scrap mahogany for testing finishes?

[fnaah]

Hi there! This is my first post, so apologies for the myriad of questions, and please be gentle.

Anyone know where in Australia I might be able to find some inexpensive chunks or strips of mahogany that I could use as test pieces for a finish i'm thinking of trying? Do the regular hardware chains sell mahogany at all, like maybe in floorboard or fence picket size?

I've bought an AIB-1Q kit, and found an article about an 'aged' mahogany finish:

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/t...hogany-finish/

I quite like the look of it for the back and sides of the guitar, but want to try it out first. What options would I have for clearcoat over the top of this finish? Is a clearcoat necessary, or is the wax finish enough by itself?

For the quilt top, I'm thinking of a light application of a dark coloured dye, a -very- light sandback (i know the veneer is quite thin) and tru-oil. This seems fairly standard though, but if anyone has any tips in this regard i'd be happy to hear them.

Thanks for listening!

[FrankenWashie]

Hello and welcome to the forum Fnaah,

there Red are a couple of places in Canberra that might be able to help you,

Thors Hammer https://www.thors.com.au/

Monaro timber https://www.woodsolutions.com.au/sup.../Monaro-Timber

from memory there’s a few guys based in Canberra that might be able to point you in the right direction, or help you out with scraps.

Failing that, Anagote timbers in Marrickville https://anagote.com/ have a good stock in plantation Mahogany.

best of luck with it!

[fnaah]

cool, thanks