The Ice Cream Table In Progress

My grandparents would tell us stories of how they went to the local general store and sat at the counter at the soda fountain for malt shakes or root beer floats.  Those were the days of soda jerks with their white paper hats, hamburgers that cost a nickel, and ice cream parlors with tables and chairs like this:

A very sweet lady was selling her set for $50.  My 800 square feet of paradise comes with a little patio and I thought this would do the job nicely.  

The basic bones were in tact.  The black paint was chipping off in a few places, but overall it was in pretty good shape. 

Well, except for the seats.

Once I got everything home and gave the seats a test sit, I discovered they were pretty flimsy.  

The tops looked okay but the bottoms....

Not so much.

2 of the 3 chairs had this thin, warped, and fraying veneer wood.

I don't think your bum would enjoy sitting on this.

So I set about removing the seats from the base of the chairs using an adjustable wrench.

Once the nuts were removed, I took the "L" brackets off and the bolts behind them.

Even the top of the table came off.  I want to sand it down to get the current poly top coat off.   

This part was definitely more straightforward. 

I've got quite the pile of "parts" in the apartment at the moment, but trust me - I've got big plans for this set!  Stay tuned...