ddoggerel schreef
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.

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Just about right, except that an even beter grade of wood from the same
species came from Haiti, before Cuba came into the picture
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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.

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Pretty much spot on
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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.

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You forgot Khaya grandifoliola and Khaya senegalensis (the latter is
somewhat heavier 50lbs/ft3 as compared to 35-48 for the other species).

There is also quite a bit of other stuff from Africa marketed as mahogany,
and sapele, sipo/utile, kosipo are indeed related to the real mahogany.
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"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.

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Shorea species can be quite heavy (easily over 62.5lbs/ft3). These day the
Philippines don't export wood anymore. Note that all Shorea species are from
SE Asia and accompanying Pacific, never from Africa. Trade names include
lauan, seraya, meranti, balau, bangkirai, etc
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It would probably be good for someone to do a write-up on the various
"mahoganies" for inclusion in a (the?) newsgroup FAQ.

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Sounds like work ;-)
If ever my book is published I will be very clear on the topic, but pictures
are everything here.
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Btw, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of this
newsgroup for being such an incredible resource.

Kitto