I'm building a classic style book case for a young man who just passed his bar exam. This will be a free standing tall unit and I want it to look better than a store bought book shelf. His wood choice is mahogany. Probably will use some 3/4" mahogany ply for the case and boards for the bottom casing, top crown and trim....and adding flutes etc to dress it up.
Question is...I have never used mahogany before (for furniture) and wanted some opinions on finishing and grain filling. If it were a table top I would definitely fill the grain but I'm not sure if a mahogany ply panel used for the side walls or shelves will need filling.
What finish would you put on a project like this? And would you fill the grain?
Thanks