Wood is widely used in all over the world because of its excellent
physical, mechanical and finishing properties. However, the machining and
handtool properties of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) wood were
ascertained for the characterization of working properties in this study. The
effects of machining properties, such as- planing, shaping, boring, mortising
and turning were tested on this wood species along with handtool test. The
evaluation of each test was based on frequency of occurrence of defect free
sample. The applications of two types of polishing materials, namely: shellac
and carpa were used for the purpose of finishing property evaluation. Each
sample was visually observed and classified based on five quality grades. This
wood showed an excellent working performance in all properties except
handtool property in planing test.