In article s.com,
Robert Bonomi wrote:

The name 'mahogany' covers a multitude of sins.

Three broad categories:
"Honduran" mahogany, the somewhat reddish-hued brown that is the classic
material of the name.

"Philippine mahogany", (aka 'luan', and some similar species) often
slightly purplish to dark brown.

"African mahogany", (aka 'meranti', and other similar species) typically,
a light, almost golden, brown. this is _much_ lighter (mass-wise)
than the other 'mahogany' woods. Like only 2/3 to 1/2 the weight,
per unit volume.



Hi,

I'm a long-time lurker, and am sorry to make a first post under these
circumstances, but there are some important errors here that need to be
corrected.

The "classic" mahogany is not "Honduran Mahogany", but rather a now
virtually extinct species often called "Cuban Mahogany" (Swietenia
mahogoni of the family Meliaceae). My understanding is that one simply
cannot (at least legally) acquire non-recycled mahogany on the open
market.

Honduran Mahogany (aka "South American Mahogany") is a related, but
definitely distinct species (Swietenia macrophylla). This is the
closest any currently available wood gets genetically to "classic"
mahogany.

African Mahogany (Khaya ivorensis, Khaya anthotheca, and Khaya
nyasica) is also related to "classic" mahogany, but is quite different
in appearance and characteristics. It most definitely is not "meranti"
(see bolow), and is quite dense (32-34lbs per cubic foot) and hard. It
is readily available on the open market.

"Philippine Mahogany" is a meaningles marketing term for a large number
of woods in the Shorea species. True names for these woods include
Meranti and Luan. Meranti, in particular, comes in a range of colors
(pale yellow to dark purplish red) with physical characteristics that
differ significantly (for example, the relatively more dense, and more
rot-resistant woods tend to be of the dark red variety, often marketed
as "Dark Red Meranti", or, gasp, "Philippine Mahogany"). In general,
while Meranti woods can be heavy (up to about 36.bs per cubic foot), it
is not as hard or strong as Honduran or African Mahogany. Along with
African Mahogany, it is also less rot resistant than Honduran Mahogany.

It would probably be good for someone to do a write-up on the various
"mahoganies" for inclusion in a (the?) newsgroup FAQ.

Btw, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of this
newsgroup for being such an incredible resource.

Kitto