The term “mahogany”, widely used in furniture production, usually refers to elite types of wood. They have unique shades and patterns, which is why they are so highly valued. There is no specific species that is a supplier of valuable raw materials. This category includes breeds native to India, South and Central America, Malaysia and other remote parts of the world.
Description and properties of mahogany
The fashion for furniture made from the most valuable types of mahogany has a long history. Its appearance is attributed to the court carpenter of Louis XV, Jean-Henri Riesener. At that time, a rare variety of red wood was called “acajou” in France, and “mahogany” in England.
The first deliveries of beautiful material to Europe occurred along with the Great Geographical Discoveries and the annexation of colonies. African or American mahogany was fantastically expensive. The reason is not only the difficulty of transportation, but also a very slow growth rate - on average, most breeds produce only 2 cm of height growth per year. Dense thickets cannot be found; most representatives are solitary, growing at a great distance from each other. Intensive deforestation has led to the transition of all species to the category of endangered.
When precious raw materials were just discovered and wild trees were not endangered, mahogany was used to make parts of ship cladding, doors, parquet, and panels for cladding floors, walls and ceilings. Subsequently, it became clear that the reserves of expensive wood were exhaustible, and its price was growing rapidly from year to year. Not all breeds are amenable to artificial cultivation. Now mahogany is used to produce luxury piece furniture, musical instruments, and decorative items (boxes, sculptures, chess, smoking pipes, etc.). The continuing demand is explained not only by its beauty, but also by the properties of the material:
- Ease of any type of processing: polishing, brushing, sawing, etc.
- Dries faster than others.
- Resistant to erosion due to time.
- Serves without loss of decorative effect for much longer than a hundred years.
- Exceptionally high impact resistance.
- Resistance to plastic deformation.
- It is not destroyed by chemicals and water.
- Does not suffer from fungi, mold and insect pests.
- High weather resistance.
- The texture of mahogany is always unique; it is very difficult to predict in advance what a product made from it will look like.
The question of how much a cube of mahogany costs is not easy to answer, because the exact name of the species, its origin, type of processing, age, shade and other factors influence the result. For example, sandalwood, highly prized in China, is smuggled from India, since its cutting is prohibited in the country. One thing is certain - the price is always an order of magnitude higher than for any common wood, for example, oak.
What is the difference between cap and suvel? Where to find, how to prepare and dry without cracks
People call the mouth guard a “witch’s broom.” There really is something repulsive about it, but only if you don’t know what miracle nature has hidden under a thick layer of bark.
What does a cap look like?
Location on the tree Unlike suvel, burls are rare. They usually appear on tree trunks or in the root part. Much less often they form on branches. The basal growths (caporoot) have a flattened shape, while the stem or butt growths more closely resemble a ball, often asymmetrical in appearance. As a rule, the burls are located on one side of the trunk in the form of a characteristic influx; Less common are growths that cover the entire circumference of the tree. There are both single specimens and entire burl colonies covering the tree trunk in small groups.
Formation and structure The fundamental difference between burl and suvel is in the structure. If you look at the burl in cross-section, it will be filled with small woody nodules - these are the so-called dormant buds. While suvel is simply deformed and chaotically intertwined annual rings. Thus, the burl growth represents a kind of reserve bundle of unopened buds, created by nature in reserve. Why exactly? Dendrologists have no consensus on this matter.
Under a thick layer of bark, cap and suvel are practically indistinguishable from each other. The only thing that can give away a burl is the small green branches growing on its surface. This is part of those same dormant buds, only activated for some reason. Without the bark, the difference between burl and suvel becomes obvious. The surface of the burl is covered with cone-shaped convexities, while the suvel is absolutely smooth.
Sizes The sizes of the burls vary greatly: from growths the size of a walnut to truly gigantic formations. The largest documented burl in Russia was found on a flat-leaved birch tree that grew on Sakhalin. Its height was 1.4 m, and its circumference was 10.8 m. The size of the burls depends on the location on the trunk and the type of tree. Root burls are traditionally considered larger, but their extraction becomes a difficult task and is impossible without cutting down the tree. Large burls, weighing 300 kg or more, can often be found on walnuts, downy birch, and Mongolian oak. They grow 3-4 times slower than suvel and are found very rarely.
Texture Burl wood has a characteristic texture, thanks to which it is also quite easy to distinguish it from suvel. On a burl cut, dormant buds seem to be wrapped in numerous layers of wood fibers. Such nodules are somewhat similar to the texture of a “bird’s eye”, but in the mouth guard they are not distributed as evenly. Everything here is chaotic: the buds merge with each other, penetrate each other, are absent in some areas, and accumulate very densely in others. All this creates complex lace abstractions, somewhat reminiscent of a malachite pattern.
Bird's eye (maple wood) and burl texture
The more dormant buds, the more complex and rich the wood pattern. Large burls have fewer buds, so their texture is closer to suvel.
Biological role of mouth guards Both mouth guards and suvel are often called a disease. This position is not entirely scientific, but it cannot be called unequivocally erroneous, at least because the biological role of the growths is still not clear. There are different hypotheses on this matter. For example, the burl is considered as a reserve reserve of buds from which the tree can regenerate, for example, in the event of drought or partial loss of the crown. There is also an opinion that the growths increase the mechanical strength of the trunk, protect it from damage or prevent pathogenic agents from entering it. There are many assumptions, and they are all convincing to varying degrees. However, most dendrologists agree that the ability of trees to form burls has no clear function - it is something of a side effect of evolution that was once more important than it is now.
Mahogany species
The range of species is quite large. Mahogany, or as it is still called, acaju, includes the following species well known to cabinetmakers.
Swietenia mahagoni is one of the rarest species grown today on plantations in Ceylon and the Philippines. The plant received its name in honor of the Austrian physician and educator Gerard van Swieten. Broad-leaved tree grows in the tropics. It can reach a height of 50 m, and a trunk width of up to 2 m. The wood is painted red or brown, sometimes with brown.
Amaranth is a rare plant from the genus Peltogyne from the tropics of Central and South America. Trees up to 25 m high have trunks up to 1 m in diameter. They are interesting because when cut, their wood is initially grayish-brown, but with prolonged contact with air it acquires a purple or violet color, gradually turning into black.
Keruing is a tree from the genus Dipterocarpus. It grows up to 60 m in height, the trunk is up to 2 m in diameter. The growing area is very wide - the tropics of Southeast Asia, India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand. The color of the cut is dark brown with rich purple tints. Processing is difficult due to the presence of silica and sticky resins in the wood.
Teak - it is called in botanical reference books the Great Tecton (lat. Tectona grandis). A tree up to 50 m tall and up to 3 m across the trunk, native to the monsoon forests of Southeast Asia. It is a valuable supplier of dark brown or yellow heartwood with black or dark brown stripes. The trunks grown in Burma have the brightest colors. The growing area seriously affects the composition of the wood, which can therefore be easier or more difficult to process.
Paduk is an evergreen plant from the genus Pterocarpus (lat. Pterocarpus). Found exclusively in West Africa. The Malayan variety has wood of a pure scarlet color, sometimes with a brown or coral tint. It is also valued for the fact that trunks up to 40 m high have an almost cylindrical configuration.
Merbau is a tree from the genus Intsia. The amazing plant stretches up to 45 m in height, maintaining a trunk only 1 m thick. The light brown to chocolate-colored wood is harder than oak and is not afraid of any wood borers. Due to its wide distribution in South Asia, it is considered one of the most accessible types of mahogany, therefore it is used in furniture production to obtain veneer, as well as in the manufacture of doors, floors, and facing materials.
Red sandalwood - Pterocarpus sandalwood (lat. Pterocárpus santálinus). Found in Ceylon and the East Asian tropics. The height is small - up to 7-8 m, and the trunk in diameter can reach 150 m. It grows very slowly, each year the growth goes towards thickening the trunk. The wood of this type of mahogany has a rich scarlet color and is considered one of the most expensive and rare in the world.
Answers to crossword of the day No. 22492 from Odnoklassniki
22491 22493
Horizontally: - Shtrilits and actor Dmitry .. - Musical tempo - A mishmash of the word "trail" - Old Russian name for a bribe - Liquid for impregnating sleepers - An exclamation of praise from the viewer - Root in mathematics - "Crippled" American hare - Backpack with hard sides - There was a camel in the caravan, and what about the train - Sat on the golden porch in a counting room - Peasants with a hoe - The nasal result of wet feet - The name of the composer Mussorgsky - Poet and philosopher ... Navoi - Purse of state significance - Turgenev's passion in rhyme with Girardot - Old Russian vessel in the form of a rook
Vertical: - Construction of a complex plot in a novel - “Laughter and ... we bring to people!” - Door in the dam - ...-forest - Children's Wick - A man leading a harsh lifestyle - Processing metal with acid - Indigenous inhabitant of the Crimea - Medieval Scandinavian - And with glasses, and with a hood, but still a snake - French playwright - The insidious man (trans. ) — A reciter in Ancient Greece — The name of the father of the Strugatsky brothers — Genetic copy — The antipode of the point of a needle — A target for garbage, but many do not hit this target
ANDANTE cf. several A piece of music or part of it, performed calmly, measuredly, smoothly.
APORT - 1. Late variety of apple tree with large sweet and sour fruits. 2. The fruit of such an apple tree.
CREOSOTE - An oily liquid with a pungent odor, obtained by dry distillation of wood and used in technology and medicine.
BRAVO Wed. several A cry of approval, praise, admiration.
RADICAL - 1. Mathematical sign for the action of extracting a root.
RADICAL - 1. A stable group of atoms in a molecule that passes without changes from one chemical compound to another.
RADICAL - 1. An adherent of radicalism. 2. Member of a party that defends the principles of radicalism.
RADICAL - 1. Supporter of extreme views, decisive actions.
STUFF - A bag made of leather or other material, worn with shoulder straps or straps on the back.
CAR - 1. A vehicle for transporting passengers and goods on rails. // The amount of cargo that can fit in such a vehicle. 2. transfer decomposition A large quantity, a multitude of smth.
KOROLEVICH - Son of the king.
FEDERAL - Peasant in Central Asia and Iran.
Runny nose - Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity, accompanied by mucopurulent discharge and sneezing.
TREASURY - 1. obsolete. The totality of money, property, land, etc. funds and assets belonging to the state. // State, public institution as the owner of such funds and values. 2. Cash. 3. Storage of funds and valuables.
ENDOVA - 1. An ancient vessel for wine, beer, honey in the form of a wide bowl with a spout or stigma. 2. The amount of liquid that can fit in such a vessel.
INTRIGE - 1. Hidden actions using various kinds of unseemly means to achieve something. goals; machinations. 2. outdated Love affair, love relationship.
INTRIGE - 1. The main situation of a drama or novel around which the action develops; plot.
JOY - 1. A feeling of pleasure, inner satisfaction. // External manifestation of such a feeling. 2. decompression What arouses such a feeling. 3. transfer decomposition Usage as an appeal to someone, corresponding in meaning. words: dear, beloved, dear.
CLASS - 1. Large sash. 2. The moving part of the dam, raised to release water; gate.
TARGET - 1. Action according to value. verb: to create, to create. 2. Status by value. verb: to come into being, to come into being. 3. The direction determined by the combination of two landmarks.
TARGET - 1. A navigational landmark, an identification mark to indicate the fairway, the direction of movement.
OLD MAN - colloquial. 1. Decrease to noun: old man. 2. Affectionate. to noun: old man.
YERALASH - colloquial. 1. Clutter. // Confusion, confusion. 2. transfer Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense.
YERALASH - 1. An ancient card game (similar to whist and preference).
SPARTAN - A citizen of the ancient Greek state of Sparta, whose inhabitants were distinguished by their endurance and were accustomed to a harsh lifestyle from childhood.
SPARTAN - A persistent, seasoned person who limits his material and everyday needs to the essentials, living without luxury and excess.
ETCHING avg. The process of action by value. verb: to poison
ETCHING avg. The process of action by value. verb: to poison
TATARIN - colloquial. Same as: Tatarnik.
TATAR - see Tatars.
NORMAN - see Normans.
COBRA is a large venomous snake of the asp family, native to Asia and Africa.
ECHIDNA - 1. A small mammal of the monotreme family, whose back is covered with sharp spines, common in Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania.
ECHIDNA - 1. A large venomous snake of the asp family, common in Australia and New Guinea. 2. outdated Any poisonous snake.
ECHIDNA - and - colloquial. 1. An angry, sarcastic, treacherous person.
Rhapsode - An ancient Greek wandering singer who performed epic songs to the accompaniment of a lyre.
CLONE - 1. Genetically homogeneous offspring formed as a result of asexual reproduction (in biology). 2. Same as: cloning.
EYE and EYE cf. decomposition 1. Decrease to noun: ear. 2. Affectionate. to noun: ear.
USHKO avg. 1. Attachment on the side of various objects for more convenient lifting, holding, hanging, etc. 2. The hole in the blunt end of the needle into which the thread is threaded.
USHKO avg. decomposition 1. see eyelet.
URN - 1. A vessel - usually in the form of a vase - for storing the ashes of a deceased person who has been cremated. 2. A box with a narrow opening for putting in ballots during secret voting. 3. A container or other container for cigarette butts and garbage, installed on the streets and in public buildings. 4. outdated Vessel, vase.
Spreading
Most mahogany species grow in the tropics - in South and Southeast Asia, on the islands of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, in South and Central America, in East Africa. Complete intolerance to negative temperatures is typical for these plants; they die already at -1 °C. The quality of wood is greatly influenced by the conditions in which trees grow - air temperature, humidity, soil composition, neighboring species, etc. It is rare to find any of the redwoods in the wild, although they are protected.
Application
Mahogany wood is used to make handmade furniture, which only becomes more expensive over the years, as it acquires additional antique value. For example, products made from red sandalwood at a certain stage of history remained the prerogative of Chinese emperors.
Since the cost of boards made of precious wood is too high, there is no desire to make anything out of them. Using modern seamless technology, they are used to produce thin veneer (thickness from 0.5 mm), used for cladding cabinet furniture, laminate flooring, doors, and window frames.
The beauty of some types of mahogany is so brilliant that it is comparable to precious stones. Therefore, they are used to make jewelry (rosaries, bracelets, pendants, etc.), boxes, furniture handles, dishes, toys, wooden sculptures, and are used in artistic inlays.
It is difficult to resist a product made from any type of mahogany - its shades are vibrant and shimmer with rich tones in the sun. For thousands of years, furniture made from these species has been part of the decoration of palaces and treasuries. Only very rich people have the opportunity to purchase a table or armchair decorated with amaranth or merbau, and red sandalwood can only be admired in museums.
