good wood

[frameshop]

After a long conversation discussing my specific needs, single 4" planks full width on the transom, my supplier picked a piece for me that would fill my needs. It was a piece of straight grained Honduran Mahogany, 4"x8"x9'. This was sent to a cabinet shop that proceeded to resaw and finish into 24 pieces, each finished at 1/8". This was to be applied to the transom and other areas of the boat I am building. Well the straight grain took a shortcut to the left.

As you can see it can't be used. This grain pattern was all the way through, and had they surfaced the piece of wood it was obvious. At first they were very sorry and "we will see what we can do to rectify this!!!!!. Well,the "rectify this" is now turning into a -- well Honduran Mahogany doesn't stay straight grain for very long--- You'll never get more than 3 or 4 feet of good grain. What you have is a good piece of wood----!!
Obviously when I ordered the wood it was available straight grained but now it isn't!!!!!!
EXPERIENCE is what you get, when you don't get what you want!!!!!!. I will leave the source unnamed until this is resovled. Any comments on the validity of their statements as to the grain of honduran mahogany. Are there other woods out there that I can use to finish my transom? Unfortunaly the width of the transom exceeds 8" so a 1/4" mahogany sheet won't work. redface.gif Spare me the preaching of buying over the internet, I would like to move forward on this. Roger
I was unable to get the image to come up here. They are at www.imagestation.com (http://www.imagestation.com)
search in albums for "cuddy sport 24" the pctures are on page 5. Norm showed me how to do this once, but I haven't been able to do it again!!!!!
redface.gif http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid48/p3f5dc7551ea876ab8ad52694fd5bd4fd/fcbd4440.jpg

[ 01-24-2003, 05:12 PM: Message edited by: frameshop ]

[Bob Cleek]

I've worked a bit of Honduras over the years. I've never considered it particularly "straight grained" at all, although plenty tough. Not that it doesn't have a "more or less" straight grain, as compared to, well, euchalyptus, etc. But it ain't straight grained compared to say, doug fir or Alaskan yellow cedar. To get substantial lengths of more or less straight grained Honduras, which I HAVE seen, I'd expect you'd have to find an awfully big and old tree, which probably doesn't exist anymore. Honduras is known for its figuring, actually, and is a very beautiful wood. Some time back, I made a perpetual trophy for the Master Mariner's Benevolent Association out of the hood ends of the garboards from a big yawl built in the '30's by the Herreshoff Mfg. Co.(The "Kermit Parker Memorial Trophy" if any of you MasterBaiters know it.) The garboards were replaced and the owner was wise enough to hold on to the old ones, since the wood was so nice, and he donated it to the cause. That stuff was mostly straight grained and very close grained, too, but it was old and I was only dealing with short lengths of it. What's the problem with the figuring on your transom, anyhow? I doubt that you'd be able to see the grain difference from fifty feet away. You don't have to worry about the strength factor since it's only thin veneer anyhow, right? Does it really look like wood nobody would ever use for planking? Probably not. Still, if you go to your local hardwood yard and pick over the stock, you might find some Honduras that's suitable.

[imported_Steven Bauer]

I bought a beautiful piece of Honduran mahogany last week: 13 1/2' long, 1 1/2" thick and 25" wide!
Nice straight grain. You really have to pick wood out in person if you want to find just the right piece. Good luck
Steven

[frameshop]

Bob; My main gripe is that while discussing my needs with this source they said no problem to a reasonably straight piece. The piece does a "dogleg" in the middle which is visible for 50'. This is not a slow twist. If they said that 3 or 5 feet is all the grain I would get before severe twisting, as they are saying now, I would not have bought the piece. How would a "pieced" tramsom look if I staggered the seams using the 3 to 5 foot lengths that I have?????. Any suggestions for a different type of wood for a bright transom???
Steve; would you please send your piece to me. I guess I will have to go back to Condons in White Plains and pick through their wood. I did that before when I built my Haven 12 1/2 and had no problem getting nice grained Honduray Mahogany for the seats etc. Roger

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Frameshop, too late! I already made this out of one end of it:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid47/p12440d967e251b023c64b62131e46dd3/fcc50324.jpg

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Oh yeah, here's the offcut:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid47/pb58fb9fc1dcabc33f9c530570b853e1a/fcc5020b.jpg

My local hardwood store, Atlantic Hardwoods in Portland had this stick on their shelves. 42 board feet -- $231. I was quite happy to pay that. :D I got two major pieces of countertop for the kitchen project for quite a reasonable price.
Steven

[John Blazy]

I just saw your wood. It looks fine to me - meaning that I would simply flip every other piece end for end and show a staggered look that would be balanced aesthetically.

Don't knock Mahogony too much, because it is known for dimensional stability far above others with the ribbon stripe figure, and 90% of all other mahogony (sold as straight-grained) I've seen has grain that is straighter than this. After seeing your good photographs, I personally would be delighted with the wood - even though they sold you lower grade material - hard to see the dog leg in the rough, as the graders must have overlooked it cuz they are looking for splits n checks mostly.

I say delighted because the contrasting grain direction will play with the reflected sunlight quite well. I originally was mislead by your term "straight grain" because tropical woods like Mahogony have ribbon-stripe grain that is always far from 'straight', yet straighter directionally than most others. It is quite fascinating why this is, because Mahogonies have to grow over sixty feet totally branchless in order to pierce the jungle canopy to get sunlight, then they branch out with leaves. This requires a unique grain design (rarely seen in trees up here) to keep the tree strong enough to not split under swaying forces in these incredibly tall trees, trees so tall that the trunks were designed with buttressing triangular "wings" jutting three to four feet out the base of a typical mahogony tree that resemble gussets welded to a verticle light post. Getting back to the unique grain - this is the beauty of ribbon stripe - instead of the fibers growing straight up, the cellular growth (added to width, not height) orients in a spiral direction around the diameter and entire height of the tree for a few rainy seasons (adding 3/4 to 1-1/2" of width), then reverses direction and spirals in the opposite way in a clockwise/counterclockwise system throughout the life of the tree. The end result upon cutting quartersawn mahogony is beautiful ribbon striping that reflects this interlocked grain. The reason for the interlocking is insane strength to the tree's lower branchless section - picture a giant grabbing a mahogony tree and trying to break it over his knee after successfully breaking an oak - he'll bust his knee and break his back. This grain - although 'twisted', is often consistantly straight, and sought after for light refraction. - JB

[frameshop]

The bar looks great. I could use a drink right about now!!!!!!! How did you get your pictures to post? What am I doing wrong. There are three levels of pictures over at Imagestation, The smallest is index view, the second is album view and the third and largest is original photo view. I captured (control c) all three and posted them(control v) to the image box. Once it showed up but when I went back to the forum it had gone!!!!!. Roger.

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Frame, your pictures are showing fine now. I'd try John's idea. You can give the boards a wipe of paint thinner to get an idea what they'll look like with varnish on them.
I'm from Montclair, we moved to Maine 12 years ago.
Think about it. Having seen John's website I'd trust his esthetic decisions :D

Steven

[George Roberts]

frameshop ---

Wood dealers specialize in different types of lumber. A wood dealer that specializes in straight grain lumber might call this figured. A wood dealer that specializes in figured lumber might call this straight grained.

I buy 8/4 x 15" x 15' that are straight grained locally. I buy 5/4x24"x9' figured wood elsewhere.

[ 01-31-2003, 03:12 PM: Message edited by: George Roberts ]

[whb]

Frameshop,

I quite like John's idea. Here's a slight alteration. You might want to try putting two up bookmatched and then putting the next two also bookmatched the other way.

Lay it up dry first to get an idea of what it might look like.

I don't think there is enough character there to cause serious stability issues especially if you spread it out by changing sides and direction.

I personally have always preferred wood with a bit of character if it going to be bright.

Good Luck

Howard

[NormMessinger]

Right. You have the makings of a great looking transom there. Flip the plank on the left, join and glue. Go for it.

[Dave Fleming]

Gosh, don't know as if it still sold this way but, good Honduran Mahog. was available as ***pattern stock***. That HAD to be straight grain as making patterns required nice clear straight stock. It was at that time premium priced but it was what pattern makers needed and got.