>I am building an entertainment center out of Honduran mahogany. The mahognay I have doesn't have an particulary striking grain, and though I may use a weak dye solution to warm it a bit, I plan to leave it its natural golden brown color.
For visual interest, I want to do the drawer fronts and side panel inserts in some veneer with a nice figured grain. On this piece I am not looking for a high color contrast like you would get with birdseye maple or something light. But assuming I don't use mahogany veneer, does anybody have any suggestions for a wood that looks good with natural mahogany that is somehwere near that general color range? I think some woods would look weird. For example I like the grain in quilted bubinga, but I think it might be too red to match with the mahogany. Any suggestions appreciated.
>Go to Certainly wood's web site and look at the various quilted and curly mahogany veneer pics. Give them a call if you like anything and have them e-mail a digital pic of the current stock. Color isn't always perfect but will give you an idea. The color differences between different cuts, figures and flitches might just be what your looking for. Another species would be Sapele, sometimes called pommele sapele when it is real blistered and curled. I think between the various mahogany and sapele veneers you will probably find what you need.
>I had a similar dilemma a while back. I bought some waterfall bubinga venner and was it didn't match the solid bubinga at all. What matched was mahogany. Once finished (no stain), they look great together. And the waterfall bubinga is really something. I bought the bubinga on ebay. It is not very red at all. Nothing like solid. That may have just been this particular stack, dunno.
>My suggestion would be lacewood. I still have a project in my head I'll get to one day that involves mahogany as the main wood and lacewood for drawer fronts and door panels. I've used both separately and also together on a small project.
Below is a link to a small end table I made from mahogany with diamond inlays of lacewood in the top. The top consists of a darker piece of mahogany in the center flanked by two lighter pieces. The lacewood blend in well, I think.