Congo Mahogany – Sawn – Turning – 4 sizes

Feature-grade Khaya spp. — African mahogany, selected for ribbon-stripe figure. 70×70×900mm dressed square section. Spindle geometry: stair balusters, lamp stems, furniture legs, turned spindles. Warm reddish-brown with interlocked grain that shows on the lathe. Sold per piece.

Ribbon-figure African mahogany at spindle-turning scale. Congo-origin Khaya spp. — African mahogany — milled square for the lathe and selected for visible ribbon stripe.

What it is. A Congo-Basin parcel of Khaya, the species complex sold worldwide as African Mahogany. Reddish-brown heartwood, interlocked grain, moderate density, and the ribbon-stripe figure that catches the light when interlocked grain is cut across the alternating direction. Feature grade — pulled aside specifically because the figure earns the lathe time.

What you’d make with it at 70×70×900mm.

• Full stair baluster or newel post on a stair where Khaya already features in the joinery
• Standard lamp stem with the ribbon figure on the long axis
• Single furniture leg or pair from one blank — chair, occasional table, small console
• Two shorter spindles from one blank — finials, drawer pulls scaled up, decorative columns

Working notes

• Density: ~545 kg/m³ — medium, comfortable to turn at speed without dulling tools quickly
• Hardness: ~3.6 kN Janka — soft enough for the skew and gouge, firm enough to hold beads and coves
• Grain: Interlocked — produces ribbon stripe as you turn through it, calls for sharp tools and steady cuts
• Surface: Supplied rough-sawn — square section, mount between centres and rough to round
• Working: Cuts cleanly on the lathe with a light touch on the skew; sharp gouges leave a near-finished surface. Glues and joins well
• Finishing: Oil lifts the ribbon — Rustins Danish oil applied on the lathe brings up the figure noticeably; Shellawax cream for a quick high-gloss spindle finish

The stack it came from. Feature-grade Khaya in square turning sections at 900mm doesn’t show up in normal Khaya supply — these were selected piece by piece for the figure. No two are identical. Once it goes, the listing closes.

References. Species reference: Khaya genus — Wikipedia. Browse more: our Mahogany stock.