.

I'd be very careful with wood bleach. Bleaching thew wood will ruin the choclate walnut color.

This is an example of bleached walnut by Marc Spagnolo, you can see the wood turns quite light in color. Bleach will cause you huge headaches and may still not remove the stain. My advice is to try and blend the stain out or try and remove it with a solvent like denatured alcohol mineral spirits or as a last resort acetone. Make sure you are using pure solvents not those sold for personal care like nail polish remover. The personal care products can have dyes in them that will just cause more issues.

[gee-dub]

Some stains on veneered surfaces that have been allowed to become "open" find their way through to the substrate.  In this case you are trying to resolve the visible issue and keep the hidden issue from telegraphing through later on.  This can be a tough job.  I don't know if we have an restoration guys on this forum.  If not here, I would certainly find some "out there" (there are probably finishing specific forums out there) and share the pics.  There is a guy over on Familywoodworking that does some amazing recovery work.  I'm sure there are others like him.