Ok. So puzzling through this … speaking with my wife’s uncle …
The table is old as sin. And has been in a garage since '71. It came from Ohio. Was built on an Amish farm. Although the style is medieval, based upon the huge circular saw marks on the backside, it can’t be older than 1850.
Apparently this butcher’s table would have been used annually in November when meat was typically prepared prior to winter. Before and after usage the table would have been cleaned with a lye water solution (something called a cinder wash was used to make lye).
The guess is the lye has broken down the fibers in the wood - hence the perpetual punkiness.
I’ll bring this back to Dallas with me. And maybe I can sand off enough to get past the punkiness.