Hello All,
I am 34 and been woodworking for about 10 years (I am lucky, not too many young ones around) I’m sure everyone has seen the nested tables in the Woodcraft Magazine this month, my wife did, and she wants me to make them. I have dealt with many kinds of wood, but never “genuine mahogany”. I checked the internet and there seems to be 15 different woods that are classified as “mahogany”. What is genuine mahogany and does anyone know a good source?
Thanks,
Jeff
Replies
Woodman2263, perhaps someone with more knowledge will respond, but here's my answer.
"real" mahogany probably should be interpreted as coming from Central/south America, originally the best from Cuba and now mostly Honduras, Brazil, etc.
African mahognay is, I believe a more available related species, that is somewhat less valued than the American variety. There is also Phillipine mahogany (aka Luan)from SE Asia that is also a different species with less of the desirable characterisitcs of "real" mahogany.
http://www.bluemoonexoticwood.com/ You will pay through the nose, but its beautiful....repeat beautiful wood. Pure Cuban, as much as you can affford to buy. Located in Ithaca, NY.
Shame that Jon Arno is no longer with us. He loved these types of questions. I believe that "genuine" mahogany was basically Cuban mahogany. Many of the eighteenth-century British masterpieces were made from Cuban mahogany. Sadly, this species is now pretty well extinct. Today, folks call Hondures (sp?)mahogany "genuine" mahogany. This species comes from central and south America and looks similar to Cuban mahogany. About 15 years ago I did my kitchen in Hondures mahogany and it was easilly available from a local hardwoods lumber yard. I believe it still is although I'm sure the price has gone up a bit. If you want a species that looks somewhat like Hondures mahogany but is fair bit cheaper you might want to consider African mahogany (not a genuine mahogany).
Chip Tam
The Cuban mahogany (Santo Domingo also) is Swietenia Swietenia. Almost none exists anymore except for a bit from Hurricane damage, etc. If you do find any it will cost serious money. Much more common is Swietenia Macrophylla, which is more commonly known as Honduran mahogany, though much now may come from South America. It is usually lighter in color and less dense than Cuban. Honduran is most likely what people would refer to as true mahogany.
Entadrophragma cylindricum is sapele, one of the African mahoganies. African mahogany is often khaya ivorensis and is generally coarser grained than Swietenia s. Santos Mahogany, myroxylon balsamum is another tropical hardwood.
Steve,The "Cuban" is Swietenia mahogani.It still grows in the Florida Keys and around there.Now cultivated in Palau for Blue Moon.J.P.http://www.jpkfinefurniture.com
You are absolutely correct. Don't know how that got in my head.
Steve,Happens to me all the time.I think one thing and say/write someting totally different.For me it is a direct result of having a 16 month old baby running around and having to repeat myself a hundred times.J.P.http://www.jpkfinefurniture.com
Thank goodness I haven't had that excuse for quite a while. But I am getting ready to build a house, with the first step moving into temporary abodes--I'll claim that as an excuse.
Swietenia Macrophylla is what furnituremakers call genuine mahogany and it's called "Honduras mahogany". As others have said it comes from Central and South America. It's become quite expensive though, and many look-a-likes have become available.
African mahogany (marketing name, it's genus is Khaya) is a good looking substitute and much cheaper. Honduras mahogany is around ten bucks a board foot now, "African mahogany" is about half that.
Lee
You don't say where you are located or how much you need.
"genuine mahagany" is usually Honduran Mahogany. Lots of it is around. Several good internet sources with 200bdft min at $8/bdft 13" widths.
Cuban Mahogany is also available. Got this in an email from a supplier:
"I have 15 flitches of cuban mahogany (1800 bd ft, 4/4, 8/4, few pieces of 12/4, all from butt logs) coming soon from my plantation in Haiti. There are some crotch flitches as well, including an awesome double crotch. Flitches are $25 bd ft on average, crotches are $40 to $60 bd ft. Our honduras mahogany from the same plantation is just as dense and is actually more figured, pricing is $10 to $20 bd ft for complete flitches, crotches are $25 to $35 bd ft."
Just made some items of sapele and African mahogany. Frankly, the woods are more pleasing to me than "genuine" mahogany in appearance. Sapele can be dark brown, Khaya more red. You may have a bit more wasted pieces due to splintering, etc., but you should like them both.
Cadiddlehopper
I agree. When I bought "mahogany" 5 years ago for a project, I really preferred African. The recent examples I saw however were not pleasing to me; it looked more like Phillipine mahogany to me. I wasn't aware of the rain forest issue but that would influence me as well.
My advice would be to go to your lumber yard and pick what looks nice to you. If you buy your lumber rough, take a small plane to make a spot where you can really see the grain and color. This will also help get boards of similar color and grain if you want. Always ask the folks at the yard if it's OK to plane a spot for a better look. I've never had one turn me down, but I think they appreciate the courtesy of being asked.
Lots of issues here. While I'm certainly not an activist or tree-hugger, one of the main reasons that African Mahogany has emerged as a player here is that the Honduran and Brazilian varieties come from the rainforest and it's increasingly hard to keep the supplies to meet the demand. At least some of the American Mahoganies that reach the US market have been poached. So as woodworkers, if we let our conscience be our guide, may want to consider the African alternative.
Some of the major door manufacturers have already done so.
"Roger Staubach for President"
Question? Is spanish cedar concidered a mahagony? Does any know its genus.
Good call but I have to disagree with you about Rodger Joe Montana is much more qualified to be PresidentTroy
Swientia macrophylla is available. It is farmed/plantation grown. I get FSC certified sticks at $5 - $8/bf, depending on the cut and thickness. I recently roughed down several 8/4 sticks in preparation for a couple passage doors I'm making.
For figure, mahogany is probably best known for ribbon figure in quartersawn stock.
It makes for good joinery, especially hand joinery because it is not as fibrous a wood as oaks. It works like maple and cherry...probably closer to cherry because it doesn't seem as dense as hard maple. It can be finished to exceptional surfaces by any method commonly used - planing, scraping or abrading. It takes glue well since it isn't an oily wood and the surfaces are reasonably hard so it can be used for pieces that require some dent/marking resistance. It is an open pored wood so will require more finishing work than cherry to get level surfaces such as a high gloss finish.
Freshly cut surfaces of mahogany look very pale compared to the aged, rough sawn surfaces. It can take a long time for the freshly aged surfaces to develop the darker patina and sunlight doesn't do the trick so much....I've heard that lye/NaOH will darken the surface but I haven't gotten around to trying that.
Tim
On the neverending quest for wood.
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