Everyone has probably heard about mahogany. When you mention this material, an association immediately arises with high price and luxury. Products made from red wood have an incredibly impressive appearance and high quality characteristics.
The general name may hide different types of material. In most cases, expensive furniture and luxury accessories are made from such wood. In order to reasonably perceive the considerable prices of such products, it would not be superfluous to get acquainted with the species that are classified as “mahogany”, their properties, features and advantages.
What species are red trees?
Under the general name “mahogany” there are many different types of wood. There is no specific species that attracts the most interest. All of them have an unusual shade and a beautiful natural wood pattern. The growing area is the countries of Asia, America, and Africa.
Merbau
Merbau is a tree from the genus Intsia. The plant surprises with its height. The Merbau trunk can reach 45 m in height. In this case, the thickness in girth does not exceed 1 m.
The wood of this unusual plant is valuable. In hardness it surpasses the well-known oak. The tree does not harbor any parasites that can spoil the valuable thickness of the trunk. The color of the insides is pleasant, representing a brown range (golden chocolate shades).
Merbau grows across large areas of South Asia. Its wide distribution makes this option the most accessible of all redwoods.
Merbau is actively used in the woodworking industry. There are doors, flooring materials and cladding made from this wood. Merbau veneer is usually used in furniture production.
Teak
Teak or Tectona grande has a trunk up to 50 m high. The tall plant reaches up to 3 m in girth. Teak is common in monsoon forest areas in Southeast Asia.
Its wood is valuable due to its heartwood, which is yellow with black or dark brown stripes to dark brown.
The most interesting are the trunks grown in Burma. They have the brightest, most unusual colors and high quality wood.
The growing area has a serious impact on the composition of the raw materials. Because of this, the tree can be processed easier or harder.
Amaranth
Amaranth is a rare plant of the genus Peltogyne. It grows in the tropics of Central and South America. Amaranth rises up to 25 m in height. The girth of the trees does not exceed 1 m.
The uniqueness of wood is that it changes color when exposed to air.
Initially, a grayish-brown interior is visible on the cut. After prolonged oxidation under the influence of air, the color of the wood becomes purple or violet. The bright shade can gradually turn into black.
Mahogany
The Swietenia mahagoni plant is considered to be the source of one of the rarest species of redwood. It is grown in the plantations of Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
It is a broad-leaved tree requiring tropical climates. The height of Switenia mahogany can reach 50 m. The width of the trunks does not exceed 2 m.
Wood coloring in red-brown tones sometimes contains a brown undertone.
Paduc
Paduk is classified as an evergreen plant of the genus Pterocarpus (from the Latin Pterocarpus). This species grows naturally in tropical forests in western Africa. For the purpose of cultivation, the tree was brought to Asian countries with appropriate conditions.
Paduk reaches 20-40 m in height, having a strictly cylindrical trunk shape.
When cut, the wood has a bright red tint, sometimes with a coral tint. When exposed to air, the color gradually turns into a pleasant light brown.
Red sandalwood
Red sandalwood or Pterocarpus sandalwood (lat. Pterocárpus santálinus) can most often be found in Sri Lanka. The tree also grows in other countries in the East Asian tropics.
Red sandalwood has a small height, reaching 7-8 m. At the same time, the trunk in diameter can grow up to 150 m.
The plant is slowly gaining weight. A barely noticeable thickening of the trunk can be seen over decades.
Due to the duration of growth and the rich scarlet color of the wood, the plant represents the maximum value among red species. This is the most expensive and rare option.
Description and properties of mahogany
The value of mahogany has come to us from time immemorial. Europeans, conquering the countries of Asia, America, and Africa, quickly noticed high-quality household items made of wood of bright, unusual colors among the local population.
Louis XV introduced a sustainable fashion for luxury goods made from this material. Interest quickly spread to members of the nobility in France, England and other developed countries of Europe. The wood quickly became rare, not only due to its small distribution and the difficulty of extraction and transportation. Having immediately begun mass deforestation, people quickly reached a position on the verge of extinction.
Initially, not only luxurious furniture was created from spectacular-looking, durable wood, but also materials for cladding floors, walls, ceilings, as well as parts for ship plating. People gradually realized the scale of the impending shortage. Wood began to rise in price and was used only for elite items.
The high demand was due to its rarity, as well as the properties of the material:
- long service life without loss of decorative effect;
- high strength;
- resistance to various deformations;
- lack of susceptibility to destruction, exposure to fungus, mold, pests;
- ease of processing.
There is no stable price for unique wood. Many factors influence the cost. Finished products are widely available and may vary in complexity.
Mahogany is often obtained through smuggling, violating laws. This also leaves an imprint on the offers that reach the end consumer.
Which is better: pine or larch wood
Larch wood is stronger than pine and practically not susceptible to rotting when dry. Pine has wide sapwood, which is not removed during processing, but it must be treated with special antiseptics for strength. Larch has narrow sapwood. Pine differs from larch in its fire resistance - larch wood has almost twice the fire resistance.
Pine also has its own advantage - this wood costs almost half as much. The price of pine lumber is estimated at 4 points. When deciding which wood to choose, you need to consider what it is intended for. Experts advise that when constructing a wooden frame, use larch on the lower crowns, and then pine or spruce.
The video will tell you how to distinguish pine from spruce wood when purchasing:
Application of wood
Most often, luxury-level furniture is created from red wood. These are handmade products that last for centuries. Often items become antiques.
Currently, the production of veneer from valuable types of wood is widespread. The technology of seamless joining of materials allows you to create products that are not inferior in beauty to options made from solid raw materials. Veneer is used for cladding furniture, laminate flooring, doors, and window frames.
The brightest areas of red wood are used to make various little things: jewelry, boxes, handles, figurines, dishes and much more. I use valuable raw materials in various artistic inlays.
It is noteworthy to create unique musical instruments from it.
All products made from red wood are inimitable and unique. Nature itself gives amazing colors and patterns, and also pleases with the highest quality of raw materials.
Becoming the owner of things made of mahogany is given to a select few. More often you have to admire the masterpieces of ancient masters in museums and ancient palaces.
Specifications
The density of pine wood is relatively small - 513 kg / cubic meter. m, it is easy to process. This opens up scope for designer imagination, which is why there is a lot of pine furniture with artistic carvings on the market.
In construction and finishing works the following are used:
- Scots pine;
- Korean;
- Flexible;
- Resinous;
- Bolotnaya.
The breed has average resistance to fungal attack and rotting.
