Khaya - African Mahogany

Though I very rarely work with exotic lumber I have collected an assortment of planks over the years that are rich in color, figure or both. Recently I have turned some ribbon sapele, pommel sapele, makore and today khaya. Khaya is commonly referred to as African mahogany.

Khaya comes from tropical Africa and Madagascar. The genus Khaya is in the family Meliaceae (the mahogany family). There are five species of khaya. I have no idea which species I have.

One of my friends has a moulding company and runs thousands of board feet of lumber every year. When he sees a plank with extraordinary figure and or color, he sets it aside. The platter in the picture below came from one of those planks. I know I’ve had this plank for seven or eight years or more.

Khaya turns well but like sapele, it is fairly coarse and tends to fuzz up. Sharp tools and careful sanding can produce a nice luster. Khaya is chatoyant like a cat’s eye marble. When you turn it in the light, the figure seems to move.