Please help me with species

[Floydy]

I have just inherited this dining table, and would love to know what species of wood it's made from. I'd really appreciate any help the experts on here might be able to provide.....

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Cherry maybe, is it veneered?

Regards Mick

 

[Chrispy]

Mahogany of one sort or another, or possibly African Walnut (not a true Walnut) I expect it has been repolished in the past as it looks a bit to "new."

 

[Floydy]

I don't really know how to tell if it's veneered, so I've take a couple of pictures of the edge of the table, one from on top, one from below.

If it has been repolished that happened early 1960s or before. It certainly hasn't been repolished since, and for the last 25 years it's been permanently covered with a table cloth and protector, with picture frames and other ornaments kept on it.

 

[Chrispy]

It looks to me as though it's book matched from two wide boards of solid wood not veneered.

 

[RogerS]

I think it's bookmatched veneered mahogany curl (aka flame mahogany) and then stained.

 

[rileytoolworks]

Does the grain on the bottom of the table match that on the top (within what you would expect)?
If not, then I suspect it's veneered. It's hard to tell because it may be a thick veneer with the reeding covering up any glueline.
Anyhow, I'd agree with other that it's Mahogany (of some sort).

All the best.
Adam.

 

[Floydy]

Thanks to everyone who's replied, I shall assume mahogany....

I've taken a quick look at the underside of the table top and it's covered in some kind of paint / stain so I'm not able to see any grain. I'm beginning to think that indicates it's veneered rather than solid mahogany, and I'll have a go at scraping / sanding away some of the paint / stain just to see for certain.

 

[Dangermouse]

A table of this period late Victorian or Edwardian would be solid mahogany, not veneered. by this time we had a large Empire and mahogany was being imported and the price had plummeted. So furniture was being made in solid not as before in the early 19thc veneered. then of course as time went on and we gave up the empire and mahogany became short, furniture again began to be veneered, until you get to today. When all ready made rubbish is MDF or chipboard covered in photographic grained plastic or ultra thin real wood veneer.

 

[RogerS]

A table of this period late Victorian or Edwardian would be solid mahogany, not veneered. by this time we had a large Empire and mahogany was being imported and the price had plummeted. .....

I agree up to a point. It is not true to say this for all woods and especially for the more rarer woods such as mahogany curl which is almost impossible to keep stable and work on large areas such as that table. Same goes for veneered rosewood and satinwood especially in Edwardian times.

 

[Dangermouse]

A table of this period late Victorian or Edwardian would be solid mahogany, not veneered. by this time we had a large Empire and mahogany was being imported and the price had plummeted. .....

I agree up to a point. It is not true to say this for all woods and especially for the more rarer woods such as mahogany curl which is almost impossible to keep stable and work on large areas such as that table. Same goes for veneered rosewood and satinwood especially in Edwardian times.

Your quite right about the rarer woods, but I have worked on a lot of tables with solid tops with flame mahogany and have one large four leaf dinning table I'm working on now. Remember wood was seasoned for years back then, as much as twenty years or more, then worked on. Although I know that cheaper tables did have veneered tops too.

 

[Floydy]

I've noticed that the table top is two different pieces of wood - the joint continues through the reeding and on the underneath as well. If it was veneered would the substrate be one piece of material or two?

I'm hesitating about sanding / scraping the underside as I don't want to leave that kind of mark on it.