Mahogany untreated sleepers, any good for turning?

[Alie Barnes]

Hi

I have been offered some untreated mahogany sleepers (at least that what i am told) are these any good for turning or shall i stay well clear of them?

Thanks

 

[JimB]

By untreated I assume you also mean unused on railway tracks. If so it's always worth a try.
Real mahogany, Swietenia genus, turns beautifully and can be bought these days (well it can in Australia) as it's plantation grown in Fiji.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Buy one if it's cheap enough and cut it. Have a look and if it's any good, go for it. I'd have though in this Country it's highly unlikely to be mahogany.

 

[jim1950]

It may not be Mahogany a lot of a timber called Keruing is used as sleepers, lorry trailer beds and window/door cills, it can be very hard and is very resinous. It will only take a oil type finish and in the past I've found it will bleed resin when it gets warm.
Good luck hope they are Mahogany

 

[Alie Barnes]

It may not be Mahogany a lot of a timber called Keruing is used as sleepers, lorry trailer beds and window/door cills, it can be very hard and is very resinous. It will only take a oil type finish and in the past I've found it will bleed resin when it gets warm.
Good luck hope they are Mahogany

If it is as above is it still worth using??

 

[flh801978]

Sleepers that arn’t Softwood tend to be jarrah which when freshly sawn looks very reddy

Ian

 

[Alie Barnes]

Sleepers that arn’t Softwood tend to be jarrah which when freshly sawn looks very reddy

Ian

They are very red. Is it any Good???

 

[JimB]

They are very red. Is it any Good???
Jarrah tends to come from Derek Cohen's neck of the woods and he uses it for furniture.
It was used in England for flooring as well as sleepers. A manager of a wholesale suppliers I knew in the UK called it Australian mahogany.
I've never used it myself though there are some bits somewhere in my shed. Turn a spindle and let us know how you go on.

 

[Duncan A]

I have some railway sleeper Jarrah and it turns just fine. As stated by JimB it is a deep red, but can be rather featureless unless you have some burr or cracks to add character.
Duncan