What kind of wood is this?

[Curt A]

Thanks for the explanation... I guess I have never seen or heard of ribbon cut mahogany. It makes sense like quarter sawn oak. But in real life, the majority of mahogany machines used plain old straight cut wood... Maybe high end machines used fancier veneers, but the pictured machine is not one of those.

[bearcat]

32 year drafting and wood shop teacher here. Retired for 10 years.

An interesting finishing procedure undertaken by 6th graders to Seniors has been to lightly 'flame' the surface with a oxyacetylene torch. When done properly the flame 'toasts' the springwood (softer) while leaving the summerwood (harder) unaffected. This creates a tiger stripe affect. Application of stain and/or varnish can be done after.

My proposal would be that it has been stripped, flamed and refinished. Notice how areas on the front legs have been toasted.

bob stutz

[JerryVan]

32 year drafting and wood shop teacher here. Retired for 10 years.

An interesting finishing procedure undertaken by 6th graders to Seniors has been to lightly 'flame' the surface with a oxyacetylene torch. When done properly the flame 'toasts' the springwood (softer) while leaving the summerwood (harder) unaffected. This creates a tiger stripe affect. Application of stain and/or varnish can be done after.

My proposal would be that it has been stripped, flamed and refinished. Notice how areas on the front legs have been toasted.

bob stutz

I sincerely doubt that whoever did this had any sort of sophisticated finish treatment in mind.
Nonetheless, an interesting process.

[bearcat]

While the technique may be interesting it is far from sophisticated. All that is needed is a flame and a practice piece. A propane torch should also work. Using the torch with a touch similar to spray painting yields best results. Of course you can always go back and 'toast' more, but you can't take it away. Getting the 'toast' evenly is the trick. Doesn't take much practice. This student would be given a C+. Splotchy horizontal piece because of flame overspray and sharp color cut-off at the bottom of the front legs (feet) also typical of the technique.

I wonder if I have any ex-students living in Cali.

It's my story and I'm sticking to it.

bob stutz