Can I use regular furniture polish on this?

Wax is best. Modern spray polishes often contain silicones that leave a cloudy film on the dense grain over time. You don't want that building up on a good surface. A light application of traditional beeswax every few months feeds the timber. Buff it out with a soft cloth. It preserves the patina without doing any harm.

My dining room has a radiator right next to where the table will sit, will the heat dry out the wood and cause it to split or something?

Constant localised heat does pose a risk to old timber. Mahogany is stable, but central heating dries out the surrounding air. This causes the wood to shrink across the grain. Keep the table away from direct heat sources where possible. If it has to sit near a radiator, placing a small bowl of water underneath helps maintain local humidity.

How do the brass table clips work?

They hold the separate leaves of a dining table together. You slide the U-shaped brass clip into corresponding grooves cut under the edge of each section. This stops the leaves from drifting apart while people are eating. Most sets live in a drawer when the table isn't fully extended.

The top of the table tilts up so it stands vertically, but I don't really understand why someone would want their table to do that in the first place?

It saves space. Rooms in the eighteenth century often served multiple purposes throughout the day. People drank tea, played cards and ate in the same space. A tilt-top mechanism allows a servant to fold the surface flat and push the table back against the wall. This clears the centre of the room for other activities. It makes a large piece of furniture much more versatile.

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Antique Mahogany Tables in East of England

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Antique mahogany tables are dense, dark-timbered surfaces built from the early eighteenth century onwards to serve everything from dining to card games.