[hruukki]

Hi,
I've been carving some mahogany - trying to make some low relief etc. but apparently it's the kind with ribbon grain - at least that's the way I understand it (grain runs in different directions at will, has different shades that run vertically, and can be really cranky to cut). Is there some mahogany that is generically good for carving, if I happen to want to buy some more of it? I mean, which country produces good mahogany for carving?

Some further notes on the one I now have: I have one plank only. Some of it is really great - it's as easy to cut as basswood, alder or birch - and the rest (most of it, grrrr) acts like beech or even worse, since I never even know about the grain direction.

Thanks in advance!

[mdallensr]

Some people call Honduran mahogany genuine mahogany, and I think it is easily the best for carving. Some African mahogany is stringy, brittle and fuzzes a lot, and Luan mahagany is really difficult to work with. Honduran mahogany is getting hard to find, and will cost at least $10/board-foot if you find it. The best Honduran mahogany is called pattern grade, since it was used to make foundry patterns for casting. It is very stable, doesn't crack or swell, and it is fairly straight-grained. In the Honduran mahogany carving below (one of Susan Irish's designs), you have to carve on-grain, end-grain, into the grain, and it all works well. Mike

[hruukki]

Thanks for the info - great carving by the way! I'll have to stick with the easier-to-find woods then.