help with an accent wood for mahogany

[Jeff Monson]

I'm designing a writing desk for my wife and I want to make it out of mahogany, being my 1st experience with mahogany I'm looking for a wood for the accents on the legs and the panels for the top of the desk. I dont want a huge contrast like maple would be, but something to complement the mahogany. I dont have a finish picked out yet but it will be a darker natural look on the mahogany.

[Karlan Talkington]

You could use an patterned inlay. A dark wood that accents Mahogany..hmmm... brass looks good on mahogany. Will need to think about it more for wood choices.

[Karlan Talkington]

What about Teak or Nutmeg? both are brown woods and depending on your staining method could blend quite nicely, IMO.

[Mike Mathieu]

Hi Jeff
I do lots of inlays on the tables that I make and if you plan on leaving the mahogany natural then I would suggest Bloodwood as a good choice for the inlays.Mahogany will darken over time and the bloodwood really accents the richness .

[Jeff Willard]

African blackwood.

[Jeff Willard]

O.T. Heh. Three responses from Va.:eek: Weird.

[Jeff Monson]

Hi Jeff
I do lots of inlays on the tables that I make and if you plan on leaving the mahogany natural then I would suggest Bloodwood as a good choice for the inlays.Mahogany will darken over time and the bloodwood really accents the richness .

Mike, I like the look of bloodwood, the top of the desk is 24x54 with 3 panels in it, 2 at 9"x18" and 1 at 18"x24" would a bloodwood veneer still be a good choice for these panels?

The only other accents are some bands on the legs and the bottoms of the legs.

[Jeff Monson]

I'm not seeing bloodwood offered as veneer or I'm looking in the wrong place for it??

[Mike Mathieu]

Jeff- Bloodwood would be very nice to use for the panels. It is extremely hard and would make a beautiful desk top to accent the mahogany.Not overly expensive either

[Jeff Willard]

It would seem to me that both woods being red, the bloodwood might get "lost" in the mahogany.

Jeff-where are you looking? An alternative name for bloodwood is cardinal wood.

[Jeff Monson]

It would seem to me that both woods being red, the bloodwood might get "lost" in the mahogany.

Jeff-where are you looking? An alternative name for bloodwood is cardinal wood.

Good point Jeff, when looking at samples they appear very close in color, but thats why I posted the question, I have no experience with either choice.

I've been searching veener supply websites and have only found a couple with bloodwood veneer and both were very expensive.

[Mike Henderson]

I'm not seeing bloodwood offered as veneer or I'm looking in the wrong place for it??
Certainly Wood (http://www.certainlywood.com/) carries bloodwood veneer for $1.25/sq foot, which is pretty cheap. I've bought it from them for accent work.

Mike

[Ron Bott]

It would seem to me that both woods being red, the bloodwood might get "lost" in the mahogany.


+1, I think bloodwood would be a poor choice

[Doug Shepard]

+1, I think bloodwood would be a poor choice

+2 Not enough contrast unless this is really pale mahogany. I know from experience that paduak and purpleheart will both end up being lost in mahog once things begin to darken. I personally think the maple might be one of the better options, but ash might be a good one or maybe even red oak.

[Jeff Willard]

My choice would be holly, followed by ceylon satinwood and maple, but it was stated that that much contrast wasn't desirable, hence, the recommendation of blackwood. I think the blackwood would provide enough contrast without getting lost, and at the same time, not be too contrasting. I don't work with veneer, so don't know if it is even available. If only a small amount, in small sizes are needed, you could always slice them yourself. Either way, it won't be cheap.

[Jeff Monson]

Certainly Wood (http://www.certainlywood.com/) carries bloodwood veneer for $1.25/sq foot, which is pretty cheap. I've bought it from them for accent work.

Mike

thanks Mike, thats a great site, I found some crotch mahogany that I'm going to inquire about tomorrow for the 3 panels in the top of the desk and I'm really leaning toward the african blackwood or ebony for the accents on the legs and the leg bottoms.

Does that sound like a winner??

[Greg Jurrens]

I think Wenge would look great

[Mike Wilkins]

A darker exotic wood such as Kingwood, Rosewood or Mesquite would look nice next to Mahogany. I guess you could call Mesquite an exotic.

[Prashun Patel]

How are you planning to finish the mahogany? Pick an inlay/accent that looks how you want it following the same finish schedule. Trying to finish inlays differently from surrounding wood is a nightmare.

Plain old cherry looks great next to mahogany, especially when BLO'd.

[Chris Padilla]

Walnut (chocolately brown or even the lighter sawpwood could work)...end of thread. ;)

[Dewey Torres]

Here it is with alder and a thin strip of walnut:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/picture.php?albumid=77&pictureid=662

And here it is next to bloodwood, alder, and black veneer inlay:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/picture.php?albumid=77&pictureid=1544

[Frank Drew]

Jeff,

I've used both ebony and boxwood stringing to good effect with mahogany.