How do you store the extra leaves?

You usually have to find a spot elsewhere in the house. Some models have space under the main top, but most require the leaves to be kept in a cupboard or against a wall. Keep them somewhere with a stable temperature. Putting them in a damp cellar or next to a hot radiator can warp the wood, making it hard to fit them back into the table later.

I was winding my table open for a party and the handle just stopped turning, what causes the mechanism to get stuck like that?

The threaded steel rod under the table might have gathered too much dust and old grease. Over the years, this mixture hardens in the grooves of the screw, acting like a brake. Sometimes the wooden runners themselves have swollen due to changes in humidity. If the timber expands, it grips the sliding sections too tightly for the metal screw to push past. Cleaning the old grease off the mechanism often solves it. A wire brush and some fresh lubricant will usually get things moving smoothly again.

Can you mix leaves from different tables?

It rarely works. The locating dowels and the width of the boards differ slightly from maker to maker. Even if the physical fit is close, the timber grain and colour will clash. It is much better to have missing leaves custom made by a restorer to match your specific frame.

When I put all the sections in there is a slight gap between two of the boards, is there a way to pull them tighter together?

Gap issues usually stem from a winding mechanism that has reached the end of its travel or locating pins that are slightly out of alignment. If the pins are bent, they prevent the boards from sitting flush. You can use small brass table forks to help pull recalcitrant leaves together. These are simple metal clips that screw into the underside of the leaf edges, hooking across the join to physically hold the gap shut.

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Antique Extending Tables from the 19th Century

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Antique extending tables are clever pieces of dining furniture built with internal mechanisms or sliding frames that pull apart to accept extra leaves, turning a compact family table into one fit for a banquet.