In article , Phil Hansen
wrote:

Bought some mahogany the other day to make a chest of drawers for my
sons wedding present. R10 000 ($1540) a cube (I think that works out at
about $4.40 a bdft - if my conversions are correct)
They had just received 4 bundles of Hackberry (at R14 000 / $2150 a
cube)
Did some searching, found it is used for furniture but not much else
about it. Anybody used it? What is it like to work with and finish?

In the U.S., hackberry is often the "hardwood" when cheap furniture is
advertised as "all hardwood". It's highly variable in texture, grain,
and quality. I've seen some that's very nice. I've never seen any
that's worth more than mahogany (assuming we're talking true mahogany,
not luan or other variants).


BTW are the mahogany shavings any good for smoking meat?

Tropicals are risky for smoking; they can be allergenic.

For the ultimate FAQ on barbecue and smoking, see this:

http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/faq2/toc.html

Good luck!

Kevin