the differences between honduras and genuine mahogany

[kota62]

Found a pic of a mirror with the same wood used for the wedges, not sure if this is any better
Gary

[Travis Porter]

Yep, I would say that is mahogany. Nice score. You say you found it in a bench????

[kota62]

this is the $40.00 workbench (the angle iron part w/drawers) it had plywood over 2X6 sized wood, at the time it wasn't worth checking out the 2X wood, so it was a number of years and a shed expansion that finally caused me to tear into the top....



by the way, I also scored this Wilton vise as part of the deal

[LorinB]

Originally Posted by Jim Murphy

Need some of the real stuff? Look here: Wall Lumber Special

This is not meant to be a slam on Wall Lumber. I do not know them nor have I ever done buisness with them. I did go to their web site last week and noticed they listed what they claim to be genuine mahogany for what seemed way to cheap. I was suspicious that it was African, as I am in the custom door buisness and compete on a regular basis with other door companies that misrepresent the doors that they market as being genuine mahogany when they are clearly African (Kaya). So I called to inquire and was informed that it was in fact genuine mahogany from Africa (?). Now there is an oxymoron. Surely they no better.

[Travis Porter]

I go to Steve Wall and asked where their mahogany was from. Like you said, their genuine mahogany is African, but what does genuine mean? I think it falls in the same category as a 2 by 4 that in reality is 1.5 by 3.5.

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by halfblind

Call me a skeptic but if it is not reclaimed wood I am very, well, skeptical of someone selling Honduras mahogany.

I have around 250 bf of true mahogany and its not reclaimed. Its out there if you want to get. you just have to pay 6-12/bf for it. Wide stuff can go for 12-15/bf. Cuban will go for 20-50/bf.

It originally was American mahogany but florida got pretty cleaned out, then it was haitian, cuban and now honduran. The south americans have huge plantations of the true mahogany and it really doesn't matter where its grown if it is the true species and the color and grain patterns remain constant. Sipo and Sapele have been making in roads as a replacement.

Khaya (African Mahaogany) looks like chocolate vomit compared to the Ribbon sapele.

It is now under Cites restriction due to over harvesting in the wild.. It will be available in a few years when the plantations start harvesting again.

[JimmyC]

Kyle,
Thank you for clearing that up, so in the end all of the above named mahoganies are the same, other than where they come from.

Thank you again,
Jimmy

[LorinB]

I don't think that that is what Kyle is saying at all. Genuine mahogany (Swietenia) and African mahogany (Kaya) are two different trees. I am not saying that it would not be possible to grow Swietenia in Africa. But I have seen a lot of Kaya sold as mahogany which it is most definitely not. The two are entirely different to work with and don't even look that similar. My supplier has both with about a 60% cost difference between the two. I feel that there is some shady marketing being practiced to even make it necessary to tag the word genuine to mahogany. In my opinion calling, Kaya african mahogany is only a marketing ploy to add value to a lesser product. The same goes for Asian Mahogany which is lauan (Shorea), I have seen quarter sawn sapele (which is an outstanding species in its own right) being marketed as ribbon mahogany, and the very popular Brazilian cherry flooring that is going into every other McMansion is jatoba. I am personaly effected by the current decieptive marketing because I choose to edcuate my customers instead practicing what is little more than a bait and switch.

[JimmyC]

What he said is that american, haitiian, cuban and honduran are all the same species (swietenia). Which has helped me.

Jimmy