Mahogany Door

[GK]

Not unlike some timber I'm storing for someone, which he says is elm.

 

[biffvernon]

The word 'Mahogony' is sometimes used rather loosely for anything vaguely reddish rather than in its botanical sence, but I wouldn't want to be definite without touching it.

Whatever, it's a nice door. Just rub a little linseed oil into it and it should look fine.

 

[middi]

I thought it was an expensive " rural" coffin for a second untill i realised it was the door on its side.

 

[Me!]

It looks like the same timber that I've got in several doors and floorboards, which based on information given on this forum ages ago I decided was probably elm.
Doesn't mahogany have a closer grain than timber shown in the picture?

 

[David Q]

I have a quantity of rough sawn mahogany tucked away for future projects and yes, the photo does look like them. My guess is that this is reused from something else. Front doors (even in 1730) if made of high quality wood would have been panelled, not ledge and brace. However during the early nineteenth some useful planks lying around somewhere would have been just right for knocking up a cellar door.

 

[middi]

My daughters cottage , 17th c., has a three ledged and a bit plank door, one plank and the bit is mohogany the rest pine held together with slotted head screws. ( obviously a made up effort possibly late 19th early 20th cent).

If you check on the type of hingies and the way the ledges are put together it will give you more information.

 

[Penners]

I'm with GK - that looks like elm to me. Definitely not mahogany.

Mahogany is distinctly pink in colour, and that amount of figure in the grain would be very unusual.

 

[Carol]

Looks very like the grain in our 1750 ish floor, slightly reddish tinged when cut. We were told it was elm... probably!

 

[elm]

Seem to remember reading somewhere that elm was commonly used for doors around this time ....

 

[elm]

- no coincidence intended .....

 

[Me!]

I think mahogany looks like -

and elm looks like -

so it looks like elm to me.