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Sorry if this is boring for people but i got a danish table for next to nothing, main round is in three pieces but nice and thick, looks like mahogany to me, it's very pink where it hasnt oxidised. Fancying using it for necks so am hoping someone would have an idea of specifically what type it might be. It doesn't feel as heavy as cuban mahogany. any ideas?

thanks all,

Mike

Mike: I would say Mahogany, but then what do I know ? Would not attempt to say what kind.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Asian Mahogany?

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-Marcus
http://www.bailieguitars.com
Instagram | YouTube

Sold under a trade name - Philippine Mahogany, it's actually lauan.
NOT good instrument building wood - kinda punky, breaks easily.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

hmm, yes, I've come across phillipine mahogany, not very nice wood as you say. You think thats what it is? Maybe it's not such a bad table. . .

Looks like Lauan.
Depending on the actually piece of wood, it could be used for necks.
Some less expensive import guitars use it, e.g. http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-ARC-DL41X-LIST
See http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-ide ... ods/lauan/

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

..

I scored this at Goodwill for $60. After sanding the gunk off I decided not to cut it up.
Good old fashioned solid Genuine Mahogany.

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Looks like sapele to me.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Well, there was a glued on sticker inside dated 1960 from a company that used to certify Mahogany as being genuine, so I'm convinced it's Mahogany.

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We call it Meranti aka Pacific Maple, Phil Hog, Lauan etc.

Steve

It looks like African Mahogany to me. Sapele usually has wider ribbons. This looks darker and tighter. Just my opinion. I have some African from LMI that looks just like that. Unless we are all wrong. It is some sort of Mahogany though.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

No wood expert OP, but y initial reaction was 'not mahogany'.

I back the luan vote...

Looks like lauan plywood or something. I hate that stuff. Can buy it at big box stores in Taiwan because people use it for framing or whatever... 1.5 x 1.5" and roughsawn. Wood is softer than balsa without any of the high strength to weight ratios balsa has, or dense as hell and feels papery. You'll find it on cheap guitars because the wood is cheap. Furthermore the wood is very splintery. Probably as bad as Wenge.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I put together a Mahogany Uke kit.
It was Lauan. That stuff is like splinters bound together.
Interior doors used to be made with it. Thank goodness doors are now made of plastic.

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Several different woods are called Luaun. http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-ide ... ods/lauan/
S.G I have seen for the different types on wood data base is 0.38 to 0.68.
My first guitar was believed to be Light Red Meranti, and I had no problems to bend the sides, no splinters, although it had quite large pores. It also made a reasonable guitar.

So slagging a wood on the basis of only having seen one "type like balsa", which I have seen several times in posts here, seems like tarring a whole "species" with the same broad brush.
Like most woods, even highly prized ones, it depends on the example you have in your hand.
I have seen clips, here and elsewhere, of unknown (and cosmetically challenged) woods made into good sounding instruments.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Lauan/meranti/philipine mahogany/shorea can be perfectly fine and usable woods. It varies a lot as there are many species of shorea. At one point philipine mahogany had a higher status than american mahogany. Price and availability have a huge influence on perceived value. If BRW was available for $2 bd/ft at home depot, everyone would talk about how lousy it is.

I guess that also explains why people don't like bubinga guitars so much... they're cheap.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

This Antarctic Palm might sell well!

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久保
美智え

That could be any number of mahogany-like woods, but one thing's for sure: it's veneer except for the 8 outside pieces. If you look close the grain is identical on the three wide pieces, meaning it's sequence matched veneer.

that is sharp eyed. I didnt realise because the underside is veneered as well as the top. Down to the charity shop then and a fiver wasted...

Don't feel bad.
I saw on the bay several 2.4 m worktops advertised by an retired ship's carpenter as one piece quarter sawn Honduran mahogany.
After hitting the bank for a very large sum in cash and driving 200 miles to check them out, I had to point out the joints (pieces were full length), and tell him they were plain, very straight grained sapele.
Nice worktops, but not what I was there for.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Doesn't look as course as any of the lauan I've had, but what do I know? But I wouldn't shy away from using lauan even if I could positively identify it. I'd just evaluate each piece for its own properties. You guys must realize, however, that I don't build for a market. I build for my own pleasure. I've made some awfully nice furniture from some of this asian mystery wood. Don't turn your nose up at it until you try something with it.