Popular Post Eric. Posted November 24, 2015 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 I find myself using The Wood Database more and more often. It's a fantastic resource. I stumbled across this article this morning and found it extremely useful in breaking down the mahogany confusion in a simple, logical way. It confirmed a few things I thought I knew and taught me a few things I didn't. Recommended reading...http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/mahogany-mixups-the-lowdown/ 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 I don't work with mahogany...yet! But knowing more about how to determine what the wood really is, is very helpful... thanks Eric for posting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheperd80 Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Interesting read. Sounds like ive been working mostly with african mahogany. Whether its "genuine" or not its a beautiful species and nice to work with as long as i keep my eye on the grain. It definitely shreds when planed backwards. Thanks for sharing. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 (edited) Looking at the chart "An overview of Mahogany" reminded me of something I keep meaning to ask here. I had a neighbor from the Philippines and he used to refer to Philippine Mahogany by some other name, which I can not remember now. But he would say what we call Philippine Mahogany wasn't really Mahogany. The thing that always got my attention was he would say it with a tone of arrogance, like what ever type of wood it was it was better then mahogany.Has anyone heard of it being referred by another name. Edited November 25, 2015 by Chet K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Good article, thanks E dog. Im in the market for some sort of mahogany. This should help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Good read, thanks for sharing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Luan or Meranti are " Phillipene Mahogany" I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Excellent article Eric. It appears most of the mahogany I've used over the years is indeed African (very nice to work). I thought so but nice to have it confirmed. I'm going out to the shop to inspect some pieces I obtained a few years back to look at that end grain for parenchyma. It may be that I still have some genuine in stock!I do like sapele bearing in mind that interlocking grain can be a problem.Thanks for posting this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Luan or Meranti are " Phillipene Mahogany" I think.Thanks Steve, I Think it was Meranti, he had a thick accent but that sound right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroDave Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 (edited) Thank Eric... that was a good read. I think I love mahogany but now I need to figure out which one I fell in love with. Edited November 25, 2015 by SplinteredDave typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted November 26, 2015 Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 (edited) ==>he would say what we call Philippine Mahogany wasn't really MahoganyPhilippine Mahogany is a bucket for a couple of species... None of which are genetically related to 'genuine' Mahogany...However, Honduran is now plantation-grown in many parts of Asia (including the Philippines). You can now get 'genuine' Mahogany with a Philippine source... So, Philippine Mahogany isn't Mahogany, but Mahogany from the Philippines is 'genuine'... Confusing, isn't it? One limitation of the article is that it deals with taxonomy while ignoring source differentiation and new-vs-old growth. For example, 'genuine' Honduran Mahogany can be sourced from Central & South America and quite a few Asian-Pacific Islands --- they will all be genetically Honduran and sold as 'genuine' Mahogany, but they won't look the same... Confusing, isn't it? Reputable dealers will label plantation-grown Honduran Mahogany as Asian or Plantation sourced... Same goes for new -vs- old growth...One further complication not addressed in the article: There are hybrid species (primarily hybrids of Spanish/American/Cuban Mahogany and Honduran) being plantation-grown... These are sold as 'genuine'. Fiji Mahogany is probably the best known...Central-American Honduran has been export-controlled for almost a decade. The 'genuine' Honduran you see is probably a Pacific Island genetic hybrid and/or plantation-grown genetic Honduran. These will be similar in appearance to Central-American Honduran, but the color will be off and the grain structure will be more open. So if someone is selling 'Honduran' for only a few $/bf over African, it's going to be Asian-plantation-sourced.Cuban is the gold standard and priced accordingly ($30/bf for Asian-plantation and Caribbean-sourced old-growth Spanish/Cuban is really out there). You can source American-Cuban (typically from southern Florida), but it's going to cost you... When we get to Honduran and the Cuban/Honduran hybrids, we're getting further from genuine Cuban and lower price ($10-$20/bf) -- but still way nicer than African...On a side note: two years ago, I got a batch of Fiji 'genuine' hybrid ($18/bf) that looked really good.Your best bet is to develop a relationship with a hardwood dealer and ask questions about sourcing... If you don't know where to go, ask a local cabinet shop where he/she sources hardwoods... Edited November 26, 2015 by hhh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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