Difference between Brazilian mahogany & cedar?

[Ironballs]

Difficult one this but worth a question, can post up pics later if it helps. My wood man had/has a big stack of 4-5" massive boards that he acquired from a company who got them back in the 70s. He is selling them as mahogany, probably Brazilian and they do look very much like mahogany.

However, they are very light in weight compared to mahogany though they are very close grained and from a tree that obviously had a massive trunk, they also don't smell like mahogany, ie not sweet.

I've used some as neck blanks for guitars and they carve very well, very stable too. When asking about ID at college I got wildly different answers from the tutors, one said Braz Mahog the other said sapele.

A little net research to try and pin it down has thrown up an interesting alternative, Brazilian Cedar. Anyone have experience of this and able to describe the differences between mahogany and cedar?

Thanks all

Damian

 

[mailee]

I am afraid I can't answer your question Damian but wht yu have desribed sounds just like some short lengths of timber I have. I was given them by a neighbour and they look just like mahogany but are very very light, so light in fact it is like dark coloured Balsa wood! I will be interested to find out just what it is.

 

[Ironballs]

Is yours a yellow ish colour? If so it could be jelutong, lots of that used at the college for pattern making. Very, very light

 

[LuptonM]

Brazilian cedar has a distinctive smell and its dust tastes bitter. Brazilian/Spanish cedar can get very light and soft (such that u can mark it with plastic clamps) and it can get quite heavy (580kg/m^3)

The really light stuff I've seen is quite light (like dark balsa wood I guess) and the heavier stuff was like darkish mahogany (but slightly more pinkish). I remember Brazilian mahogany being more orangey but it might just be the bit I've seen

Edit: forgot I had this pic of some heavier stuff that I posted in another thread

 

[Ironballs]

Sorted out some pictures, this piece is quartersawn so you can see a bit of figure and fleck in a couple of pics

 

[LuptonM]

That looks quite dark. I'd say mahogany rather than cedar but what do I know?

 

[tool613]

looks like Philippine mahogany its different from other mahoganies because it ISN'T a mahogany at all but any one of a large number of species (mostly of the genus Shorea) that are lumped together and sold as Philippine mahogany even though they are not mahogany. First, it is generally much more grainy than mahogany and second, it does not take on a patina the way mahoganies do. This wood is widely used in cheap, thin, plywood, and on the outside of cheap hollow core doors and both of these uses are generally under the common name "luan". That name is, as nearly as I can tell, actually more appropriately spelled "lauan" but in the USA at least "luan" is the predominant spelling it is very light. we call it luan. lots of sheet stock core made with it.


jack

 

[The_Stig]

Brazialian cedar I believe is called Cedarella, I'll have the guys look over the pictures in the morning