African Mahogany or Cherry Countertop?

[julian abram]

I'm building a wood countertop for our kitchen island. There is no sink but is a electric cooktop in this island. I was planning to purchase 8/4 walnut for the build. The local hardwoods vendor does not have enough 8/4 walnut for this project but has plenty of very nice 8/4 African mahogany and 8/4 Cherry in his warehouse. I've have not built anything with African mahogany wondering if it might be too soft or difficult to glue/machine for this application. The top is 36" x 80". Was hoping to assemble the top with something like 2"x6" stock. Thoughts? Would Cherry be better for this application?

[Jim Becker]

There are so many "African mahogany" variants that it will take a bit more research for you to know if it's going to be suitable. Many of them are soft, move a lot and have "kinky" grain patterns. The only mahogany substitute that I personally like is Sapele.

In my house, I'd opt for the cherry for sure just because that would be in-tune with the rest of the "theme". For your house...what's going to look the best? If it's walnut, then find a source that can supply you with the quality and quantity that you need for the project. Selecting the material is the first step of the finishing process and can be the difference between "ok" and "wow!".

[Jared Sankovich]

I used sapele for my pantry counter tops. I'll be using sapele again for my island countertop, and I used sapele for my dining table.

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[Jamie Buxton]

I think that for the most part "African mahogany" means Khaya. It would make a good counter.

[Patrick Irish]

Sapele I like better.

African Mahogany is too porous for me. Of course if you sell the snot out of it. The variants in african M would concern me too. Sure is nice to work with. I just sold about 160 board feet last weekend, 12/4 and 13' lengths. Bought it for cutting boards cuz it was a deal. Found out is too soft for cutting boards. I was able to sell it for around $7.5 a bf which I paid $1.5....not bad! Paid for a good portion of the used sawstop I got.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I use Khaya sometimes to build banjos, and in my experience it is noticeably softer and fuzzier than cherry. I would definitely prefer cherry for a work surface in a kitchen.
Zach

[Frederick Skelly]

The african mahogany I've used is too soft to wear well as a countertop.
I'd go for the cherry.

Fred

[andrew whicker]

How long does it take for them to order? Our place lets you put in an order and they'll set aside the amt you need when the next order comes in.

[J.R. Rutter]

Sapele is a harder than cherry, with more pores in the grain. Beyond that it boils down to personal preference.

[julian abram]

Appreciate the input, think we will go with the cherry if walnut is out of the picture. I did contact a hardwood supplier today that has 8/4 walnut but he is located out of the area, about a 5 hr round trip. The local supplier is a large multi million dollar millwork supplier not really available to small orders from hobbyist woodworkers. thanks!

[Mel Fulks]

I generally like walnut a little more than cherry. But for food prep (and eating) I prefer the bright cheerful color of cherry to the brown and open surface of walnut. For a table ,that gets table cloth at meal time, either is great.

[Steve Schoene]

I much prefer the small diffuse pores in cherry when using it for a food preparation surface. For me it would want a full filled finish that eliminates the texture of of the pores in any of these mahoganies.

[Ted Phillips]

Julian - remember that cherry darkens significantly as it ages. Make sure to factor that in as you design your counter.

[Mike King]

If you need 150 bd ft, you can order from Irion and they ship pretty quick. That being said, walnut is itself pretty soft for a counter top.

Mike

[julian abram]

Julian - remember that cherry darkens significantly as it ages. Make sure to factor that in as you design your counter.

Yes, I appreciate that, actually would rather have a darker island top, that's why I've been leaning towards the walnut. The rest of the countertops will be a black granite but we would like the island something different as an accent.