Mahone??

[Woody Volland]

I just bought a beautiful 6x6x3 piece of stock labeled “Mahone” (it is NOT mahogany), which Google has never heard of. I’m turning into a beautiful Japanese inspired dish/bowl (for myself!). Anybody ever heard of Mahone??

[Lloyd McKinlay]

Is it possible they meant madrone?

[jerry cousins]

here's another guess - mahoe -- usually called "blue mahoe" - some of it has some bluish/gray coloring. it's a plantation wood from puerto rico - i think it grows native in cuba and jamaica
here's a link - http://eyeontherainforest.org/?page_id=4488
jerry

[Bradley Gray]

There is a resort on the cliffs of West End Negril named Blue Mahoe

[tom lucas]

There is Mahonia, but I've never seen it very big. It's more of an ornamental shrub, a.k.a. Oregon grape.

[Dan Hahr]

Makore? African cherry... maybe with sloppy handwriting.

Dan

[John K Jordan]

I just bought a beautiful 6x6x3 piece of stock labeled “Mahone” (it is NOT mahogany), which Google has never heard of. I’m turning into a beautiful Japanese inspired dish/bowl (for myself!). Anybody ever heard of Mahone??

Can you describe it or post a picture? Is it diffuse porous or ring porous?

I've turned madrone. All I have is light in color, fine grained, and wonderful to turn.

Here are descriptions of some of the species mentioned so far:
https://www.wood-database.com/madrone/
https://www.wood-database.com/blue-mahoe/
https://www.wood-database.com/makore/

[Rob Luter]

Makore? African cherry... maybe with sloppy handwriting.

Dan

That's my guess, as he mentions Mahogany. Makore looks much like Mahogany, especially after a while as it darkens up. Here's a frame I made from Makore some time back. It's considerably darker now.

https://live.staticflickr.com/7152/6659684783_1d2d30da31_k.jpg

[Brian Tymchak]

Here's a frame I made from Makore some time back. It's considerably darker now.



Beautiful work Rob!

[michael langman]

Very nice work.. I really like the looks of that frame Rob.

[Rob Luter]

Beautiful work Rob!


Very nice work.. I really like the looks of that frame Rob.


Thanks Gents. I was going for a Greene and Greene look. When I priced out Mahogany I was horrified. The guy flying the counter suggested this Makore as an alternative. It's harder (think purpleheart) but machines well. He suggested it had a high silica content and that it might dull edges faster. I didn't notice. The photo is from 2012. The frame has darkened quite a bit since, and I'm pleased to say it's taken on a very warm mahogany look.

[Jim Becker]

A lot of use use Sapele as a mahogany substitute, too.

[Erik Loza]

A lot of use use Sapele as a mahogany substitute, too.

One of my pro shops (commercial doors) uses them interchangeably. I have a hard time telling the difference (maybe smell?).

Erik

[Woody Volland]

I stand justifiably corrected!! I slipped an “n” in there by mistake. It IS labeled “mahone” with a bluish grey tint to the grain. I think Jerry nailed it. Thank you!!

[Jim Becker]

One of my pro shops (commercial doors) uses them interchangeably. I have a hard time telling the difference (maybe smell?).


Yes, visually, they can be really close, although a lot of sapele has some prominent ribboning figure that may or may not work alongside of "plain" mahogany. But they finish up in a very similar way. With some of the more beloved mahogany species being either hard to come by/expensive or not even available, at least there are some reasonable substitutes. I think there was something posted here a year or two ago that pointed to a good article that discussed all those alternatives.