I got some of the Pool Table refinished. This is a long-term effort. I have only completed about 1/2 of the body, but I only work on it in the winter months. I stripped the paint and varnish, sanded, and applied polyurethane. The hardest was the molding, I could only work about 3 Leaf Medallions per day. I used my 3-D printer to make some unique sanding blocks for the coves and half-round molding. Attached are the before and after pictures:
That’s a very impressive improvement! I’m guessing that the vast majority of people with older wooden objects just assume that very dark finishes were intended. Where the reality is that most finishes have darkened to the extent of being unrecognizably different from the original appearance.