Australian Red Mahogany

[Tod Gilding]

Hi All, I'm new on the forum,I am a budding luthier (actively practicing), I have just finished a Strat type build useing Australian Red Mahogany ( Eucalyptus resinifera) Found it to be a great timber, I am currently starting an acoustic build useing this timber as back and sides also neck, bridge and fretboard.The thing is, I have never heard of anyone useing this beautifull timber in luthiery, google searches turn up nothing, Am I the only one ? or has some one here used this Timber ?

[Allen]

Welcome to the forum. Can you add your name to your posts so we can get to know you. You may add it to your signature that you have access to via your User Control Panel.

I've not worked with this wood, so have no other comment about it's suitability.

[woodrat]

Tod, Very Generally I would say that most Eucalypts are not the best choice for back and sides of an acoustic. Some have made nice guitars from Tasmanian Oak aka Alpine Ash but me I wouldn't go past many of our great cabinet timbers like Blackwood, QLD Maple, WA Sheoak, QLD Walnut and many others. I feel red mahogany would be too heavy for a neck for example. Probably the fact that there are so many other more suitable choices is the reason that you cant find anyone using it in a lutherie application. Where I come from it is mainly considered a construction timber especially for use in the ground as it is considered durable.
Not trying to dissuade you but that is my take on why you cant find any info about it as a tonewood. I am not saying that a good instrument could not be made from it as I have never used it and not likely to as I would reach for some of the timbers that I have mentioned above first.


John

[Kim]

Pardon the ignorance but is there any difference between AU 'red' mahogany and AU 'rose' mahogany??

Cheers

Kim

[Allen]

I did a search on them when I first saw this. It appears that they are different species.

Red Mahogany - Eucalyptus resinifera, E. pellita. Family: Myrtaceae

Rose Mahogany - Dysoxylum fraseranum Family: Meliaceae

[DarwinStrings]

Welcome to the forum Tod and if you are the only one then good on you for taking a tangent, please let us know how it goes for back and sides. There are some fancy looking bits of Euc laying around, I have five sets of my local stringy bark drying (E. Tetradonta) with a nice bit of chainsaw figure (that typical euc broad curly figure that is on 45 degrees that reminds me of chainsaw cutter marks when you rip) It has a great ring to it when tapped so am looking forward to seeing it in a guitar.

Jim

Life is good when you are amongst the wood

[woodrat]

Yes Allen and Kim they are both very different trees and they both grow around here. The Rose Mahogany is also called NSW scented Rosewood and is a rainforest tree. It is a lovely fine grained cabinet wood. My first three guitars had necks made from it from a piece that was given to me. It is very durable as that piece lay in a paddock for 60 or 70 years on the Comboyne plateau before I received it. There used to be so much of it around but it is scarce today. The scent is distinctive and sweetly spicy. It used to be used a lot in housed too for paneling and architraves and skirtings etc. It is a beautiful deep red wine colour with very fine pores.
Red Mahogany on the other hand is a eucalyptus and used to be the first choice for house piers in the old days because it was the most durable in the ground and the termites would look for other food before they reluctantly came to eating your piers.
Both these trees are hardwoods by classification but around here the old timbergetters used to put the Rose Mahogany (Dysoxylum fraseranum) in a broad group that they called "softwoods" which would include Red Cedar, white Cedar, Coachwood, and others. Basically anything that was not a eucalypt and grew in the rain forest or "scrub" or "brush".

John

[Steve]

I did a search on them when I first saw this. It appears that they are different species.
Red Mahogany - Eucalyptus resinifera, E. pellita. Family: Myrtaceae
Rose Mahogany - Dysoxylum fraseranum Family: Meliaceae

...and then there's a third species in the Red Mahogany suite: E. scias which occurs down on the south coast of NSW. Most people refer to Rose Mahogany as Rosewood, the rainforest cabinet species.
I had a squiz in Keith Bootle's Wood Properties book - I've only seen young plantation red mahogany, so was worried about stability, but it seems to be in the same ball-park as the other eucs that people do use for guitar making (Jarrah, Alpine Ash). Like John says the density is quite a bit higher, but after all these are indicative figures that can vary within a single tree, let alone between different trees - you may find a lower density piece. Either way, if you've got some pretty timber & lots of time, have a go.
Steve

[Tod Gilding]

Hi All,
Well it looks like I asked this Question in the right forum, Some good answers that make sense, Thanks for the replies.
I think I will push on with this build,mainly as a learning curve and the fact that I got this timber free ,and have noted some of the concerns re the weight etc, I think If it turns out to be too unsuitable then I have at least found a great(Plentiful in this area) timber for use as fretboards and bridges due to it's density.

[Tod Gilding]

John, I was wondering, what timbers local to the Hastings area would you consider a good back and side choice ?

[woodrat]

Hi Tod, Here in the Hastings as well as a lot of the east coast there is a timber that the locals call Sally Wattle. Sally Wattle is actually Blackwood...great for guitars.

How far along in your build are you?

John

[Tod Gilding]

Thanks John,
Sally Wattle Hey !!!! I have a couple of contacts in the Wauchope area, I might see if I can get hold of some.

The build is early stages, have just milled to suitable billets, So a long way to go, my employer keeps rudely interupting me

[stopper]

Welcome Tod,
I'd go along with blackwood as a good choice. It's a proven performer. Make sure it is quarter sawn.
regards
Steve