Hey everyone. wondering if anyone can tell me what type of wood this is. its a door that came of a cabinet that is at least 70 years old, maybe older. my first thought was walnut, now I’m not so sure. any chance it may be mahogany? any thought are appreciated!
I can take more pictures if required.
Replies
Hi gecko ,
Usually it's not so easy to tell some wood types from photos . It sure looks like Mahogany to me . The ribbon grain effect is a characteristic of Mahogany. Your photos are beautiful , great job of posting them .
dusty
I think that I agree that it is mahogany, but I have some questions. How hard would you say it is? What type of house or building did it come from? If you sand it (perhaps the top edge) what color is the dust?
Nice pics!
John
Wouldn't maybe be Elm? I know it's red, but could it be stained that color? I checked a couple books and the choices are kind of limited. Ash has a similar grain too, but again the color's wrong. There's also an African wood called Afrormosia that is almost the closest match with its red color and oak-like grain structure (coarse earlywood and fine latewood).
I don't want to waste too much of your time with guesses but wanted to get my two cents in - just in case I get lucky.
What's it weigh? This Afrormosia weighs in at 44lbs/ft3, but so does the Ash.
Could be Mahogany, but the flare in the grain makes me wonder.
Edited 1/22/2004 8:56:00 PM ET by 15Broad
mahogany for sure.
the weight is hard to tell, I have a door same size and design made from walnut and I think the walnut is a bit heavier. I tried sanding the bottom edge before I posted the question and the dust was reddish also, but I cant be sure I got through the finish, which might be stained. I have some mahogany that I compared to it, and the walnut looks closer, besides the colour.
dusty. thanks for the complement on the photos, I just got a new digital camera so I'm taking pictures of everything. haha
Custom Cabinetry and Furniture
http://www.BartlettWoodworking.com
Gecko, judging from the semi ring-porous figure in your photo of door #2, I think it's walnut.
I can't spot the rays in these photos, but look very closely at the ray flecks on the flatsawn surface. If the wood is genuine mahogany, it will display what are called "storied rays". In other words, the ray flecks will appear as short (about 1/8" long) dark dashes and these dashes will line up parallel to each other to form wavy bands across the surface (perpendicular to the grain direction.) I don't think you will find this feature.
your right Jon! thanks a million. the door in the picture is from the antique. I'm reproducing it for the client, and am now at the finishing stage. as you can imagine it would have been devastating to find I've made an exact replica of an antique out of the wrong wood! although i suppose i would have enjoyed it myself if i had to make a whole new piece.
Custom Cabinetry and Furniture
http://www.BartlettWoodworking.com
I think your biggest problem will be matching the color of old, thoroughly oxidized walnut.
I have some samples of walnut that were taken from the trim in the Old Mariners Church in Detroit when that structure was moved back in the late 1950s. The church had been built in the mid 19th century and the color of this old walnut is sort of a rusty brick orange.
As it ages, walnut first loses its purple highlights...but eventually it even loses its dark brown pigments, which seem to lighten and shift toward the red end of the spectrum. This aged look is almost impossible to fake, since fresh walnut is darker to begin with. I suppose you might be able to achieve that faded color with a mild bleach, or possibly ammonia...but I've never tried it.
thanks Jon. I have been having some trouble matching the colour, I've gotten a stain mixed up for me that matches fairly well, but I think I'm going to have to leave it to time to match it further. can you recommend any pore filler that I can use on it that is easily found? can I simply use the filler that comes in those tubes (made for filling nail holes and the like)?
Custom Cabinetry and Furniture
http://www.BartlettWoodworking.com
I couldn't believe all the mahogony answers, and thank God, Jon posted. Mahogony does NOT have annular rings (just rainy season bands) like the great photos show. Jons right in that this is called "semi ring porous" which categorizes walnut, cherry etc.
My first thought was butternut - commonly used, and virtually identical to walnut in structure, but lighter in color and a little softer. Jon's idea of it being severely bleached walnut is a good possibility too.
The ambered varnish gives it the rich color that probably made you think mahogony, and that will be tough to match Gecko. I would use an amber, thick shellac to fill the pores, sand off, spray sealer, then spray a few mist coats of tinted lacquer, then lacquer topcoat. I mention lacquer because it is low-solids and will lay out a low film build sheen similar to the photos, and it will allow tinting in the midcoats.
BTW, here's a picture of TRUE ribbon-stripe mahogony:
"The furniture designer is an architect." - Maurice DuFrenes (French Art Deco furniture designer, contemporary of Ruhlmann)
http://www.pbase.com/dr_dichro
Dr.
I'm with you, Jon's post and knowledge really floored me. I don't know anything about woods, but always thought I could tell the difference between Mahogany and Walnut....nope, can't do that either. sigh!
I appreciate your comments. I am actually surprised at how many people identify woods by color only. I guess I did too at some time, but wood is SSSOOO dynamic - like the very fingerprint of God - it has infinite detail characteristics that give away the smallest of differences between species.
I'm just now learning the difference between African and Honduran Mahogony - very subtle. Ever see Bocote´ next to Zebrawood? Tough there too.
When I first saw a guy planing Butternut, I said "nice piece of walnut there", and he corrected me, telling me the difference between the two. We all learn one way or another.
With today's digital cameras with macro feature, we could have fun identifying woods here. I have a few that will 'stump' some of you.
"The furniture designer is an architect." - Maurice DuFrenes (French Art Deco furniture designer, contemporary of Ruhlmann)
http://www.pbase.com/dr_dichro
thanks to everyone who helped me out on this one. The piece of furniture is now in the shop finished completely. I wound up using a stain to bring out some of the reddish highlights. I think the finish on this piece is one of the best finishes I've managed - again, many thanks!
I'll take some pictures and post them in the gallery later with some more details.
Custom Cabinetry and Furniture
http://www.BartlettWoodworking.com
Gecko, I'd agree with Doc, walnut is semi ring-porous and not as difficult to fill as the truly ring-porous woods, like oak or ash. I'd just bury the surface in a couple of heavy coats of shellac, then move on to a top coat of a more durable varnish. With the exception of table tops and bars, I avoid using the polyurethanes. Too hard to rub out. I usually use an old fashioned alkyd resin (mineral spirit based) varnish for the final coat(s).
The problem with using pigmented fillers is that as the wood develops its long term patina, what might have been a perfect match at the time you applied the filler, it won't be down the road. Burying the surface in shellac fills the pores, but also leaves a film on the entire surface...so, as the piece ages, it tends to remain more uniform in color.
I like wet sanding with oil. The dust should age the same way as the wood, color wise. It's messy and boring, though. And it can take a while for the slurry to harden in the pores.
This answers a lot of questions I have about the woodwork in the building where I work. It was built ca 1937 by the WPA. Beautiful original Art Deco architecture. The alcove where the public phones are located is paneled in wood that's identical to what Gecko posted. I assumed it was cherry, this being Pennsylvania. My desk is very similar, only not as red. Possibly it's walnut as well.
By the way, the elevator cars in this building are amazing. They're paneled in ribbon stripe mahogany with birdseye maple dovetail keys locking the panels together. Even decades of abuse and neglect haven't been able to mar the underlying beauty.
My first guess is that it's a well aged walnut. Iv'e seen some teak like this too.
One of my old clients was always bringing in stuff from europe with similar color and grain. Made repairing/matching a nightmare.
I've uploaded some pictures in the gallery under "reproduction cabinet"
Thanks again to all of you!
Custom Cabinetry and Furniture
http://www.BartlettWoodworking.com
Now that Jon has pronounced, :o) I feel safe jumping in and saying it sure looks more like the walnut gunstocks I've seen than the mahogany furniture I've seen.
Honduras Mahogany I would say. Very common for that type of item.
A listing of all different types of wood can be found on a "Bobbin by Van-Dieren"
Look under "wood definitions"
My guess is not a good one but if It's pink wood it might be fir. Oak There are a lot of different oaks. The finish on the doors 70 years ago was lighter and the finish could be hand made(mixed). Pictures are hard to tell do to lighting.
Good luck.
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