Many of our dining tables work of a leaf system - this refers to the fact that the table can extend (or un-extend) by the addition of extra leaves. A leaf is an extra section of the table that can be easily dropped in (or taken out) to make it bigger or smaller - on average a leaf will be two feet (0.6 metres). Perfect if you are hosting large scale dinner parties and need the table to seat upwards of 12 people.
With this table below you pull out the D ends and the slat system extends and supports the extra leaves:
Victorian dining tables also work via a leaf system, often operated by a mechanism with a handle to turn that protrudes from the end of the table. Thes are easy to use as the legs are on castors. With leaves the grain of the wood will also match when they are dropped into the table:
Here's a photo of the internal mechanism of an extending Victorian table:
And below is a photo of a large extending Victorian dining table in mahogany with one of the extra leaves (normally two feet wide) lying on the floor next to it:
We also have Jupes dining tables which are round dining tables that extend via the addition of extra concentric leaves.
As dining tables and dining sets are our speciality at Canonbury Antiques we hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any questions - or come into our North London showroom yourself for a live demonstration.
Hopefully this video clearly illustrates how the leaf system works:
To view some of antique dining sets please click here
We carry a range of Victorian and Regency pedestal tables so please browse our online gallery - or pay us a visit in person at our North London antiques showroom.
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