I recently picked up a round coffee table from an estate sale.  It’s made of cherry wood.  Right in the middle of the table, there was a big black stain about 4 inches x 10 inches.  It looked like some sort of ink type stain to me.  I used Jason furniture refinisher to remove the varnish.  I have been applying clorox bleach on the stain.  It has lightened up and it’s now a medium gray color.  Would someone please tell me how to lighten up the stain some more or, better than that, how to get rid of this stain altogether?

If I manage to remove the stain or lighten it up considerably, what would be the best way to refinish it?  Must I bleach the whole table top before applying stain?  If the stain remain gray, do you think a brown mahogany stain (e.g. from the Bartley collection) would hide it?

Thanks in advance for your help!