Replies

1. 
   tms | Apr 03, 2005 06:56am | #1

   Hey Ohio,

   I imagine that this won't be much help to you but, I attempted to make a recurve bow from lyptus backed with bamboo, but never finished if because the lyptus fretted (compression failure) badly.

   I tried it because I had read where lyptus was supposed to have properties similar to hickory, but now I know better.

   It is lighter in color, and a little pinker than mahogany, it is a bit more fiberous than honduran, a doesn't work quite as nicely, but it's close.

   Tom

2. 
   IanDG | Apr 03, 2005 10:10am | #2

   I have laid practically every variety of eucalypt that is made into parquet block in Oz, using PVA adhesive, without a single case of glue rejection. That includes species like Ironbark and Spotted Gum that are so dense they won't float.

   IanDG

3. 
   CRAIGCONEY_M | Apr 03, 2005 05:27pm | #3

   I've used lyptus on a couple of projects.  It is hard, dense, machines well, glues welll, stains & fininshes well.  It is stringier, but once you learn to work it, it works well.   I tried to make some edgebanding for a curved cutout in MDF from solid stock,  & it just doesn't bend well, maybe if it were wet or steam bending would help. 

1. 
   woodohio | Apr 03, 2005 06:21pm | #4

   Thanks for the info.  I have a client that wants a Grandfather clock made from a Mahogany-like wood that will be stained a dark, rich tone.  Where I live Lyptus is a bit cheaper than Mahogany but since I am unfamiliar with it I am unsure as to whether to use it or spend a little extra on the Mahogany.

1. 
   CRAIGCONEY_M | Apr 03, 2005 06:45pm | #5

   If you will be doing your own moldings, and are willing to spend the time learning the characteristics of the wood, use lyptus. 

   If you need to buy moldings, I'd go with the mahogony.

2. 
   cherryjohn | Apr 04, 2005 02:57am | #6

   Why not try Philippine mahogany, or as some know it as maranti.  I am using some for the first time and it seems ok.  I dont know that much about its properties but it makes a nice looking table top for some short money.  Its was $4.20 / bf at the lumber outlet.  Seems to take a stain reasonably wellWicked Decent Woodworks

   (oldest woodworking shop in NH)

   Rochester NH

   " If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"

1. 
   Patto | Apr 04, 2005 04:52am | #8

   Hard to deal with common names, but the marranti stuff the sell in Australia is nothing like mahogany to work; much softer and the grain is long. It is very easy to work untill you get a splinter, which will lift for a long way (really makes you check which way the router is running). It is quite soft, but with modern finishes seems OK.

   I use it for drawer sides etc beacuse it is straight and stable and cheap.

   They use it here sometimes for commercial mouldings wich stain / finish much more nicely than pine.

2. 
   SgianDubh | Apr 04, 2005 05:39am | #9

   The Philippine 'mahoganies' all come from one of the sixty or seventy Shorea species-- they're not mahoganies at all although some of the varieties are dark red to pinkish therefore superficially resembling a genuine mahogany.

   Some are are hard and dense, and some are soft and spongy. In some the grain is attractive and works well, and in others it's soft, stringy and interlocked. They are usually sold as variations of lauan or meranti. Some is good for heavy wear situations and some isn't. One of the worst characteristics of the species in general in my experience is that it often seems to have serious thunder shakes invisible prior to machining which often makes the part unusable (particularly) for load bearing, or even for show work.

   You just have to careful of what you buy before you load it up and haul it away. Slainte.RJFurniture

1. 
   cherryjohn | Apr 04, 2005 06:05am | #10

   What are thunder shakes?Wicked Decent Woodworks

   (oldest woodworking shop in NH)

   Rochester NH

   " If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"

2. 
   SgianDubh | Apr 04, 2005 11:14am | #11

   They're cracks or wrinkles across the grain often resembling a large river and its estuaries as viewed from space caused by compression failure. They're usually impossible to see in rough sawn wood, but are revealed during dressing. The result is that the piece is weak-- it's already broken-- and thus unusable where strength is required.

   The cause might be overflexing of the trunk during felling. Other causes might be a heavy load of snow or severe bending caused by high wind. The concave side of the bent piece suffers compression causing the cells to rupture but the opposite convex side under tension often (usually) doesn't fail.

   A similar phenomenom can sometimes be seen during both steam bending and laminate bending if the wood is bent around a curve causing it to bend beyond its elastic limit. Slainte.

   RJFurniture

   Edited 4/4/2005 4:34 am ET by Sgian Dubh

3. 
   woodohio | Apr 04, 2005 10:14pm | #12

   In my area (northern Ohio), I don't think anyone sells Phillipine mahogany.  Anyways, I think from the generally positive response on Lyptus I am going to give it a try.  It seems no one had any nightmare stories about it.  I plan to test it out on a small little project and if all goes well I will use it for my clients grandfather clock.  Also, does anyone know why it is thicknessed in such odd dimensions (25/36th)? 

4. 
   PrideWdWrks | Apr 04, 2005 04:25am | #7

   Not sure about in your area, but African Mahogany,or Khaya,has been reasonably priced in the NW lately.

   Steve S.