Many folks ask us if our tables are solid wood and the answer is no. None of today's mahogany tables are solid wood, unless you looking at completely different style of table not shown on our site. Solid mahogany tables are pretty boring. The first picture shows a lexington solid mahogany table and the second picture shows the truth about whats inside a newer fancier flame mahogany Drexel table.
The field on a plain mahogany table is very plain. These types of tables are great for those who want very simple and plain Mary Jane. Solid mahogany tables may also suit those who preceive solid to mean quality. But what if your looking for a banded mahogany dining table or flame mahogany dining table. Solids will not help those folks at all.
Just because the inside of these tables are not solid wood, does not make them cheap or poor quality. Most major high end brand name furniture makers build tables the same way. On composites. These products sell in showrooms for lots of money. Much more money than any of the tables on this site. Some of the sales people in these showrooms may even convince you that there tables are solid. Beware! They are most likely not solid. When properly lined and Veneered, composites can be very dense and will yield the same properties as solid wood, but they hold up better on the long run. It is not much different than choosing to buy a composite deck for your backyard instead of solid wood. Less hassle.
Fancy inlays = composite inside. Solid wood, mahogany especially, will tend to shift move and expand. This make the dining table's Veneers more likely to crack, lift or can instigate and reult in hairline cracks and checking problems. Manufacturers started building tables on composites for good reason. They are stable and it is easier to control moisture content.
We have seen many antique dining tables, and other types of older furniture in general, where Veneers lift and seperate because they were built on solids. You can find a solid mahogany table circa 1930-1950 and pay dearly for it. But first you must be lucky enough find the table in good condition, than with some more luck the table will be the right size, shape and color. We generaly do not sell antique mahogany tables anymore, even though the word "antique" it is in our URL . It has been a while since we sold antique tables.
Lexingon Solid mahogany dining table shown here. Typically, a plain mahogany grain and an occasiuonal seam every few inches will help you identify a solid mahogany table when you see one. Another telling fact is the tables edge. You will see mahogany crossgrain on the tables edge, not a thin Veneer line.
This picture shows a Drexel mahogany dining room table from the underside. On this table, we needed to remove the apron. When forcing the apron off the back of the table, the glue line peeled back the top layer of Veneer and revealed some of the tables interior composites. Looks closely. This table has a dense particle board core with multilpe layers of Venners on top. This table is about 20 years old. Today, we use MDF rather than particle board. It is heavier and more dense.
So, the next time a salesperson tells you there tables are solid, be skeptical. Chance are what they meant to say is,"They are made from mahogany solids and veneers". That's the way most major brand furniture companies describe their furniture. You can see plenty of that terminolgy on there websites. The solids are along the table's edge and pedestals are made from solids. Thats about all the solids in todays tables.
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