Sanding down & refinishing antique table

[87tweetybirds]

So I inherited a lovely drop leaf table that belonged to my great grandmother but it looks like at some point in time a hot pan was placed on the table and scorched the wood. I would like to sand it down & re-varnish it. I'm new to working with wood and I'm not sure where exactly to start. I've managed to acquire a belt sander that I'm hoping will be helpful. I've been browsing the internet but all I can find is painted wood and I find it a shame to cover up such a beautiful grain with paint. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

[southern granny]

You have to be careful with sanding.  A lot of the old furniture has a thin layer of veneer. If you sand through that, you could ruin the piece.  I also think you would want to hand sand.  Please take some time to research your methods before you take a belt sander to a family heirloom.  I'm sure you can find dozens of youtube videos to help you out.

[MikeBear]

Google: "heat burns on wood table"

That'll give you plenty of results to try.

[Jellyfish]

You do need to check that it is solid wood or veneer. If solid, use an orbital sander not a belt sander, then hand sanding after with finer grain sandpaper before restaining.  Using a belt sander will leave noticeable sanding marks in the wood.

[chemgeek]

Do you have any pictures of the table/scorch marks? I've been reading non-stop about restoring wood  in an effort to salvage one of my great-grandparents tables (in the end, not worth the cost and it's going to be painted).