What to use to Fill Grooves in Old Table Top

[chriskingston]

I'm trying to restore this old table. It's solid wood, and the top needs a good sand and oil, so the colour will probably lighten a bit once I've done that. But there are some quite deep grooves in it:

I've put a penny in it for scale.

What can I fill it with? I don't like fake wood or wood-coloured filler. I wondered about some plain black filler. Or is it best just to leave it - but the grooves are definitely big enough to be dirt traps?

What has anyone else done with similar things?

Thanks,
Chris

[thedoctor]

Hi

These grooves are quite typical of tables of this type, my parents have one that is very similar with the same grooves.

As they are a bit of a feature of the table it may be worth leaving them as they are a cleaning regularly to remove any dirt and grime.

If you did want to fill the gaps, it may be worth trying a neutral or dark wood filler such as those available from Liberon as this can be varnished, waxed and painted: https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/DIY-superst ... 125ml.html

Hope this helps