Anyone Know Anything About "South American Mahogany"

[Frank Fusco]

I found the below recently from a wood exporter. I've already posted it somewhere, hope y'all don't mind if I repeat.
Interesting.

<<The scientific world is very much in disarray when it comes to identifying tropical woods. One needs only to look at the web site of the US Department of Agriculture Tropical Forestry Lab to see the general confusion that exists in the ID of tropical species. Most woods have common names that vary from country to country and even river by river and community to community. You may be interested in the </SPAN>USDA Tropical Wood web site,I am sure you will find it interesting.

It may or may not surprise you to know that many species can have up to 30 or more scientific names. Over the years researchers have "discovered" a wood in one area and registered it with a scientific name not knowing that it had been registered many times before by other "discoverers" thus leading to the confusion we have today. With the recent spread of information via the internet this problem has become more clear to all and hopefully will be cleared up. >>>

For the record, Jim King wrote the above.
And, I believe a lot of woods are being shipped labeled as "mahogany" which really aren't. I was given some 'mahogany' and found it so hard to turn I am dissuaded from trying it ever again. And that difficulty is compared against old Osage Orange, Lignum Vitae, etc. Impossibly hard stuff, whatever the 'stuff' was.

[Jim King]

Below you will find a breif description of Western Mahoganies.

Spanish Ceder "cedrela odorata” is the same family but a totally different species.

They both are very easy to work with as flatwork , carving or turnings. Both are highly sought after in South America as they are easy to work with and are very acidic and for this termite proof.

My wife has collected furniture of the late 1800´s and very early 1900´s to fill our whole house and it is still solid. Attached is a photo of my desk of Spanish Cedar that was the Captains desk on one of the steamships taking the rubber to Europe. The bookshelves behind the desk are Mahogany , Swietenia macrophylla.

Mahogany when freshly worked or sawn is a very light color and will turn the dark reddish brown in a few months. The weight of Spanish Ceder is much less than Mahogany and lighter in color.

MAHOGANY MATTERS:

The U.S. Market for Big-Leafed Mahogany And Its Implications For the Conservation Of the Species Executive Summary, TRAFFIC North America, October 2000

Outside of Latin America, the United States is the world’s leading consumer of the American mahogany (Swietenia spp.) harvested in Latin America, and imports an estimated US$56 million of American mahogany annually. Big-leafed mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla)—also known as genuine mahogany, caoba, mara (in Bolivia), or mogno (in Brazil)— is the most traded and coveted of the three American mahogany species. Conservationists are concerned that current harvest rates and practices may be pushing big-leafed mahogany in the same direction as Caribbean mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), which was once heavily traded but is now endangered and commercially exhausted because of past over-harvest.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Corey.......I bought some, glued it up and turned it. It turns quite well; holds detail quite well and finishes quite well.

[Corey Hallagan]

Note this was posted back in July. Since then I bought some and it is Hondura's Mahogany. I bought some 3 inch stock and it turned nicely but the box I was turning went into the junk pile.

Corey

[Joe Melton]

http://www.woodbook.co.uk

[Ron Sardo]

African Mahogany is also known as Khaya and it turns well. It does come from Africa

If I post a picture here of a turned khaya box, will that be considered hijacking this thread?

[Andy Hoyt]

Nope.

But it does deserve it's own thread. Do that, and then post a link to it here.

[Ron Sardo]

THanks Andy

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=46100