French Refectory Style Dining Table
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Item details
Height
77.0 cm
Width
191.0 cm
Depth
88.0 cm
Wear conditions
Good
Wear conditions
Excellent
Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.
Good
May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.
Average
Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.
Apparent Wear and Tear
Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.
Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.
Description
I bought this Workbench from a old Lincolnshire small holding sale
It has a very unique back story
According to the elderly gentleman seller it was brought back from northern France by his father who was serving in the army at the end of WW2
Apparently he was in the Transport Corps and was bringing an empty lorry back to the UK and saw this bench thrown out from a bombed out workshop in Normandy
He thought it would make a good addition to his fathers smallholding so loaded onto the lorry and dropped it off on his way back to Catterick
When I saw the table it was under a stack of hay bales with a vice attached at one end
When I had it delivered back to my workshop I found that one of the legs was very badly rotted so I took the decision to completely dismantle the bench
I removed every construction screw , drilled out all the dowel joints and essentially turned the bench into its component parts- I even removed and cleaned the metal plank end inserts
I replaced the rotten leg with a piece of joist from a Victorian roof demolition
The bench was then re assembled re using the original screws where possible (If I couldn’t re-use then I used old reclaimed screws from my store)
All the dowels holes were filled with hardwood replacements
In the course of the rebuild I found a metal name tag recessed in one of the legs
It gave the name Durand but I couldn’t find any bench manufacturers in France so I think it may have been the owners name
looking at the joints and the wood used,I firmly believe that this was made from whatever the owner could obtain -which ties in with the 1940’s probable age
I then sanded ,re sanded and re sanded the top -not to remove the scratches, dents ,dings,saw marks ,burns and stains -but to give an acceptably smooth table finish
My only concession in restoring this table was to use modern glues in the dowel,mortise and tenon joints when I re attached them You can see the tables’ support framework in the attached pictures
Once it was re built I re-stained it and then waxed with Fiddes Supreme wax
Overall I spent nearly a hundred hours on this repair and restoration - but I truly believe this will make a unique statement piece of dining furniture
This will need a big room and easy access to it as this is one big,heavy beast 😀
Cancellations
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Returns
We have a 14-day return guarantee for orders from individual sellers, within the UK and European Union. View full policy.
This item will be delivered by Vinterior's delivery partner, Proovia. Find out more about Proovia and delivery at Vinterior here.
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- Ships from Welton, United Kingdom
Cancellations and Returns
Last updated: 24th March 2025
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