Replies

1. 
   RMillard | Apr 21, 2004 03:57am | #1

   The smell, Walnut has a nice spicy smell, where mahogany has kind of a bitter smell ( at least the dust does).

   Rob Millard

2. 
   billballeza | Apr 21, 2004 05:14am | #2

   I read somewhere that "genuine mahogany" is near impossible to find.. especially in wide stock.. and that most mahogany for sale today is just as you describe.

   And, as mentioned in the earlier reply, the smell of walnut (essence of the Gods) is unmistakable.

1. 
   workingwoods | Apr 21, 2004 06:33am | #3

   The guy I buy my rough sawn from just got done tearing apart som pallets that mahogony veneer was shipped into the country on.  some of the boards were over 30" wide.  There were even sheets of the veneer that fell into the pallets, nice looking stuff.  Of course, there are nail holes every 4', but some beautiful wood.  If any one is interested, let me know and I will get you in contact with him, He says he is gonna sell it reasonable.

   John

3. 
   jonsherryl | Apr 21, 2004 04:33pm | #4

   Scent is probably the best clue for separating these two woods...but if the stock is very old or buried under varnish, there are also some anatomical clues that are quite reliable:

   Genuine mahogany has what are called "storied rays". In other words, the ray flecks on the flatsawn (tangential) surface line up, side by side to form wavy bands that run across the board, perpendicular to the grain. Also, while mahogany's figure is usually enhanced by noticeable growth increments that look like annual rings, they don't tend to be as regular and evenly spaced (when viewed on the end grain) as the annual rings of a temperate species, like walnut. Walnut experiences complete winter dormancy, but mahogany only develops some variation in its growth rate when grown in climates that have wet season / dry season fluctuations...so the transition from one growth increment to the next, tends to be less abrupt.

   Another usually reliable clue is that, on the radial (quartersawn) surface, mahogany typically displays a "ribbon figure", because of its interlocked grain, while walnut does not.

   And finally, if you look at the smoothly cut end grain of walnut under moderately high magnification (20X is usually enough) you can spot occasional shiny black crystals in some of the larger heartwood pores...But the above, gross anatomical clues are normally obvious enough that you don't have to get out the hand lens and go on a crystal hunt.