I am getting ready to start a big project making kitchen cabinets for a house I am going to build. I have never worked with African Mahogany before and was wondering if any one has used this material. What i have is S3S about .840 thick now. I was going to plane it down to about .800 and then run the doors and face frames through a drum sander when assembled. Is that about the right thickness to sand? Does this material burn like cherry? Other problems working with it? I am also going to "try" to make flat panel inset doors. For the panels I can get Lauan for about $11 a sheet or real Mahogany for $60 a sheet. Has anyone tried to match stain Lauan with African Mahogany? I figured I would make them the exact size and then sand or run in the jointer to fit. If running in the jointer does the material have a tendency to chip? The weak length in my equipment are the jointer which is an old craftsman given to me, but never used and I only have 36 belt sander for this. I am going to use the Sommerfeld tongue and groove system to build these cabinets. A lot of questions and appreciate any and all help/tips for this project.
Bill