renovating the antique tables project

progress so far...there are 3 tables, I describe them as
a, refectory
b, round
c, extension

the one I am most impressed with so far is the refectory style....it was in shocking condition, looked like it had been used as a work bench, by a very clumsy workman at some stage...
it had been stained very dark, had numerous gashes and deep wounds to the timber, it was a huge mess
first I tried to be gentle with the restoration process...
since it is my first try, and flying partially blind
I had lightly sanded it, and filled the deep gashes with wood filler, then tried to match the stain, and finally sanded it again.....hours of work involved
not happy
then the handyman said, start over with a paint stripper
wow, that really stuffed it up, it was eating into the timber
I was facing hours of elbow grease, hard yakka on that process..so I threw all caution aside, and went for the big guns....the large sander...
to my amazement, about `15 minutes later I was looking at a whole new table...and here it is, after only one coat of clear polyurethane varnish...
if you look at the before photo, you can see the under layers of deteriorated coats...the large gashes are not in view in this photo
obviously before....

and the after photo