I'm building a small tavern table for use in an informal setting. I have some old heart-pine (lumber cut at least 140 yrs ago) and am considering using no finish.
The existing patina is a nice reddish-brown and where I cut into a "fresh" surface on a scrap a few months back, it has pretty much colored-up to match the undisturbed patina.
Would it be appropriate, in terms of 18thc, to leave this table unfinished?