Mahogany Rot proof?

[David Turner]

I need to build a bracket for my hose reel and have Honduran mahogany in stock. I know they construct storm windows out of mahogany but of course it is painted. Will the mahogany last in an outdoor situation?

 

[bob vaughan]

For openers, wood is hygroscopic dead plant fiber and should never be taken for granite.

Honduras mahogany is about as good of a choice as any easily available wood. Keep water and direct sunlight off of it and it will last. Water and sunlight are mechanical assaults rather than organic assaults such as fungus and various kinds of rot.

I build a large bird feeder out of Honduras Mahogany but I paint it. The critters scratch the paint off but the exposed wood still stays pretty intact.

I would think a bracket out of Honduran mahogany will last at least as long as the hoses last.

 

[robliles]

I agree with Bob. Honduran Mahogany will make an excellent "exposed" bracket. I have built numerous outdoor benches out of it an all are in excellent condition after many years. My only caution, and this is not an issue in your situation, is to avoid direct ground contact if possible.

 

[bob vaughan]

For years I had three or four Honduras mahogany tomato stakes. They lasted better than any other wood I had at the time. Eventually they were used for moulding on a job. Granted, ground contact was a limited time situation, but other woods would deteriorate at the point.

Water expands when it freezes, a given. Freezing water in wood cells expands and pulps the cell walls. That's a mechanical deterioration rather than organic. Like some other wood types, Honduran mahogany doesn't soak up and hold water as much as some other woods.

 

[mdbuntyn]

I don't remember if he mentions mahogany in this episode, but it will give you some things to think about:

52 - Exterior Woods - Shannon's Lumber Industry Update

Choosing exterior woods doesn't have to be difficult when you understand these 5 elements that make for good outdoor woods.

www.lumberupdate.com