Clean it up as best you can and put a couple of coats of dewaxed shellac on
then apply a finish.

--
Mike G.
Heirloom Woods
www.heirloom-woods.net
"Joe Stefanovich" wrote in message
...
I bought a table at an estate sale that was made by an
instructor at an Army woodworking hobby shop. It has a beautiful
solid 6/4 + mahogany top sitting on ash frame & legs. Size 2m x 1m.
The problem is that the fellow that made it passed away before he got
around to finishing it. His daughter had been using it as a breakfast
table for about 10 years and all she has ever done is polish the raw
wood with stuff like Pledge or occasionally a paste wax. Is there
anything I can do to get a good finish on the table top with the wood
already permeated with this stuff. There is a profile routed around
the edge of the table so sanding/planing the surface is not an option
I would prefer.

tia

Joe/Albuquerque