Furnished content.
The Right Boards
I've been planning out a bowfront wall cabinet with coopereddoors for a few months. Originally, I was set on making it of walnut or cherry –two of my favorite woods to work with because they're very hand-tool friendly. Itook a trip to the local lumberyard, and unfortunately, none of the walnut or cherrywas very inspiring. A friend told me about some quarter-sawn, African ribbon-stripemahogany that he'd be willing to part with, and said I should come and have alook. After a couple passes on the jointer to see what it looked like, it wasclear that I had found my boards. The intensity of the colors and the subtle wavesof the grain were perfect for my cabinet.
The only drawback is that this type of mahogany, with itsinterlocking grain, is not as "hand-tool friendly." In fact, itscreams for sandpaper! The interlocking grain is what gives these boards theirshimmering, striped appearance. The problem is that with each"stripe" the grain changes direction, which is a nightmare forhand-planing. You'll see the results in an upcoming issue of AmericanWoodworker. Wish me luck!
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