Crotch mahogany for wood furniture

Crotch mahogany is one of the most exotic wood species for furniture industry. This crotch wood has very strong characters and nice looked grain. With proper design and finishing it can produce a luxury and very interesting product. In the furniture industry, crotch wood is widely used to make hi-end furniture products with high prices. With proper setting and good finishing the crotch mahogany will be able to produce a very attractive furniture product. The crotch mahogany is mostly use to make the high end classical, semi antique and modern furniture product. Furniture product with very old looked, country style, this wood is very rarely used.

Crotch mahogany wood was obtained from mahogany timber taken at the branch section. Therefore, his source is rather limited and difficult to be handled, it makes his price is expensive. In the manufacturing of furniture, almost no one uses solid crotch mahogany. For the paneling usually they use crotch mahogany veneer, while for the solid part they use regular mahogany wood.

crotch mahogany veneer top table

Finishing for crotch mahogany wood.

With the proper model and the finishing looked, then crotch mahogany furniture products will be a very beautiful and interesting products. The finishing for crotch mahogany of course should be able to enhance the beauty of his strong grain character. Transparent color is the best choice for crotch mahogany. Staining with light stain or even natural finish without a stain is the most recomended for this wood. The application stain that is too thick, should be avoided because it can cover and reduce the beauty of its grain character. 

There are many choice for the clear coating used for this wood, but the nitrocellulose and polyurethane clear coating is the most widely used. The nitrocellulose clear coating will give very interesting look since his clarity is the best, while the polyurethane coating is suitable for product that need maximum protection such as dinning table, hotel furniture, etc.

Although crotch mahogany wood could make a beautiful appearance but not many furniture manufacturers do this wood because it is difficult to be handled and ptocessed. The crotch mahogany is easy to be cracked, expensive and difficult to be finished.

Here is some things should be considered when dealing with crotch mahogany wood. 

• Crotch mahogany wood has a strong red base color.

This wood was taken from a special mahogany wood, since that he has a strong red base color. The red color in the crotch mahogany is very strong, stronger than the red color on the regular mahogany wood. It makes the color selection for this wood is limited. Most of the crotch mahogany is finished in red or red brown color.  We may be able to eliminate this red color using the green stain; but it will need very thick stain to kill the existing red color. The stain that too thick can cover and block the beauty of its wood grain, the main strength of this wood.
For some wood furniture product which needs the light color, then we have to bleach this wood. The bleaching process for crotch mahogany requires a very strong bleaching material, and sometimes it has to be repeated several times to kill his strong red color. Bleaching for this wood is risky because it will increase the the cracking problem in this wood.

• Cracks in the crotch mahogany

Crotch mahogany wood made from wood branches with the cutting along with the branch direction. Naturally this wood part has high movement. This condition make the crotch mahogany is easy to get crack. The crack is the biggest problem for this wood. These cracks can be found at the unfinished conditions, in the finishing process or when the furniture was already finished and used. The proper gluing process is very critical to make the good laminate panel.

Glue sizing for crotch mahogany veneer

One way to reduce the occurrence of cracks in the wood is the gluing process and glue size. The gluing for the crotch mahogany veneer should be done carefully. The factors that influence the quality of gluing such as moisture content of the veneer and the core should be matched. The type of glue and the gluing process must be maintained and cared for to reduce the problem at this veneer.

To reduce the crack problem, some furniture factories do glue size for the veneer. Glue size for this veneer is slightly different with glue size for soft wood that is purposed to reduce the wood fibers on the wood. Glue size for crotch mahogany veneer is done to reduce the occurrence of cracks in this veneer. Since that it done with the stronger glue, the glue that usually used is a thermosetting adhesive that can tight the wood and close the pores and grains of wood and thus the surface does not absorb the water from his environment. Glue is applied on the veneer surface and then followed with a good sanding to produce a even and smooth surface.
The thick glue application of course will reduce the absorption stain on finishing process thereon. This could influence the beauty of his wood grain character, but since crotch mahogany has very strong grain character, we still can perform the interesting appearance with this method. The glue size is could be best choice that must be taken to reduce the risk of rupture.