what kind of wood is this?

[btoran]

i bought a momo steering wheel off ebay and would like to redo my dash to match as closely as possible. what kind of wood is this and what is the grain called?

[So Cal Mark]

kinda looks like mahogany

[kmac33]

That is mahogany.

[RRoller123]

The grain structure and color appear to be mahogany, but it could be another tropical exotic, and there are many different mahoganies out there. Just a caution if the idea is to find a copy or repair material.

[btoran]

thanks. that at least gives me a better place to start looking for the dash upgrade. so the next question is, mdf with a veneer, or actual mohagony for the dash?

[steve8462]

it looks like its from the rare "steering tree"

[RRoller123]

MDF offers stability, but very poor moisture resistance. I would not use it in a car. They do make "exterior" MDF, but I have used it only very little.

[PittsburghKevin]

http://www.britishautowood.com/

British Autowood does highend vacuum bag veneers. He recommended plywood and then does a base veneer with the finish veneer overtop.

[seabeelt]

I used solid mahogany

[fiasco]

Solid mahogany is great, and you don't need a ton of it, so cost shouldn't be much of a factor. Downside of mahogany is that it's pretty soft, so be careful with it as you are working on it. Don't drop a screwdriver on it or anything or you'll give yourself fits trying to get the dent out of the surface.

My experience with modern mahogany (as opposed to old-growth, tight grained wood) is that the grain tends to be pretty open, and it absorbs a lot (lot lot) of polyurethane. So if you want a really glossy surface to match that wheel, be prepared to put on many, many coats of poly (or spar varnish or shellac or whatever you decide to go with) and do lots of sanding and buffing. In the end though, the payoff should be really nice.

-- se

[georgeramos]

actually if you drop something on wood and dent it its one of the only "damages' that is easily and usually completely repairable. The dent usually means the material is still there but is deformed. you wet the area then gently run a hot iron over it to "expand" the water and with it the wood fibers. Sometimes it needs a few passes then sanding and it should be perfect.

I would definitely use solid wood over veneer just because it's cooler. Both have their pluses and minuses tho.

[baltobernie]

If you can find it, the best of both worlds might be mahogany plywood, comprised of cheap mahogany on the inside and a clear ply on the outside. Remember that Fiat used several thicknesses throughout the dash.
http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9521
http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8735

[fiasco]

one of the only "damages' that is easily and usually completely repairable.

Yep - but my point was that mahogany is quite soft and your dent will likely be more significant than if you were working with oak or something really hard like maple. You can repair it, but it's annoying work to have to do when you'd rather be doing something else. So repairability notwithstanding...be careful.

-- se