# Hounduras mahogany



## Glenn Lefley (Apr 17, 2018)

a friend of mine had a leak in his house and ruined his hounduras mahogany library. Insurance will cover but can’t get that wood in Canada I’m told. What would be a suitable replacement of equal quality, value and looks ?


----------



## barry richardson (Apr 18, 2018)

African Mahogany and Sapele are both good substitutes.....

Reactions: Agree 2


----------



## Mike1950 (Apr 18, 2018)

barry richardson said:


> African Mahogany and Sapele are both good substitutes.....



They also will be MUCH cheaper.

Reactions: Agree 2


----------



## Blueglass (Apr 18, 2018)

And do you get the old to cut the bad off of?


----------



## Glenn Lefley (Apr 18, 2018)

Trying. I’m not going to let the insurance company make money off him.


----------



## Glenn Lefley (Apr 18, 2018)

Glenn Lefley said:


> Trying. I’m not going to let the insurance company make money off him.


The insurance company is saying you can’t get houndiras mahogany any more so want to do it in another wood. He is fully insured.


----------



## FranklinWorkshops (Apr 18, 2018)

Unfortunately, it can't cross the borders, I've heard. Others here probably know the details. You might be able to find woodworkers in Canada that will part with enough to make the repairs.


----------



## Glenn Lefley (Apr 18, 2018)

Not even with cities documentation?


----------



## FranklinWorkshops (Apr 18, 2018)

I think it has to have a certification document that proves it was sustainably harvested from a plantation when it crosses a border. I have lots of this mahogany but I can’t ship it out of the USA.


----------



## Blueglass (Apr 19, 2018)

Tell the insurance company that no new mahogany can cross but if it is already in CA it is good. I'm sure there is plenty of stock still there. Maybe find enough stock and submit where it is. Also there is plenty of plantation raised that is legal. So there argument is void.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## barry richardson (Apr 19, 2018)

My local hardwood lumberyard sells Honduran Mahogany, but it is the plantation grown stuff. Where I used to work, we ordered it a couple of times, it was crap, pale, fuzzed like crazy, warped, and not very wide boards. It was more expensive too, so we started going with African Mahogany, which came in beautiful wide boards, and looked better than the Hondo. Old growth Hondo, (which is the good stuff) is still around, but mostly in private stashes....

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


----------



## Mike1950 (Apr 19, 2018)

Honduran mahogany is available- wholesale- Buy a whole Boule -440 bd ft $12 a bd ft. I see no international restrictions on it.


----------



## FranklinWorkshops (Apr 19, 2018)

Mike1950 said:


> Honduran mahogany is available- wholesale- Buy a whole Boule -440 bd ft $12 a bd ft. I see no international restrictions on it.


Mike, is this boule plantation grown? If so, there are no restrictions with the proper certification. Here is a link to the CITES regulations that went into effect in 2003. 

https://www.un.org/press/en/2003/unep181.doc.htm

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Mike1950 (Apr 19, 2018)

FranklinWorkshops said:


> Mike, is this boule plantation grown? If so, there are no restrictions with the proper certification. Here is a link to the CITES regulations that went into effect in 2003.
> 
> https://www.un.org/press/en/2003/unep181.doc.htm



I stand corrected- my search did not come up with cites restriction. I would have to believe that wood I quoted is legal one way or another. International company- That was one of the smaller Boules I saw on list- maybe 75 on list.... It is available. Probably translates into $30 a bd ft dry


----------



## lonewolf (Apr 19, 2018)

I highly recommend sapale over plantation mahogany. Are you having to replace it all or some minor repairs .this would really determine what to use.


----------



## FranklinWorkshops (Apr 19, 2018)

Mike1950 said:


> I stand corrected- my search did not come up with cites restriction. I would have to believe that wood I quoted is legal one way or another. International company- That was one of the smaller Boules I saw on list- maybe 75 on list.... It is available. Probably translates into $30 a bd ft dry


That's what Rick Hearne is getting for the old non-planation plain jane boards. I saw a beautiful 20" wide, 14' long piece of 8/4 curly mahogany in his warehouse and the asking price was $50/BF. I'd have to sell a house to afford that. But some people have more money than common sense, I suppose.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Mike1950 (Apr 19, 2018)

FranklinWorkshops said:


> That's what Rick Hearne is getting for the old non-planation plain jane boards. I saw a beautiful 20" wide, 14' long piece of 8/4 curly mahogany in his warehouse and the asking price was $50/BF. I'd have to sell a house to afford that. But some people have more money that common sense, I suppose.



Biggest boule was like 32" wide- 15 ft long over a 1000 bd ft- they had 44,000 bd ft

Reactions: Informative 1


----------



## FranklinWorkshops (Apr 19, 2018)

lonewolf said:


> I highly recommend sapale over plantation mahogany. Are you having to replace it all or some minor repairs .this would really determine what to use.



Sapele is a great option, in my opinion. It comes in many different grain configurations. It's not cheap but better than other options. 

http://www.wood-database.com/sapele/


----------



## Arn213 (Apr 21, 2018)

You should be able to find Honduran mahogany (swietenia macrophylla) in CA- the insurance company telling you that you can’t get that wood anymore is a way of them trying to pay less for a mahogany substitute. Honduran mahogany you will find under different common names based on retailers (just make sure that they are be listed with the scientific name: swietenia macrophylla): South American mahogany, Honduras mahogany, Peruvian mahogany, genuine mahogany, etc. You will probably not find the type of old mahogany from Belize, however swietenia macrophylla grows in Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, etc.

Try these outfits in CA to see if they have the board foot and quality you need for your friends library rebuild:

A & M Wood Specialty
East Coast Specialty Hardwoods

There is also “Fiji mahogany” which are Honduran mahogany seeds planted in Fiji. A guitar supplier in CA told me that these are lighter in weight and typically has more pin knots.

There is also “Brazilian mahogany”- typically denser and darker in color.

The Sapele everyone mentioned as a mahogany substitute......your friend has to like that deeper “Spanish cedar-esque” as these are typically used now for humidor liner substitute due to Spanish cedar being on the CITES list.


----------

