What are the characteristics of mahogany wood?
What are the characteristics of mahogany wood?
- Press your fingernail into the wood to determine whether or not it's a soft or hardwood. If your fingernail leaves a mark, it is softwood.
- Observe the corners of the wood in order to determine if the wood is solid or a veneer.
- Observe the pattern and grain.
- Observe the color.
Is mahogany a natural wood?
Santos Mahogany – Natural (exotic hardwood flooring) is a hard, dense, open-grained wood that has an inherent, traditional warmth. Flooring type describes the flooring category.
Is mahogany a hard or soft wood?
There are flamenco guitars made from Spanish Cedar (and some necks, too)., but that is not a true cedar, rather a hardwood more in common with mahogany than the cedar used for tops (a softwood). Just a semi-educated guess on my part, though.
How to tell mahogany from Oak?
Tips & Tricks: How to tell if Mahogany is genuine
- Find a place of the board, or create one, where the wood is perfectly flat sawn, this is the only way this will work. ...
- Take out your finest honed plane and get a very clean polished surface without damaging the grain. ...
- Get good light and look really closely at the pattern made by the medullary rays. They should appear as little ovals or ellipses. ...
How can you tell if wood is oak or mahogany?
Color and Grain Even though mahogany is red or orange and oak is amber-colored, oak can be stained the same color as mahogany. The aesthetic differences center mostly around grain patterns. Mahogany grain is closely spaced and straight. If you prize a uniform, consistent appearance, choose mahogany.
What does natural mahogany look like?
Mahogany has a straight, fine, and even grain, and is relatively free of voids and pockets. Its reddish-brown color darkens over time, and displays a reddish sheen when polished. It has excellent workability, and is very durable. Historically, the tree's girth allowed for wide boards from traditional mahogany species.
How can you tell the difference between mahogany and walnut?
The main difference between these two hardwoods is in the colour. Mahogany has a more 'classic' and antique look while walnut is more modern and understated.
Is mahogany wood worth anything?
Mahogany is sometimes sold by the board foot, and prices can average $6 to $28 or more per piece. This is about 10 times more than comparable furniture-grade woods.
Why is mahogany wood illegal?
Following the path of ivory, in 2003, mahogany was listed on the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) as a species in need of strict regulation to prevent its extinction. Because Peruvian mahogany is traded in violation of CITES, it is illegal to trade or possess it under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
How can you tell mahogany from Rosewood?
Mahogany is usually strong in the middle, rosewood touches a wider tone palette. In your hands, a guitar with a rosewood body often feels a little different when you play. Due to the higher density, rosewood is usually a bit heavier and subtly reacts to your playing. Mahogany is often lighter and very direct.
What is the color mahogany look like?
Mahogany is a reddish-brown color. It is approximately the color of the wood mahogany. However, the wood itself, like most woods, is not uniformly the same color and is not recognized as a color by most. The first recorded use of mahogany as a color name in English was in 1737.
Which is better teak or mahogany?
In the case of mahogany, you may also notice circular rings in the wood. When it comes to durability, we all know that teak is more durable than mahogany. Teak's durability makes it a popular choice for building, boats, and ships, as well as a flooring material.
Is mahogany stronger than pine?
Is Mahogany Stronger than Pine? Mahogany is nearly 70% stronger than white Pine. But yellow Pine is slightly stronger than Mahogany. Surprisingly, even though Pine wood is considered a softwood, its strength can compete well against the strongest hardwoods like Mahogany.
How much does a piece of mahogany cost?
Mahogany LumberMahogany Lumber Prices per Board Foot as of Jun 14, 2022Description100-249 B.F.1000+ B.F.4/4 Mahogany13.759.50* Full units only available in 500 BF or more.6/4 Mahogany12.108.107 more rows
Is mahogany wood rare?
Mahogany is rare (and highly sought after). Genuine mahogany only grows in Central and South America, which makes it very rare. That means that you don't just get beauty or long-lasting quality when you decorate your house with mahogany furniture: you also have wood that's unique and difficult to acquire.
Which is the most expensive wood?
Topping the list of most expensive woods in the world is Bocote, a flowering plant from the borage family that is mostly found in Mexico, Central and South America. Initially a yellow/brown shade, this wood darkens over time.
1- Cuban Mahogany
Historically this is what people talked about when they discussed Mahogany.
2- Honduran Mahogany
Honduran Mohagany is what’s left of genuine Mohagany, now that Cuban Mahogany is not available.
3- African Mahogany
African Mahogany refers to a number of different trees, all from Africa. It’s the most widely available substitute for genuine Mahogany.
4- Mountain Mahogany
Mountain Mahogany is a highly dense wood that is not often available for commercial sale, at least in bulk.
6- Swamp Mahogany
Swamp Mahogany is a tree from Australia though it’s now being grown worldwide, especially in warmer climates.
How to tell if mahogany is a good wood?
There are other ways you can identify mahogany in an easier manner. 1 Never purchase from a retailer without an established reputation for being honest. Always do your research on retailers and companies. 2 Mahogany wood shows well distributed but never crowded pores. 3 The pores show up as fine, yet distinct pen lines, dashes or dots according to whether the cut runs with or against the grain. 4 The naked human eye should be able to see mahogany wood pores. If you cannot see any pores, it is not mahogany. 5 The pores seem overly large and appear much coarser, it probably is not mahogany. 6 Genuine American mahogany will have successive (one following another) rings in fine concentric (circles or arcs that share the same center, with larger often surrounding the smaller) rings. African mahogany does not have these rings. 7 Real mahogany when properly finished has a fine-grained, silky appearance with a rich color that appears to come from below the surface of the wood. The way mahogany catches the light is different from other wood as well. 8 Striped or ribbon looking interlocking grain on quarter pieces. Some wood will even show curl in the grain, resulting in combinations of broken stripe, rope, mottle and fiddle figures.
Where is mahogany found?
Mahogany is made of three tropical hardwood species. The Honduran or big-leaf mahogany found in a large range from Mexico to southern Amazon in Brazil is the most widespread, only true mahogany grown commercially. West Indian or Cuban mahogany is native to southern Florida and the Caribbean.
What is real mahogany?
Real mahogany when properly finished has a fine-grained, silky appearance with a rich color that appears to come from below the surface of the wood. The way mahogany catches the light is different from other wood as well. Striped or ribbon looking interlocking grain on quarter pieces.
Is mahogany wood flat?
It seems a perfectly balanced piece of wood to carve. Stability. A mahogany board that is flat will remain flat. Joints and glued edges are nearly perfect and remain intact. Seasonal changes of humidity don't appear to shrink or swell the wood.
Can you see pores in mahogany?
The naked human eye should be able to see mahogany wood pores. If you cannot see any pores, it is not mahogany. The pores seem overly large and appear much coarser, it probably is not mahogany.
Is mahogany wood hard to carve?
The grain is straight and consistent, the wood hard but not too hard. It seems a perfectly balanced piece of wood to carve.
Is Swietenia humilis mahogany?
This species used to dominate the mahogany trade but has not been in widespread commercial use since World War II. Lastly, Swietenia humilis, or P which is regarded as genuine mahogany is limited to the dry forests in Pacific Central America. It's a beautiful wood.
Advantages of Mahogany
Mahogany is an expensive wood for a reason. This wood possesses several ideal characteristics that make it much superior to other types of wood. Below are the characteristics that you should expect to find with original mahogany:
Types of Mahogany Wood
In this post, we classify mahogany wood types into three broad categories, the inner circle, the outer circle, and the periphery. A fourth category includes woods that resemble but are NOT mahogany, which you can still use, but not as mahogany.
The Inner Circle – Swietenia
You will find all the characteristics described above in the Swietenia genus, and you can consider all the species that fall under this head as genuine mahogany. There are three primary species:
Identification of Swietenia
The secret to accurate identification of genuine mahogany lies in the proper and positive identification of Swietenia. You would find it hard to distinguish one Swietenia species from another.
The Outer Circle
To many woodworkers, African mahogany of the Khaya genus is not genuine mahogany. Many others, however, are ready to accept it as a form of mahogany. So, the controversy continues, but we have placed the species of the Khaya genus within the outer circle.
The Periphery
Mahogany members of the periphery group are those wood species that neither belongs to Swietenia nor Khaya genus, but to the Meliaceae family. Nevertheless, they exhibit similar characteristics to mahogany.
The Outsiders (Not Mahogany)
A few wood species bear a superficial resemblance to mahogany – enough to earn its name. That said, many woodworkers would not be ready to deal with these so-called types of mahogany.
Rabs
I see a lot of people get bothered about the use of mahogany "alternatives".... The thing is that Genuine Mahogany (Mahogany from Cuba) is gone.. And the Honduran stuff is not far behind..
Guest Farnsbarns
Just don't call it mahogany unless it is. That's my view. There are, as you say, 3 species of mahogany and nothing else is mahogany.
IanHenry
One point that I feel should be mentioned from a safety point, is that Mahogany dust is highly carcinogenic and you should always wear a dust mask when working with it.
Mr. C.O. Jones
One point that I feel should be mentioned from a safety point, is that Mahogany dust is highly carcinogenic and you should always wear a dust mask when working with it.
badbluesplayer
Here's some stuff about identifying hardwoods. Particularly the endgrain identification stuff. From The Wood Database
Rabs
Ohh and just to add further.... Remember I said im sure I saw Sapele being used..
stein
Ohh and just to add further.... Remember I said im sure I saw Sapele being used..
Where is mahogany found?
Scientifically, the name Philippine Mahogany has been used to encompass most commercial lumber found in the Shorea genus, where it is very commonly used in it’s native southeast Asia.
What is the name of the wood that is made of plywood?
Another common name for this wood is Meranti: while yet another name that is commonly used when referring to plywood made of this type of wood is Lauan. (And even though it’s called Philippine Mahogany, it ...
Advantages of Mahogany
Types of Mahogany Wood
- In this post, we classify mahogany wood typesinto three broad categories, the inner circle, the outer circle, and the periphery. A fourth category includes woods that resemble but are NOT mahogany, which you can still use, but not as mahogany.
The Inner Circle – Swietenia
- You will find all the characteristics described above in the Swieteniagenus, and you can consider all the species that fall under this head as genuine mahogany. There are three primary species:
Identification of Swietenia
- The secret to accurate identification of genuine mahogany lies in the proper and positive identification of Swietenia. You would find it hard to distinguish one Swietenia species from another. However, you can distinguish it from other species by following a few specific guidelines: 1. Magnified scanning of the end grain to positively identify marg...
The Outer Circle
- To many woodworkers, African mahogany of the Khaya genus is not genuine mahogany. Many others, however, are ready to accept it as a form of mahogany. So, the controversy continues, but we have placed the species of the Khayagenus within the outer circle.
The Periphery
- Mahogany members of the periphery group are those wood species that neither belongs to Swietenia nor Khaya genus, but to the Meliaceae family. Nevertheless, they exhibit similar characteristics to mahogany.
The Outsiders
- A few wood species bear a superficial resemblance to mahogany – enough to earn its name. That said, many woodworkers would not be ready to deal with these so-called types of mahogany. If you are looking for genuine mahogany or at least a slight variation, these wood species should be the last on your list.