African Mahogany

[Tekky]

In your opinion, is African Mahogany and African Ribbon Mahogany the same thing??

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: African Mahogany

Nope, the folks have some ribbon mahogany in the house and it definitely looks quite different. Ribbon mahogany has roughly alternating dark(er) / light(er) bands running in the direction of the grain. Very cool looking if you get a nice piece.

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: African Mahogany

You can see an example of the difference here.

[83REDCHARVEL]

Re: African Mahogany

Do you have a supplier of exotic wood? If not I have a company that I deal with that has some very fine wood. We use it to make gun stocks and do inlay work.

[xenophobe]

Re: African Mahogany

hey, who is your wood supplier? I have one guy who lives on the east cost that buys me stuff, but he buys it from Oregon or Washington... that bastard. lol.

[Twisteramps]

Re: African Mahogany

African Ribbon is what the Model 88s were made of.

Pete

[83REDCHARVEL]

Re: African Mahogany

I have a couple guys that I get stuff from I will get you the info when I go back to the office an dthen I will post it for you

[tmmsjm]

Re: African Mahogany

Yes, they are most likely the same thing, they are just cut different. African Ribbon Mahogany is cut radially, meaning the growth rings form an angle of 45 degrees or more (90 is optimal)with the face of the lumber. If they don't specify "ribbon" and it doesn't have the stripes, it's just flat sawn, with the growth rings forming an angle of less than 45 degrees with the face. It's the same wood, you're just looking at the "edge" of the grain as opposed to the "face".
Incidentally, African Mahogany isn't really true Mahogany. Most African Mahogany is Khaya Ivorensis or Khaya Anthotheca and is a similar species, but not quite the same. The main difference is that it has interlocking grain, while American or Honduras Mahogany (Swietenia Macrophylla) generally has straighter grain. There are also density and strength differences. Most of the major manufacturers, whether they are making musical instruments or furniture, are using a lot of African Mahogany since Honduras Mahogany is rare, expensive, and harder to get.