Mahogany has long been considered one of the finest cabinet woods of the world, because it has most of the qualities desired for furniture making. It is strong and hard enough to stand ordinary use as furniture, yet soft enough to be easily sawed, planed, and carved. Mahogany does not shrink, swell, or warp as much as many other equally hard woods. The wood has an attractive color and grain, and a high luster.
Mahogany is a fairly heavy wood. Its color varies from light tan to dark reddish-brown. The wood darkens when exposed to daylight. It usually has an interlocking pattern or grain. Sometimes mahogany has curly, wavy, raindrop, or speckled figures. When mahogany is cut lengthwise through forks in the tree trunk, the wood shows a beautiful ostrich-plume effect. Workers often quartersaw or quarterslice mahogany into veneer, or thin sheets. They saw through the center of the log lengthwise so as to divide it into four sections. Then they cut planks alternately from each face of the quarter. Mahogany that has been quartersawed usually shows a ribbon or stripe figure.
The finest mahogany comes from the Caribbean, where the tree Swietenia mahagoni grows to a height of more than 100 feet (30 meters). The long, clean tree trunk may reach a height of 60 to 80 feet (18 to 24 meters) before the first branch appears. Mahogany from this kind of tree is very scarce. Most mahogany used for fine woodworking today comes from southern Mexico, northern South America, and Africa. In Mexico and South America, the wood comes from the Swietenia macrophylla tree. In Africa, it is found in trees of the genus Khaya. Wood from trees of the genus Cedrela looks like mahogany, but is softer, lighter, and more brittle than true mahogany. Philippine mahogany comes from several trees in the genera Shorea and Parashorea. These trees are not true mahoganies.
The Cathedral of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic was the first building to use mahogany woodwork. The church was completed in 1540. People believe Sir Walter Raleigh used mahogany in 1595 to repair his ships in the Caribbean. In the 1700’s, Thomas Chippendale, George Hepplewhite, and other furniture makers made mahogany furniture popular.
