 |
| Home Painting Skills and Basics Paperhanging Home Decorating Interior Decorating Wood Identification |
MahoganyAmerican mahogany is the original commercial mahogany. Cuban or Spanish mahogany was brought to Europe by the Spaniards from their West Indian colonies in the late 16th century, but it was in the 18th century that mahogany came  to prominence in furniture designed by Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Sheraton. Since then it has been in continuous use for fine cabinetwork in a variety of styles. Today, Cuban mahogany, Swietenia mahogany, is a rare wood, and most American mahogany, mainly Swietenia macrophylla, comes from the mainland and is sold as Honduras, Brazilian, Peruvian mahogany, etc., according to its origin.Mahogany is variably a medium to deep red-brown: Cuban mahogany is dark and heavy, and mainland wood mostly lighter in weight and paler. It has a medium texture and is often of plain appearance, but occasional logs with an irregular grain give a highly figured wood. American mahogany is easily dried and stable in use. It saws easily and can be machined to an excellent finish. Though American mahogany available today is a milder wood than that used in older furniture, it is still regarded as the finest of the commercial mahoganies. It is used for high-class furniture, especially reproduction work, for fine joinery and for panelling. It is used for planking and fittings in ships and boats as it combines stability and durability with light weight, and for engravers' blocks and engineers' patterns as it is stable and can be carved to give fine detail. Extract from 'The International book of WOOD' curtesy Michael Beazley Publishers Limited 1979. |
 |