is mahogany still used in the trade?

[peteftw]

im a decorator, real trade , and i was working on a refurb where all the old door saddles got replaced with new 'mahogany' ones. I thought mahogany was no longer used as it was endangered. Is just a substitute that is still called mahogany on site?

 

[^woody^]

I thought it was OK as long as it came from legal/managed sources.

 

[peteftw]

oh rite cool, cheers

 

[HowlinWilf]

There's no chance its real mahogany - the last load of 'real' came on the market a few years ago when an avenue of mahogany trees was felled to make space for a new embassy in Sao Paulo.

It'll be a substitute.

 

[peteftw]

thank you for answering, that was my suspicion. do you know when they stopped using mahogany? is there any chance the old ones were the real stuff or or was it never used for door saddles?

its just my uncle does wood tuning and im sure he could get a dozen pens out of an old saddle

 

[HowlinWilf]

Mahogany is still used in principle - its just that there isn't any to be had. Wait another 150 years and we may see some come onto the market again!

I imagine that its very unlikely that real mahogany would've been used for such purposes - but nice wood is nice wood. If it looks beautiful and turns well then who cares whether its real M or not. Let your uncle get stuck in!

 

[awbcm]

Brazilian Mahogany is still available through companies like George Sykes Ltd but will cost you a arm and two legs. The same goes for African Hahogany. Sapele is used as a alternative


Mahogany

 

[peteftw]

thank you both for your reply. this was not something that was keeping me up at night but i am greatfull that you resolved this query

thanks again,

pete

 

[goodwood]

Well, it makes an interesting thread, now here's the real story:
Mahogany is a generic term. There are many 'true' members of the mahogany family, and a few that are called 'mahogany' that are not.

Many tropical species, including the mahoganies, have been harvested (plundered might be a better word) since the days of the sailing ships when baulks were used as ballast for the returning merchant fleets.

Cuban Mahogany had been exhausted by the time my father was born (he would have been 100 this year, were he still with us). Brazilian mahogany dropped out of the mainstream within my working life, along with other so-called 'philipine mahoganies' such as luan and marjau (shoreas, not true mahoganies)

There are still plenty of true mahoganies available in the timber yards. Sapele mahogany (red/brown) and idigbo (yello/brown) are both still easily found. However, I suspect that the red mahogany doors that started this string were stripey sapele veneered flush doors. Popular in the 1960s but right out of fashion for years. At least veneers are an economical use of a precious resource.