# Mahagony



## edison auto (Nov 13, 2015)

Had a piece of mahagony 3" x10" x65" given to me. What do I make with it. I do not have a fireplace otherwise it would make a great mantle. Any thoughts. Trying to get creative juices flowing
Mark


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Okay here is a suggestion. If you have a bandsaw and a thickness planer you could cut and finish it into three 10" wide boards and make a table top. Of coarse if it's in three pieces there is a lot of things you could make.


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## denniswoody (Dec 11, 2011)

How about cutting it into veneer? The veneer can be whatever thickness you can manage with your equipment. That way you will have enough to make something like a cabinet.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Mahogany makes great tops and bottoms for jewellery and trinket boxes.
match it with beech or maple sides for a really good contrast.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

anything you wish...


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

Cut 2 pieces off 2' long - - slice them in half on your bandsaw - glue the 2 pieces together -- there's your eagle over flag for your dad and your Edison Auto sign for the garage. No stain, just a finish coat over the finished carving. That'll look classy.

Just my 2 cents worth.

HJ


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

Store your treasure away instead of looking for a use for it. Someday, a project will present itself that makes perfect use of it. If you've already manufactured a use for it, your treasure will be gone and you'll be sorry.


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## naijin (May 4, 2014)

Hi there, if you have the time you could possibly make a one hell of a tooth pick out of it,,,, Ha Ha !!


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

I can see this is going to cause you no end of grief. Better to just pop it in the mail to me and I'll do the worrying for you. >

On a slightly more serious note, nearly 60 years ago I had a piece of 4 x 6 x 72" long piece of walnut. I made 4 legs for a french provincial style armchair out of it...all hand carved. Pretty ambitious for a kid still in school.


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## edison auto (Nov 13, 2015)

Thanks for the help. It would make a great tooth pick for King Kong. Lol. Lots of good ideas.
Mark


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

build a faux fire place and install a faux fire insert..
use the Mahogany for the mantel..

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...den,209&rh=n:1055398,k:fake+fireplace+inserts


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

Please don't waste a slab like that on Veneer. A large slab if its true Swietenia macrophylla is rare these days.

I suspect it's most likely one of the _Khaya's_(African Mahogany). It may also be Sapele or Sipo, both called Mahogany or one of the multitudes of other so called Mahoganies. If it really is Swietenia Macrophylla or what's called Genuine Mahogany a tell take sign is that it's soft, very soft. 

Either way I would suggest making something out of one piece or use as many large pieces as you can. I made this out of a 3"x12"x36" slab of Mahogany. I have rough slabs of the various types of mahogany all over the shop, but a slab that size in Genuine Mahogany is a rare thing and worth a pretty penny.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

If it's honduran mahogany and it's straight with no flaws, it would be great for guitar neck blanks. Those can be very pricey. A quartersawn 3x4x23 piece will sell for north of $100. A quartersawn 1 x 3 x 30 piece sells for $40 or more depending on quality.


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

Oh yeah depending on the species and character his slab can be worth up to 400.00.


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## old coasty (Aug 15, 2014)

cocobolo1 said:


> I can see this is going to cause you no end of grief. Better to just pop it in the mail to me and I'll do the worrying for you. >
> 
> .


I have a fireplace that needs a mantel, so send io to me, forget about going across the border.


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## kywoodchopper (Jul 18, 2013)

*mahogany*

You could send it to me & I'd pay shipping. I could look it over and determine what I could make out of it. Here is a photo of a box I made with mahogany. It is very nice wood to work with. Also there is a veneer factory close by and they gave me a mahogany board (they call it a backing board) where they slice off veneers. 

Before I cut any beautiful board, I set it back and study it to decide what is the best thing to make of it. I have had several boards held back for a couple years just waiting for the right thing to make. Usually the best one I made for family or very special friends. Also at times I will use mix two different woods in a project to give a contrasting look - like the basket in the photos with the mahogany on the bottom and handle. 

Malcolm / Kentucky USA


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## Bricknhank (Dec 28, 2013)

Before I took my current job which involves too much traveling to work on the projects that I would like to work on, I used to build levels. Good pieces of mahogany were very desirable due to that species ability to remain stable. So if you are feeling ambitious you could get several levels of various lengths out of the slab that you have.


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

kywoodchopper said:


> You could send it to me & I'd pay shipping. I could look it over and determine what I could make out of it. Here is a photo of a box I made with mahogany. It is very nice wood to work with. Also there is a veneer factory close by and they gave me a mahogany board (they call it a backing board) where they slice off veneers.
> 
> Before I cut any beautiful board, I set it back and study it to decide what is the best thing to make of it. I have had several boards held back for a couple years just waiting for the right thing to make. Usually the best one I made for family or very special friends. Also at times I will use mix two different woods in a project to give a contrasting look - like the basket in the photos with the mahogany on the bottom and handle.
> 
> Malcolm / Kentucky USA


Loving that board!


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Let the board sit until the right project comes along.....and it will!

It'll be one of those "I got the perfect piece of wood for this" moments


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

That's true. I am just now using an 3" x 48" x 3/4" Ebony piece I have had since 2005!


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

dovetail_65 said:


> That's true. I am just now using an 3" x 48" x 3/4" Ebony piece I have had since 2005!



ouuuuuuuuu, now that has chess board written all over it... I"ve got some American Holly just waiting to me mated up with a board like that :wink:


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

You made me curious as to what I'd be paying up here.
From Windward Hardwoods...
Hardwoods | Page 2 of 4 | West Wind Hardwood


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

Yes, but those are board foot prices for the common sizes available at any given time, not for slabs or highly figured. A slab is individually priced and can cost up to 10 even 20 times the board foot price depending on sub species, figure, character and size. Many times even the smaller regular sized highly figured pieces are separated out at the yard and priced on whatever the yard thinks they can get. Auction for certain pieces can come in 50 times the board foot price.

The board foot prices you posted are in line ratio wise for the Mahoganies though, Genuine is always the most expensive...


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## edison auto (Nov 13, 2015)

Thanks for the tips from everybody. This slab has a date written in white marker of 2-16-1980. I have not cut into it to determine figure yet. I have to assume it is regular mahagony as I don't think the U.S. was importing in the early 80's but I could be wrong. I think I will store it until the right project comes along. I also had a 2" square x 36" piece of ebony that came with the slab. I am going to use it for inlays and splines I think. With the mistakes and trial pieces from the cnc I may just install a fireplace and make a mantle. Fireplaces are rare in S.W. Florida as we would only use it 1-3 days a year. Once again thanks for the input. 
mark


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

I just wonder how extreme you can get with a CNC and string work? I can picture some amazing design work


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## Scottart (Jan 8, 2015)

It would be a shame to split that into smaller boards.... sit on it until you see something that moves you... Be the wood Hoarder... like the rest of us..


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## edison auto (Nov 13, 2015)

Same guy gave me 12" x2" x3' piece of the same mahagony. Becoming a hoarder now.
Mark


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

Mark is now a wood hoar!!!!!!

HJ


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

honesttjohn said:


> Mark is now a wood hoar!!!!!!
> 
> HJ


so......


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

He's now officially in it full time -- even if he doesn't know it yet!!

HJ


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

honesttjohn said:


> He's now officially in it full time -- even if he doesn't know it yet!!
> 
> HJ


....


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

then this was found....
it never ends...

.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Ok, ok, back to Mahogany...


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