Mahogany finish on poplar?

[rbdoby]

A friend wants me to build a stand an antique Coates Thread box her mother had. I'm pretty sure the box is mahogany. I plan on building the stand out of poplar and staining it to match the antique box as close as I can.

Anyone have a good stain recipe other than Minwax Red Mahogany? Is poplar the best choice for the wood?

Here's something interesting. Wall lumber only wants about 45 cents more per board for mahogany than Lowe's wants for their select poplar. Go figure.

Rick Doby

 

[nelsone]

How big is the stand? It would be better to use mahogany that to try making something look like mahogany. I can't imagine you are looking at too much lumber to not justify using the real thing.

 

[WoodWrangler]

I'd just go for the real thing (Mahogany). Any attempts to "match" will be weak at best with poplar, in my opinion. Mahogany isn't that expensive (for a small project at least) ... and it's a pleasure to work with.

 

[rbdoby]

How big is the stand? It would be better to use mahogany that to try making something look like mahogany. I can't imagine you are looking at too much lumber to not justify using the real thing.

Ed,

The stand is 22" long x 15" wide x 24" tall. Just 4 legs and a top. I figure I can build it out of 3 1"x6"x8", about 12 board feet of lumber.

Rick Doby

 

[JackLeg]

Amen and Amen! Lowe's is NOT a good lumber supplier for woodworking.

 

[DIYGUY]

Your main problem will not be in matching the finish - that is simply a small matter of trial and error by mixing stains. The biggest challenge is in the grain. Mahogany is fairly open while poplar is closed and tight grained. The previous suggestions that you go with mahogany will eliminate that concern.

I am sure you are aware that true mahogany is not 'Phillippine' - that is more correctly identified as lauan. Honduran mahogany is still rather pricey. Wall calls his mahogany 'genuine' so I assume it is not lauan. And as stated previously, it is good to work with, although I find the sawdust more bothersome than most. That's just me however ...

Do you have a copy of Bob Flexner's book? http://tinyurl.com/ytamgj
If not you should - I think it is a must for any woodworker. OMO

 

[Ray Martin]

Rick,

Both woods machine well. mahogany also takes a finish very nicely. Poplar is terrific for a piece you want to paint. That being said, I'd have to agree with the other posters on using the real thing. Not only is the grain different, poplar also has a lot of green in it. Maybe you could search through the piles of poplar for wood without this color difference. The other choice is bleaching the green out. Either way, you'll be much happier with the results if you use real mahogany.

Ray

 

[Travis Porter]

I would also recommend Wall Lumber. Get one of their UPS bundles and you would still come out cheaper. Although you can match the color of poplar to mahogany, the grain and patterns of the boards are not comparable.

 

[walnutjerry]

A. I plan on building the stand out of poplar and staining it to match the antique box as close as I can.

Anyone have a good stain recipe other than Minwax Red Mahogany? Is poplar the best choice for the wood?

.

Rick Doby

Rick---------I have stained poplar but it is a lot easier said than done. I have been told it is foolish to stain poplar--------it is for painted projects.

My most successful attempt with it was using a water soluable dye and letting it dry, lightly sand and apply oil base stain several times .

All that being said, I will assure you I am not a finishing expert!!

Go for the real McCoy and get mahogany for the project.

Jerry