[GaryK]

Wood Library - Mahogany

Mahogany

South American - Swietenia macrophylla
African - Khaya ivorensis

Mahogany along with cherry, and oak are probably the most used wood for furniture. It was a favorite of Chippendale.

It's also used in musical instruments, boat making, outdoor furnitiure…

It works great with all tools, and holds screws and nails very well. It doesn't splinter. It takes all kinds of finishes evenly and very well.

South Amercan mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) has a hardness of 800 (janka scale)
African mahogany (Khaya ivorensis) has a hardness of 830 (janka scale)

Cabreuva aka Santos Mahogany (Myroxylon balsamum) has a hardness of 2200 (janka scale)
Santos is not a real mahogany and is a lot harder. It is used for a lot for flooring.
.
.
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[GaryK]

Wood Library - Mahogany

Mahogany

South American - Swietenia macrophylla
African - Khaya ivorensis

Mahogany along with cherry, and oak are probably the most used wood for furniture. It was a favorite of Chippendale.

It's also used in musical instruments, boat making, outdoor furnitiure…

It works great with all tools, and holds screws and nails very well. It doesn't splinter. It takes all kinds of finishes evenly and very well.

South Amercan mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) has a hardness of 800 (janka scale)
African mahogany (Khaya ivorensis) has a hardness of 830 (janka scale)

Cabreuva aka Santos Mahogany (Myroxylon balsamum) has a hardness of 2200 (janka scale)
Santos is not a real mahogany and is a lot harder. It is used for a lot for flooring.
.
.
.

Dave - I guess I left carving out because I don't know how. It is excellent for carving. Chippendale
carved almost all his furniture.

 

[GaryK]

Wood Library - Mahogany

Mahogany

South American - Swietenia macrophylla
African - Khaya ivorensis

Mahogany along with cherry, and oak are probably the most used wood for furniture. It was a favorite of Chippendale.

It's also used in musical instruments, boat making, outdoor furnitiure…

It works great with all tools, and holds screws and nails very well. It doesn't splinter. It takes all kinds of finishes evenly and very well.

South Amercan mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) has a hardness of 800 (janka scale)
African mahogany (Khaya ivorensis) has a hardness of 830 (janka scale)

Cabreuva aka Santos Mahogany (Myroxylon balsamum) has a hardness of 2200 (janka scale)
Santos is not a real mahogany and is a lot harder. It is used for a lot for flooring.
.
.
.

Dan - By splinter I mean that when you break it, you won't get long slivers. When you cut it you may get little chips on the cut edge that you can just wipe off with your fingers. It's hard to explain. You just kind of know.

I had a friend that worked in a lumber mill feeding machines for about 15 years. He told me that Douglas fir gave him the most splinters of any wood.

Is your mahogany real hard and heavy? Say harder and heaver than oak, or closer to pine?

 

[GaryK]

Wood Library - Mahogany

Mahogany

South American - Swietenia macrophylla
African - Khaya ivorensis

Mahogany along with cherry, and oak are probably the most used wood for furniture. It was a favorite of Chippendale.

It's also used in musical instruments, boat making, outdoor furnitiure…

It works great with all tools, and holds screws and nails very well. It doesn't splinter. It takes all kinds of finishes evenly and very well.

South Amercan mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) has a hardness of 800 (janka scale)
African mahogany (Khaya ivorensis) has a hardness of 830 (janka scale)

Cabreuva aka Santos Mahogany (Myroxylon balsamum) has a hardness of 2200 (janka scale)
Santos is not a real mahogany and is a lot harder. It is used for a lot for flooring.
.
.
.

Dan - It sounds like Santos Mahogany which has a fine grain. Hard to say for sure without seeing it.

 

[GaryK]

Wood Library - Mahogany

Mahogany

South American - Swietenia macrophylla
African - Khaya ivorensis

Mahogany along with cherry, and oak are probably the most used wood for furniture. It was a favorite of Chippendale.

It's also used in musical instruments, boat making, outdoor furnitiure…

It works great with all tools, and holds screws and nails very well. It doesn't splinter. It takes all kinds of finishes evenly and very well.

South Amercan mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) has a hardness of 800 (janka scale)
African mahogany (Khaya ivorensis) has a hardness of 830 (janka scale)

Cabreuva aka Santos Mahogany (Myroxylon balsamum) has a hardness of 2200 (janka scale)
Santos is not a real mahogany and is a lot harder. It is used for a lot for flooring.
.
.
.

Jeff - I have never found that to be true based on personal experience and I have been using mahogany almost exclusively for over 10 years.