[Woodcarver] Mahogany wood, (was) Help carving outdoor sign

[Victor Hamburger]

Sylda wrote:

Isn't "mahogany" the wood that is used for the carvings from the
Philippines.  Where would you get wood like that?

Hi,

Mahogany comes from nearly every continent in the world except Antartica.  It is 
a generic name for a family of woods.  Phillipine mahogany is one of the poorer 
grades available, typically also being known as Luan Mahogany, a stringy, grainy 
wood that I consider useless for much of anything.

Patternmakers grade mahogany is another generic term, but a few large lumber 
yards will know what you are looking for.  It is any mahogany that is dark 
red/brown, tight grained, dense, and has generally nice straight grain patterns 
to it.

In cabinetmaking history, the finest mahogany came from Cuba (nearly extinct 
now) and some of the other countries in the carribean.  It grows slowly and 
takes years to reach maturity.  Over-cutting has destroyed the source for this 
lumber years ago.  It's cutting is tightly regulated and availability is limited 
to a few lumber suppliers.

I know there is one such supplier in Brentwood New Hampshire, 
http://www.highlandhardwoods.com/

These folks have a huge inventory of all types of lumber.  I have seen mahogany 
there that included clear slabs up to 4" thick, 30+" wide and 16 feet long, all 
clear and straight grained.  You don't want to ask the price on a piece of wood 
like that!!

I doubt they do mail order, but there are others who do.  Try here: 
http://www.woodfinder.com/
This site will allow you to search by specie and find either nearby lumber 
suppliers, or mail order lumber suppliers to help you find what you need.

Hope this helps.	Vic