[twingall1]

Hi all, Can anyone help me identify this wood. I've tried a reference book but its old and with no pictures..any help/guesses would be much appreciated.

Its an antique writing slope..

[Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/Wf95pIg)

[Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/xr37jSX)

[Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/rmXFK29)

Many thanks,
Tom

 

[Dave Paine]

Looks like a mahogany species to me. Many sub-species e.g., sapele.

Take a look at Phind's excellent site for pictures.

May need to see good end grain to confirm.

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/#letterM

 

[khowald]

It is either mahogany or spanish cedar, I would certainly lean toward mahogany. With the age of the piece I would suspect that it is east african in origin. ken

 

[phinds]

Definitely looks like mahogany to me --- probably Swietenia mahagoni although I'm rarely really sure about that vs Swietenia macrophylla


Less likely would be sapele or sipo or African mahogany (Khaya spp.)

 

[cabinetman]

Definitely looks like mahogany to me --- probably Swietenia mahagoni although I'm rarely really sure about that vs Swietenia macrophylla


Less likely would be sapele or sipo or African mahogany (Khaya spp.)

+1. :yes: Mahogany is my guess too.

.

 

[Julie Mor]

Without seeing the other replies, I came up with mahogany too.

 

[vursenbach]

+1. :yes: Mahogany is my guess too.





.

+2. Yes.

Sent from my iPhone using Wood Forum

 

[EastexToolJunky]

Mahogany is my guess as well.

 

[twingall1]

Thanks all, that good to know.. Phinds, i googled Swietenia mahagoni and found this (below)- looks very similar. I don't know what the strange banding is (as thought the grain flows one way then the other in regular straight bands).. is this natural or made up of several pieces of wood?

Anyway, this banding seems the most striking similarity with my mahogany



Many thanks,
Tom

 

[Dave Paine]

Thanks all, that good to know.. Phinds, i googled Swietenia mahagoni and found this (below)- looks very similar. I don't know what the strange banding is (as thought the grain flows one way then the other in regular straight bands).. is this natural or made up of several pieces of wood?

Anyway, this banding seems the most striking similarity with my mahogany

What you refer to as banding is just the grain pattern. Grain running left to right and also out of the board. The nature of the species. Causes tearout if tools are not sharp and the person attempts to plane off too much in a single pass.

 

[phinds]

What you refer to as banding is just the grain pattern. Grain running left to right and also out of the board. The nature of the species. Causes tearout if tools are not sharp and the person attempts to plane off too much in a single pass.

+1 on that

 

[[email protected]]

Definitely African Mahogany, also called Sweetenia.

 

[phinds]

Definitely African Mahogany, also called Sweetenia.

You've got your woods mixed up. Sweetenia is just a misspelling of the genus (Swietenia) for genuine mahogany which is what the rest of us think this is. African mahogany is a semi-related (same family but not genus) wood Khaya spp.