"mahogany"

[lurker]

I was chatting with a forum member about wood sold (over the past 20 years) as mahogany.

Maybe wiser members could add to this list.
I've numbered them for easy subsequent replies

1. Meranti (group)
2. Lauan
3. Iroko
4. Sapele
5. Utile

3. I avoid this as it makes me itch and am worried about getting sensitised.
I think one of them stinks when you cut it; maybe 2. Or am I thinking of something entirely different

Anyone got ways of easily differentiating ?

 

[sunnybob]

http://www.wood-database.com/

 

[RobinBHM]

I would have thought Sapele or Utile are the most common timbers to be described or used as 'Mahogany'

iroko -much more like teak than Mahogoany.

Meranti -comprises of a group timbers not just a single species. quite soft

 

[Ttrees]

You could add sipo to that list.
From what I have, the differences between those I find is...
In terms of hardness sapelle's the hardest, then iroko, sipo,and meranti I believe is lauan ?
I can tell them apart fairly easily...
Most of the time iroko is to be found, so can be expected.
Colour is a big giveaway and interlocked grain.
Meranti I find is the second most common...It is noticeably softer than the iroko and planes nicer, and distinctly
redder with around the same size pores as iroko at a glance hen looking at the face (long)grain.
Sapelle is a lighter colour than the meranti, but much tighter grain and I find smells like carrots and parsnips
when the end grain is planed.
It often comes in ribbon striped boards, which is a lot more consistent than any banding than iroko has that I've found.
Sipo I have very little of, but it planes nicely like meranti and gives wonderful square and rectangle flecks on some
edge pieces I have.
I could be wrong on this, but the examples I have were rough sawn boards and seemed to keep the rich colour
compared to the other red timbers, although the end batons on the bench(planing stops) seem a bit dull.

As they say YMMV
Thats about all I can think of...

Tom

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

Isn't Sipo another name for Utilie? (entandrophragma Utilie) And Lauan is one of the meranti group. There are over 200 species in the meranti group and three genus, so they are difficult to tell which is which. They come in colours as diverse as yellow, through pale pink and deep red, and everything in between and hardness varies from soft and wooly to medium hard and crisp. Pink Lauan seems to be most common and not particularly nice.

Khaya is another timber often called African mahogany, Khaya Ivorensis. I would add to the list.

Mike.

 

[Ttrees]

Hello,

Isn't Sipo another name for Utilie? (entandrophragma Utilie) And Lauan is one of the meranti group. There are over 200 species in the meranti group and three genus, so they are difficult to tell which is which. They come in colours as diverse as yellow, through pale pink and deep red, and everything in between and hardness varies from soft and wooly to medium hard and crisp. Pink Lauan seems to be most common and not particularly nice.

Khaya is another timber often called African mahogany, Khaya Ivorensis. I would add to the list.

Mike.

Thank's Mike , I'll try to remember Utilie by it's proper name.....
It must be that it's strange to pronounce, so I don't remember it,
(pronounced U til e on renaissance ww lumberyard q&a).

Here's what I call meranti or red meranti (I cant figure if I should call it the latter?)
I have some of what I just call iroko that might be another version of meranti, in truth its more similar
to the iroko so that's where it goes...
I have not looked into this much, and tried to separate all the iroko based on figure as I don't have the space.

Interested to see what else shows up
Tom

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

The easiest way to tell iroko from your 'mahoganies' is its feel. It is quite oily, whereas the the others are not. It had a distinctive smell, too, so plane a bit if what you are sure is iroko, and you will remember it's odour. You'll easily identify iroko from then on.

Mike.

 

[Keith 66]

I have never seen Iroko described as "mahogany".
Utile is also called Sipo, Sapele & Makore are similar timbers, then Kaya or african Mahogany,
Philipine mahogany is an all encompassing term for red or pink wood that can be horribly soft Luan or meduim hard meranti.
Then there is or was Dark red meranti, i have two big boards of this still with the sawmill stamp on it & it is a deep dark red colour, it is also very heavy & as hard as iron. A lot of variation will depend on where trees were grown.

 

[tangledfeet]

Hello,

The easiest way to tell iroko from your 'mahoganies' is its feel. It is quite oily, whereas the the others are not. It had a distinctive smell, too, so plane a bit if what you are sure is iroko, and you will remember it's odour. You'll easily identify iroko from then on.

Mike.

That 'oily' feel you describe has just confirmed that it is indeed iroko that I have - cheers!

(The school I teach at is fifty years old and the science department wangled a grant for new worktops in the four labs... we (the 'techie' teachers) had all the old worktops kept back rather than binned. The thicknesser planer works wonders on the fifty years of chewing gum, boogers and engraved names, knobs and boobs.)

 

[Steve Maskery]

My dad used to say that mahogany was made by Heinz because there were 57 Varieties.
S

 

[nick winfield]

I was cutting some very old mahogany last week and I though it smelled of nicotine