Any special advice on African Mahogany ?

[Junkyard Engineer]

After reading thread about african padauk, now, I wonder how to work with african mahogany.

Glue, dust, etc... ?

Tia

[rcook5]

Garves like mahagony (ie, beautifully, but the grain is somewhat coarse), glues well with standard glue.

--RC "Sometimes history doesn't repeat itself. It just yells 'can't you remember anything I've told you?' and lets fly with a club. -- John W. Cambell Jr.

[patrick conroy]

Nuthin' special as I recall. I found it easy to work, less prone to splintering that the padauk. Dust not especially irritating. The only thing that annoyed me about padauk was the fine red dust that covered everything in the shop for years...

[Nate Perkins]

"Junkyard Engineer" wrote in news:%zLLd.44908$ [e-mail]:

Standard glue. Dust is not bad at all. It machines great. You can find some boards with a beautiful ribbon pattern. The last project I built came from wonderful boards that were wide, flat, and reasonably priced (about $5/bf here).

I'd recommend finishes that contain some oil (e.g., oil with a shellac overcoat, or an oil-varnish mix).

[skeezics]

good stuff ! im currently doing my kitchen with it and its turning out nice. i got 8/4 stock as that was what was available at a good price.

5 dollars b/f. that may be a drive by? while resawing there was some reaction wood present but all in all nice to work with. honduran mahgony is better. but its more $$$$. all these boards were 12 - 16 inches wide ! made the case for a good bandsaw purchase. hehehehe. every project needs a new tool right?

skeez

[Prometheus]

Nothing special as far as glue and dust go, the only issue I had with it was that I used Tung oil on it, and if you don't really soak the wood well, it fades to a light yellow/brown within a couple of days. Get it soaked good, and it really keeps it's color pretty well. Nice looking wood, and easy to work. Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

[Junkyard Engineer]

I'm not familiar with Tung oil, is it the same as Danish oil ? Somebody told me that Danish oil has a blend of oil and varnish so the real color of the wood gets out and still gets protected with the varnish.

"Prometheus" a écrit dans le message de news: [e-mail]...

[Nate Perkins]

"Junkyard Engineer" wrote in news:44yNd.19173$ [e-mail]:

Nope, they aren't the same.

It's confusing to separate the marketing from the actual composition of the finish. For example, "Danish oil" can either be a mixture of linseed oil and varnish in a solvent (for example, the Watco brand). Other "Danish oils" contain oil only (such as Tried and True Danish Oil, which is pure boiled linseed oil). You can really only tell by looking at the contents of the can.

Similarly, "Tung oil" can mean either pure tung oil (such as the Hope's brand), or it can be a "Tung oil finish" which is a mixture of tung oil and varnish (for example, the Minwax Tung Oil Finish).

Waterlox is a mixture of varnish resins and tung oil in a solvent. I've used it before and like the appearance. It's somewhat hard to find

has it).

Pure tung oil is fairly viscous, and you'll want to dilute it with mineral spirits to increase the penetration if you go that route. It takes quite a few coats to get a good uniform finish ... probably between 3-6 coats.

Tung oil is similar to linseed oil except that it's more expensive, it's supposed to be harder when cured, and it's supposed to darken less over time.

Hope that helps.

[Junkyard Engineer]

Wow, finishing process is not as easy as I first thought !

I think I will test those options before doing the actual work.

Thanks

"Nate Perkins" a écrit dans le message de news: Xns95F5EFAE6BF21nperkins2003yahoocom@207.217.125.201...

[Michael T. Hunt]

I personally don't like Tung Oil on Af Mahogany. I used Af Mah to restore a sail boat and loved the look of the wood finished with a Spar. I liked the color so much I used the same wood to build my Bedroom set. It's great to work with.

[Prometheus]

I haven't used Danish oil, but I believe it is a blend of Tung oil and varnish. Tung oil doesn't have varnish in it (though I guess a lot of finishes marketed as tung oil are blends these days, so that may not always be true) As to how the two compare, you'd have to just try them out and see what you like. FWIW, Tung oil takes a looooong time to dry, so be patient if you try it out.

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

[Prometheus]

That's what some of the guys on the woodturning group said as well- but it was what I had. How about shellac?

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

[Junkyard Engineer]

I asked my supplier and showed me samples on African Mahogany. Danish oil has varnish in it and it takes 3 coats, 12 hours between coats. Sanded down to 320 and third one applied with #000000 steel wool and ribbed off 3 times every 10 minutes !

It's not what it's written on the container but they assured me that it gives the best results, and based on what I saw, it's really outstanding. So, I've been back at sanding ;(

"Michael T. Hunt" a écrit dans le message de news: [e-mail]...

[Nate Perkins]

"Junkyard Engineer" wrote in news:dTJNd.22886$ [e-mail]:

...

Most of us have to learn the hard way once to recognize the value of a test board. :-P

By the way, oil-only finishes are different from most finishes in that they don't really build much. They are a great choice if your goal is a satin sheen finish. However, if your goal is a glossy coating then you will want an oil-varnish, lacquer, or shellac type finish.

Oil only (or oil and wax) finishes are also the least durable/most easily damaged by spills.

Jeff Jewitt's book, "Great Wood Finishes" is a good resource. Your local library probably has a copy.

[Junkyard Engineer]

Yes, my supplier of exotic woods has also a kind of library of all the woodworking books and magazine you can find. I will get that book. thanks.

"Nate Perkins" a écrit dans le message de news: Xns95F6E59814978nperkins2003yahoocom@207.217.125.201...

[dzine]

Forget the glue and dust. This is tropical rain forest disappearing.

[Prometheus]

That land has to make money for the people who live there somehow. If we as woodworkers buy the wood, it encourages them to continue to allow trees to grow so they can continue to sell it. If everyone gets worried about the rainforest and refuses to buy tropical wood, it's just going to be clear-cut to be used as farmland. Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

[George]

SNIP

Except, of course, enlightened tax policy such as ours will punish private owners for doing so.

[dzine]

I have been receiving info re: illegal plundering of rainforest timbers for a long time now. Do your own research. Or is that too difficult ? If you know some latin maybe it must be another reason. To think the 'people' make the money is too naieve, there must be an intellectual cover up here.

[Junkyard Engineer]

It's true, but in part only. I can't remember her name but the last Nobel peace award went to an environmental minister in an African country (can't remember if it's Nigeria or somewhere else). For decades, she implemented programs to help little farms owner to plant trees on their land in order for them to get some money for the wood, amongst other use (i.e. reforestation).

So, while buying rain forest trees for small application like we do here is one thing. Cutting everything because some big companies put those woods everywhere they can think of, now, I'm not so sure it's a good thing. As always, moderation has better taste.

But as hobbyist woodworkers, I don't feel I'm exploiting anybody buying those nice wood as long as I make careful and full use of each cu.in. of it.

"dzine" a écrit dans le message de news: [e-mail]...