Thanks Robo Hippy!

[Mike Peace]

A couple of months ago, fellow creeker Reed Grey, aka Robo Hippy, sent me an email asking if I wanted to try some mountain mahogany. Heck yes!

He had seen some of my posts on my hand threading successes. A few weeks later this wonderful priority box of Mountain Mahogany showed up on my front porch. 248291
This may be one of the best domestic woods for hand thread chasing. It is very dense and hard as it grows slowly at high altitudes in the dry Southwest. Although a domestic, it is harder for the typical turner to get hold of than English boxwood. He detailed his efforts to get this wood in this post a few years ago. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?82050-Quest-for-Mountain-Mahogany

So I will be sending him my first threaded box of this wood. Here are some pictures.
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Thanks again Robo Hippy for your spirit of sharing and generosity.

[Kathy Marshall]

That's a great little box Mike! Very nice job on the threads too!

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Wow that's nice Mike, lovely wood and beautiful box :cool:

[Reed Gray]

I took a work shop with Stuart and Allan Batty and Allan said it is the only American wood suitable for hand chasing threads. I did cut a few threads that way, but never completed a box. I may have to try some time.

Glad you are having fun with it. I did have a couple of guitar necks made using it for the fret board. Love it. Hard and slick.

robo hippy

[Doug Herzberg]

Mike, that looks like a lot of work, but the result is worth it. Very nice.

[Thom Sturgill]

I had to look that one up. For anyone that is interested - Mountain Mahogany (Cerocarpus) is not a true mahogany, but rather a shrub related to the rose.... We grow true mahogany here in Florida, especially down toward the keys.

I've been told that persimmon (also native and is related to ebony) also turns and threads well, though like most fruit woods, it splits easily. Threading ius one task I've yet to attempt though I make a fair number of boxes so I can't comment on that from experience. Yours look very clean Mike! Nice shape and alignment to the grain, Robo Hippy should be pleased.

[Allan Ferguson]

I turned some of this wood that had cracking when I first started turning. Love that hard wood.

[Baxter Smith]

That was a neat story about the wood Mike. It makes a great looking box and I am sure it will bring back a lot of fun memories!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great looking box Mike.

[Reed Gray]

Hey Mike, the box got here yesterday. Looks much better in person than in the picture. Thanks so much. I figured you would have a lot of fun with it. I hope to be in Tampa this summer. Going bionic in January, and getting some new hips. Should be most of the way back to normal by that time. Maybe see you there.

robo hippy

[Marc Himes]

That is a beautiful box Mike. Thread chasing is on my list of things to learn. Good luck with your surgery Reed.

[Dick Mahany]

Beautiful box. Those threads are very clean ! Nice work on getting the grain aligned with the thread closure.