# Genuine Mahogany



## TJCROSS (Mar 11, 2010)

I recently purchase some mahogany off ebay. I don't normally do this because I like to see the wood in person before I buy it. The seller listed it as genuine or honduran mahogany and I asked just to make sure before buying it. Well it arrived today but it wasn't the same boards that were on the listing. Not having worked with it before I'm starting to wonder if it is african mahogany. My customer specifically asked for big leaf or honduran mahogany and I want to make sure that is what I get. Are there any fellow LJ's out there who would know by looking at a photo? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,
Terry


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

You need to get Bruce Hoadley's book on wood identification..

Khaya is kind of coppery in color and often shows ribbons on interlocked
grain.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

never sell what you cant deliver on "hear say"

even the "elite" depend on you to guide them

I would ask the client to look at it, and have them tell you if its the real "McKoy". nervously agree, re state the contract, and hope to start over.

in almost all trees, it is hard for the public to swallow all the info out there, even the average hobby guy doesnt know. best policy is always honest, no lies, be upfront.

cooler heads always prevail


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

I work with Mahogany a lot and that sure looks like Mahogany.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Does the seller have less than 99.5% positive rating?


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## DanYo (Jun 30, 2007)

Looks like mahogany, but there are many varieties.


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## TJCROSS (Mar 11, 2010)

Guys thanks for the reply.

Moron- I agree with you. Sometimes people ask for things just because they heard it somewhere and really don't have a clue about what they are talking about. If the customer ok's it you can't go wrong..right?..lol. I'll bet there are many professional woodworkers who wouldn't know the difference..

TopamaxSurvivor- He has 100% positive feedback. However I bought 4 boards and none of them are the ones pictured. He said he just made a mistake. Honestly I can't tell you if what he has pictured is the real Mckoy or not. The wood has a nice color and grain pattern so I'm not too upset. People do make mistakes.


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## TimK43 (May 29, 2011)

I have to agree with Loren. 
Get this book!!
*Understanding Wood; A craftsman's guide to wood technology
by R.Bruce Hoadley*


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

With 100%, you probably got the real deal. People don't maintain 100% unless they bend over backwards to keep the public happy.


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## oblowme (May 20, 2011)

99.9% of the sellers on ebay don't update their pics as items sell, it's a real hassle. However if he specically stated that 'you will recieve what's in the picture' or words to that effect you may have a claim, If you went through PayPal and this is a real issue you can file a claim with them


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## bound (Jan 13, 2011)

Check the end grain pore / ray structure. Can you see clear growth rings? Are the pores even or do they tend to be clustered?

I ran into a huge load of old mahogany of all different types, and have had the pleasure of delving into researching the specifics. I bough several books and have done hours of online research.

I have samples of khaya, Swietenia mahagoni, Swietenia macrophylla to compare pictures if helpful

Check out this interesting old book
http://www.archive.org/details/identificationof00koeh


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## childress (Sep 14, 2008)

You're in LA? You could have just drove out the 10 and went to Peterman lumber…. I'm sure they have Honduran Mahogany. Might be worth a drive and take your piece with you to compare. If it doesn't match, buy the real stuff


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## TJCROSS (Mar 11, 2010)

Guys thanks for all the information. I had no idea there were so many species of wood sold as mahogany that are not true mahogany. There are so many different variations in wood that you can't really tell by just looking at pictures. You really need to get to science end of it. Looks like what I have is true mahogany.

bound- the link to the old book was very helpful..thanks.


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## oblowme (May 20, 2011)

Define 'true' As diluted as the market has become it may require a microscope for the real mahogany to stand up. On the other hand if it looks like a duck etc etc…


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## oblowme (May 20, 2011)

Hey, almost forgot about this- Currently in my shop is a "Mahogany" 4 post head and foot board. The clients bought a queen then decided they wanted a king so I'm grafting another 16" to them. wanna guess where it's made? Anyone? Uh huh, China. They must have laid out some major cash on this thing as they didn't blink when I quoted.
When we moved it back to the shop I noticed it weighed a hell of alot more than it should for Mahogany, esspecially if it was solid.
Up on the bench it became clear why; an inch and a half of MDF. Back panels solid MDF with that ol' painted on wood grain, fronts 'relief' carved. All they did of course was run a pattern on a coupla blanks and glued them to the back.
The crowns have some elaborate looking carvings on them, White Oak cut piece by piece and glued together.
The legs are substancial, again White oak. As are a few of the structural componates.
Weather the veneer on it is the real deal or not ain't hard to say, I mean it 'looks' like wood, even has seams as thow to was laid up book matched, but it looks toooo much like that, right down to little hair line checks like the finish had pulled a bit on the seams, all very crisp and symmetrical from one side to the other. Uh huh.
Don't get me wrong, this thing is built like a tank, but an Abrams on the outside and T42 inside.
It's a bitch to match up and look right, guess it's just me as I have a hard time making anything that leaves my place look so cheezy. All of the 'raised' panels are high lighted in a dark, dark (almost black) red, so I'm having to dab (gel) feather, dab feather yada, yada. Then blend the whole thing with an air brush.
The head went well but the foot has been kicking my ass for a week now, think I might finally have it licked tomorrow. By now all I want is to get this monster the hell out of my way and move on to say…oh maybe retriming the Sistene Chaple in Osage Orange perhaps?


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## childress (Sep 14, 2008)

Funny, mostly everything made oversees is made with parawood (from the rubbertree) It's very light colored but has a grain structure like mahogany. I had a solid table once labeled and sold as "mahogany" and for years I thought it was. Turns out it was just stained to look like it. I got about 15 tabletops of this parawood once from a stain mfg that went out of business and that's when everything became clear to me


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