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Mahogany

Where Has All the Beautiful Mahogany Gone? Part 2

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Genuine Mahogany windows & trim
Genuine Mahogany windows & trim

The shifts in how Genuine Mahogany is sawn and graded is proving disastrous for this once prized lumber species. In Part 1 we looked at exactly what’s contributing to the problem, as well as how it might have been prevented and then what’s actually going on. We doubt the NGOs are listening, but in case they are, maybe they’ll reconsider.

In the mean time, of course, we know our customers are wondering what’s going on and why they can’t get the same kind of gorgeous Mahogany we’ve been selling them for decades — or even centuries.  They also want to know what to do. We’ll try to answer all those issues here.

Understanding NHLA Grading Basics

The NHLA originated for furniture makers, simply because they were the main ones using lumber when the grading system was first put into place. While Mahogany was once used primarily for furniture making, it’s now used mainly as a milled product. For that use, mills require long, defect-free boards.

Genuine Mahogany staircase
Genuine Mahogany staircase

With the downgrading of Mahogany to the NHLA system, more boards are being passed off as FAS. While they are getting exported, they’re simply taking up space in our lumber yard; we cannot use the majority of them for moulded products. As we discussed previously, the North American market overall would do well to become more accepting of lesser grades; however, misleading customers about the quality of the boards they’re buying is quite a different thing.

Decrying Problematic Sawing Practices

If the issue were that quality Mahogany is simply not being grown anymore and wasn’t possible to acquire, the situation would be completely different from what it is. However, the fact is that many mills that have long been sawing for quality are being retrained by the NGOs to saw with quantity in view, instead.

Genuine Mahogany log pile
Genuine Mahogany log pile

If they can effectively get the grading bar lowered and turn out even more lumber, then they stand to make more money. Maybe that idea seems a bit cynical, but J. Gibson McIlvain has witnessed this shift in South America first-hand. Even by NHLA standards, much of the Mahogany being milled according to these different practices amounts to only Select or #1 Common grade.

We see that as an absolute tragedy. Especially because of the impressive size of the South American Mahogany tree, proper sawing techniques can yield a number of top-grade boards. We believe that change is possible, and with proper regulation, the Mahogany industry could return to the glory days it once enjoyed, but today is not yet that day.

Determining a Current Strategy

With great regret, J. Gibson McIlvain has decided not to support the kind of unnecessarily wasteful milling practices that are currently in place. So after literally hundreds of years, we will be backing away from this once-great species in order to concentrate on African species. (We will still carry some Genuine Mahogany, just nothing near the inventory we’ve maintained in the past.) We think you’ll be pleased to discover the high stability and impressive lengths and widths available in species like African Mahogany, Utile, and Sapele.

Moulding quality control at J Gibson McIlvain
Moulding quality control at J Gibson McIlvain

J. Gibson McIlvain Company

Since 1798, when Hugh McIlvain established a lumber business near Philadelphia, the McIlvain family has been immersed in the premium import and domestic lumber industry. With its headquarters located just outside of Baltimore, the J. Gibson McIlvain Company (www.mcilvain.com) is one of the largest U.S. importers of exotic woods.

As an active supporter of sustainable lumber practices, the J. Gibson McIlvain Company has provided fine lumber for notable projects throughout the world, including the White House, Capitol building, Supreme Court, and the Smithsonian museums.

Contact a representative at J. Gibson McIlvain today by calling (800) 638-9100.

Where Has All the Beautiful Mahogany Gone? Part 1

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Genuine Mahogany Logs
Genuine Mahogany Logs

There’s no doubt about the beauty and working qualities of Genuine Mahogany; no one is debating those issues. Since the 1700s, this premium lumber species has been appreciated by cabinet makers, furniture makers, and other craftsmen. Sadly, though, anyone who works with Mahogany has noticed a continual downward trend in recent years, when it comes to the availability and grade of this long-heralded species.

Whenever we’re working with an organic, naturally produced product like wood, we realize that environmental factors largely contribute to what’s available, and we can do little to nothing to change such issues. The most tragic aspect of South American Mahogany’s demise is that it isn’t caused by environmental factors, but by factors that could have been prevented.

Logging Genuine Mahogany
Logging Genuine Mahogany

The Beginning of the End

For Genuine Mahogany, the downward turn began years ago, when Mahogany forests were poorly managed. Even though many countries can be said to still be recovering from previous problems, thanks to CITES regulations on how much Mahogany can be exported, we can be optimistic about overall health of Mahogany forests.

Along with the CITES regulations have come increased involvement from NGOs who subsidize sawmills and oversee concessions and regulations. Such involvement doesn’t come without strings attached; the political and business angles have led to monopolies as well as inferior sawing practices.

Because monopolies essentially seize the cream of the crop, the remainder of the market ends up getting flooded with what amounts to common grade Mahogany. The end result of these issues has been a higher net loss as well as a poorer grade for exported Mahogany.

Stacks of Genuine Mahogany
Stacks of Genuine Mahogany

The Right Response

Here at J. Gibson McIlvain lumber company, we realize that North America has generally been spoiled, in a way, with perfect or just-as-close-to-perfect-as-possible grades of tropical hardwoods. The rest of the world “settles” for lower grades and considers what North Americans call “defects” to be “character markings” that simply come with the territory when you’re dealing with truly green building materials. Because of that, we generally agree with Bob Taylor about the need for the North American market to become more accepting of B grade materials.

The Real Results

The push back from the American markets due to frustrations over quality have prompted South American NGOs in place to assist with conservation to push toward implementing NHLA grading standards across domestic and exotic products.

While this leveling of the playing field may seem only fair, lumber experts realize that tropical species have traditionally been graded by a separate system due to the differences in sizes and growth tendencies. If Mahogany is graded according to NHLA standards, the result would be that more defects would be allowed into each board, effectively lowering the grading bar.

Now, while we’re all for allowances for the unique characteristics of specific species, such as Walnut, this shift seems particularly devious on the parts of the NGOs who stand to profit. While more Mahogany lumber will initially be purchased because of the new grading scale, it will be disastrous for Mahogany, in the long run.

See Part 2 to learn more.

J Gibson McIlvain lumberyard
J Gibson McIlvain lumberyard

J. Gibson McIlvain Company

Since 1798, when Hugh McIlvain established a lumber business near Philadelphia, the McIlvain family has been immersed in the premium import and domestic lumber industry. With its headquarters located just outside of Baltimore, the J. Gibson McIlvain Company (www.mcilvain.com) is one of the largest U.S. importers of exotic woods.

As an active supporter of sustainable lumber practices, the J. Gibson McIlvain Company has provided fine lumber for notable projects throughout the world, including the White House, Capitol building, Supreme Court, and the Smithsonian museums.

Contact a representative at J. Gibson McIlvain today by calling (800) 638-9100.

A Tale of Two Mahogany Alternatives

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Stacks of Sapele lumber
Stacks of Sapele lumber

A traditional favorite used in furniture and high-end millwork, Mahogany has a rich history spanning hundreds of years. Sadly, its rising price point has made this species less accessible for many woodworkers. As regulation of Mahogany has increased, the supply chain has added additional cost, leaving many once-devout Mahogany fans with more questions than answers.

Here at J. Gibson McIlvain lumber company, we’ve dedicated much research and effort to helping one-time Mahogany customers find an alternative that makes sense for them, and that alternative can be found amid the African hardwoods.

The Top Contender: Sapele

As part of the African Mahogany family, Sapele has risen to the top as the most popular alternative to Genuine, or South American, Mahogany. As a large, stable tree that’s even more dense than Genuine Mahogany, the Sapele tree produces many large boards in a variety of thicknesses. Sapele is harder than Genuine Mahogany, and its interlocking grain pattern combines with that increased hardness to make it difficult to work. Tear out is common, and milling must be very cautiously done.

Quartersawn Sapele produces a striking ribbon stripe that has helped Sapele to establish a market all its own, apart from its original purpose as a Mahogany alternative. That new market is causing an increased demand, along with higher prices, though. While it’s the most expensive of the African Mahoganies, Sapele still costs less than 70% of what Genuine Mahogany does.

Flat sawn Utile (left) and quartersawn Utile (right)
Flat sawn Utile (left) and quartersawn Utile (right)

The Unknown Underdog: Utile

Utile, we believe, is actually the closest match to Genuine Mahogany, yet it’s still relatively unknown to the public. Also referred to as Sipo, this species is in the same genus as Sapele. Utile lacks the highly interlocked grain of Sapele, making it easier to work without tearout. It is lighter than Sapele and only slightly heavier than Genuine Mahogany, making it a closer match to that highly sought-after species.

Quartersawn Utile does display a more mellow version of the ribbon stripe of Sapele, but its flatsawn appearance is nearly identical to that of Genuine Mahogany. This species does include some darker medullary rays that can help experts distinguish it from Genuine Mahogany; those darker lines also provide greater visual interest that many appreciate.

Like the Sapele tree, the Utile tree is quite large, allowing careful mills to produce 12/4 and thicker boards exceeding widths of 10 to 12 inches. With a lower density than Sapele, Utile has greater stability. Since it’s sold in packs including only Utile (instead of a menagerie of African Mahoganies), it’s essentially more consistent than Sapele. Typically available at a price that’s half that of Genuine Mahogany and without a market of its own threatening to cause prices to rise, Utile is an excellent alternative to Genuine Mahogany which we recommend highly to our customers.

McIlvain lumberyard
McIlvain lumberyard

J. Gibson McIlvain Company

Since 1798, when Hugh McIlvain established a lumber business near Philadelphia, the McIlvain family has been immersed in the premium import and domestic lumber industry. With its headquarters located just outside of Baltimore, the J. Gibson McIlvain Company (www.mcilvain.com) is one of the largest U.S. importers of exotic woods.

As an active supporter of sustainable lumber practices, the J. Gibson McIlvain Company has provided fine lumber for notable projects throughout the world, including the White House, Capitol building, Supreme Court, and the Smithsonian museums.

Contact a representative at J. Gibson McIlvain today by calling (800) 638-9100.

Why We Still Carry Genuine Mahogany

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Mahogany Windows
Mahogany Windows

Amid increased concerns over the origin Genuine Mahogany and other exotic hardwood species, J. Gibson McIlvain continues to fully inspect and import quality Honduran Mahogany from responsible sources, fully investigating each aspect of the supply chain.

Early History of Mahogany

In order to fully appreciate the term “Genuine Mahogany,” you need to know a little lumber history. To start out, follow the wooded trail back a few hundred years to Europe of the 1700s, when Mahogany one of the major items exported from what would become known as South America. From London to continental Europe, cabinetmakers valued this richly colored wood. The wood’s natural durability and resistance to decay made it ideal for exterior applications, like doors and window framing. Not many years passed before the industry was threatened by decreased supply due to over-harvesting without the kind of re-planting policies in place today.

Additional impediments to continued exporting of mahogany were caused by war-induced embargoes and political shifts. North American Walnut helped quell craftsmen’s appetites for mahogany, but the demand for this precious lumber never quite died out. Those in search of a wood that more closely resembled the South American species soon stumbled on a species in Africa that had traits similar to that of what we now call “Genuine Mahogany.” While this newly discovered African wood shares many characteristics with its South American cousin and is truly in the same scientific family, it lacks some of the premier characteristics of its Honduran counterpart. The African wood boasts remarkable workability and unmatched, vibrant coloring.

Mahogany Market Confusion

Whether lumber suppliers were intentionally deceptive in referring to the African lumber as “mahogany” is anyone’s guess, but the result was undeniable: Customers were confused and sometimes felt duped by receiving lower quality lumber than what they expected from a wood referred to as “Mahogany.” As a result of this identification issue, the Honduran species (Swietenia macrophylla) became known as “Genuine Mahogany,” giving way to a new confusion regarding the fact that the African variety is a true mahogany, as well.

Genuine Mahogany Logs
Genuine Mahogany Logs

Scientific Classifications of Mahogany

Since what is now known as “Genuine Mahogany” typically hails from the South American nation of Honduras, it is more justifiably referred to as “Honduran Mahogany.” This wood species’ scientific name is Swietenia macrophylla, and it is one of two species in the Swietenia genus of the family Meliaceae (or mahogany). The Meliaceae family also includes the Khaya,genus. All three species in the Khaya genus can be found in Africa or East Asia.

Even though the African and Asian mahoganies are actually true mahoganies and are well-suited to many applications, some master craftsmen, makers of fine furniture, and restoration experts swear by the original South American variety; J. Gibson McIlvain is a trusted source for such distinguished professionals. The slightly lower quality Khaya mahoganies boast greater affordability, making them preferable for budget-savvy builders, and we carry that, as well.

While J. Gibson McIlvain carries many species of Mahogany lumber, we specialize in carrying a variety of Genuine Mahogany boards in our sizeable inventory.

Read more about Mahogany:

African Mahogany as an Alternative to Genuine Mahogany

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african mahogany doorsAfrican Mahogany refers to more than one species of wood, but the two species most commonly sold under the name are Khaya ivorensis and Khaya senegalensis. African Mahogany is one of Genuine Mahogany’s most famous substitutes, but despite this common usage, the wood is in many respects quite different from Genuine Mahogany.

While African Mahogany shares a color that is similar to Genuine Mahogany’s, the color match is not exact. Whereas Genuine Mahogany is famous for its deep, reddish brown coloration, African Mahogany’s color patterns – although no less beautiful – are somewhat lighter. The wood is a pale reddish-brown, sometimes displaying pinkish undertones.

And the differences between Genuine Mahogany and African Mahogany don’t end there. African Mahogany, as a result of its straight, interlocking grain, is also hard – about fifty percent harder than most Mahoganies. This variegated grain pattern also results in some appearance differences in the form of alternating bands of light and dark color in the finished lumber.

African Mahogany makes a fantastic alternative to the more expensive Genuine Mahogany in that it is a very reliable wood. It is much more affordable than Genuine Mahogany, yet it is just as stable, making it perfect for outdoor applications. Genuine Mahogany is often used in door and window applications because its stability makes it perfect for projects in which the wood must perform well within tight tolerances.

African Mahogany is also a very flexible wood in terms of the types of appearances it is capable of taking on. Its natural characteristics make the wood absolutely beautiful under a clear coat or stain, but the lumber’s grain also takes paint very well.

This flexibility in appearance possibilities, as well as the wood’s other positive characteristics, such as its coloration and stability, increases with the quality of the wood, so purchasing African Mahogany from a high quality lumber dealer is definitely a worthwhile investment. J. Gibson McIlvain, a centuries-old wholesaler of high quality lumber carries only the best African Mahogany boards, and their selection of this lumber holds its own not only by being a great alternative to Genuine Mahogany, but also by being a fantastic wood in standalone terms.

Learn more about Mahogany: