A few months ago I posted a question about a coffee table that I am re-finishing. This thing:
Well, I finally got back to the project and decided to contact a guy who sells them and get his opinion. The guy owns Annapolis Maritime Antiques.
"All hatch covers are rectangular in their original form. We disassemble and reassemble our covers to give us the diameter needed then cut them to the round shape. We install a faux hand hold cutout in the center but then use an original steel hand hold to finish the look."
That explains the center location of the handle recess and the reason I couldn't find any pictures of round hatches. I guess the design/building of my table from old hatch wood is common.
I started testing some finishes today. Trying to match our TV console which is labeled as "Honey Maple".