On 08/05/2018 12:12, JoeJoe wrote:

Solid oak table - nothing fancy, but has served us well for many years.
Made up of separate blocks glued together.

It is located pretty closed to a window, and due to that and the
constant use over the years has now lost its shine. I am no expert on
the matter, but I believe that it was treated with some sort of oil when
we bought it - definitely not varnish.

Oil is a common way of finishing many woods. I use it frequently on
projects. The original is probably a Tung oil blend of some kind.

Planning to give it a gentle sanding first, but What should I use to
treat it with please?

If its an oiled finish, then its usually easy to top up the finish.
However you will need to strip any build up of wax or polish first.

Wipe on a coat, leave to sink in for a few mins then wipe off any
excess. Wait a few hours for it to dry, and repeat. Do at least 4 coats,
but as many as you want to get the amount of lustre you are after. Wax
when done. If you apply the wax with the rough side of a nylon kitchen
scourer[1] then you will clean off any "nibs" in the finish as well as
knocking back the shine a bit to a nice satin finish.

[1] Traditionally 0000 wire wool is used for this stage, but that is not
advisable on Oak since there is a possibility that any tiny fragments of
metal that get left could react with oak's high tannin content, and
cause black stains

Needs to be safe for food obviously.

Normally a "pure tung oil" is used for that... although how food safe a
dining table needs to be is debatable (assuming you are using plates! ;-)

--
Cheers,

John.

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