Question about mahogany

[Brian Knop]

I am making a high boy out of Africa mahogany. I made the legs from two different pieces of mahogany. Two of the legs are heavy and the other two are very light( in weight). The light wood drills, cut and is very easy to work, maybe to easy! Is there a different in the strength? I have heard that some mahogany is light in weight. This high boy will be pretty heavy and while making two more legs is not high on my hit parade, having a leg fail sometime down the road isn’t either.

[Andy London]

Brian, there are many African Mahagony's, most are strong but the weight difference is amazing. When i worked in africa for a short time, I saw at leat 9 different types and the color and grain differences were quite a contrast.

[Jim Becker]

One must be careful with mahogany...as Andy states, there are a bunch of different things that are called mahogany and some sellers may mix them. It sounds like you possibly may have different species in your supply, athough it's always a fact that different trees are...different trees...even when they may be of the same species!

[lou sansone]

Hi Brian
I am wondering why you don't use Honduran mahogany "Swietenia, macrophylla" which I think is much closer to the original Cuban mahogany. Although not an expert on mahogany, it does seem that the Honduran variety has less variation to it.

Lou

[Mark Singer]

Honduras Mahogany now often called Genuine Mahogany is really the best. The best grade is Patern Grade, then FAS ...the lesser grades are #2 and #3... Cuban Mahogan is about $30 a bd ft...very rare and beautiful....I know of a couple of sources....African is unstable....it will twist and does not have the same characteristics of Genuine...

[Jeff Singleton]

As a patternmaker I can tell you that Mexican and Honduras mahogany are about the same. Peruvian mahogany originates in the upper Amazon region of Peru and it is harder and has a closer grain and firmer texture then Mexican or Honduras. Peruvian also has a much deeper redish purple color and is heavier then the other two. One tip, if you use enough mahogany durning the day you will notice a slight purple stain on your hands much like the old toners for copiers, the only way we found out to get it off your hands was to use lemon juice or white vinegar, but make sure you have no open wounds. I can tell you from past experince that open wounds and lemon juice don't mix well.
Happy splinters, Jeff

[Brian Knop]

That’s all good information, but backs to my original question. I will rephrase the question; will a lighter weight mahogany have less strength then a heavier weight mahogany?

[Jim Becker]

Maybe...lighter means less dense. Personally, I'd remake the legs just to be sure that everything was right for this complex and important project.