A potential find of special mahogany

[Andy B]

My Uncle who having been a designer of high end bars in the seventies knows about Brazilian ect. Anyway while gardening last year we came upon some normal railway sleepers and two other pieces that he swore was some kind of African Mahogany? I was sceptical until he cleaned it up for a bench and the most beautiful reddish colour came though. So he wasn’t having me on and I’ve wondered about the possibility of it being valuable for a luthier as it’s over a foot deep and at least two feet wide.
I’m convincing him to bring it inside as the colour has already faded but I would love to know if anyone has any thoughts about what it could be as it’s so visible to see it’s a really beautiful piece of lumber and rock hard?

[Gas]

That may be a fabulous find. I'd snap some shots and send it to some custom builders for feedback.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by Andy B

My Uncle who having been a designer of high end bars in the seventies knows about Brazilian ect. Anyway while gardening last year we came upon some normal railway sleepers and two other pieces that he swore was some kind of African Mahogany? I was sceptical until he cleaned it up for a bench and the most beautiful reddish colour came though. So he wasn’t having me on and I’ve wondered about the possibility of it being valuable for a luthier as it’s over a foot deep and at least two feet wide.
I’m convincing him to bring it inside as the colour has already faded but I would love to know if anyone has any thoughts about what it could be as it’s so visible to see it’s a really beautiful piece of lumber and rock hard?

Probably depends on where on the planet you are.

[Osage]

Could be interesting but African Mahogany is not exactly sought after by builders. It's definitely used in guitar making but it's a cheaper alternative to Genuine Mahogany.

[ScottSD]

An interesting tidbit is, here in San Diego we have lots of eucalyptus trees which were imported from Australia in the early 1900's and cultivated for train track ties. It turns out they were too hard and frequently split so we don't have the ties but the trees are everywhere. Also, they're redish. Could it possibly be one of those?

[Robin, Wales]

A whole range of tropical hardwood species have been used for railway sleepers. Jarrah, Ekki, Karri, Angelim Vermelho, Cupiuba, Piquia, Iroko and Angelim Pedra are the reclaimed ones I have found for sale in the UK this morning.

[Andy B]

Originally Posted by Gas

That may be a fabulous find. I'd snap some shots and send it to some custom builders for feedback.

Yeah well next time I go round I’ll take some pictures as I don’t think my Uncle really knows what it is.
I certainly don’t have the experience either but nonetheless it’s good to dream about coming across a bunch of old seasoned exotic wood lol.

[ProfChris]

Instrument builders will want a good resolution picture of the end grain, ideally planed in one spot (if you own a block plane).

Grain orientation is important for backs, sides and tops (vertical grain is preferred), though there are ways of using off-vertical wood if the appearance is nice enough to warrant the effort and the risk of structural deficiencies or construction problems. As examples, flat sawn wood is more prone to cracking, and flat sawn sides have a nasty tendency to cup along their length when bending.

[Honkycat]

“The Sleeper”