Quote:
Originally Posted by Testgear John
Yes! Mahogany Sapele.
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Sapele is not a mahogany. It is used as a mahogany substitute (see below).
I've used Sapele many times. First as the massive underframing of my woodworking bench, and also as the panels in a frame (oak) and panel (sapele) headboard for our bed.
It is a pain to work with because of the interlocking grain. It comes out of a planer-thicknesser looking awful. You can get it smooth in one direction, but the opposite direction tears out. Your only hope is to use a cabinet scraper, or scraper plane. Or belt sander - but I prefer to use a few power tools as possible.
Sapele is surprisingly cheap in solid form - among other things it is used for frames for soft furnishings like sofas. And for big structural work. It is easy to get 24"x 8" boards 15 feet long.
True Honduran mahogany is a CITES protected wood, and is seriously endangered. The main source of mahogany for cabinet making comes from breaking apart old mahogany furniture.
Craig