Key difference: Cherry wood is the wood of the cherry tree, which is officially part of the Prunus genus of trees and shrubs. Cherry wood has a reddish brown hue with a golden luster. When the wood is cut, it is very pale in color but the wood tends to become darker and richer with age, and eventually takes on its famous rich brown red shade. Mahogany is a type of tropical hardwood. It has a straight, fine and even grain, which is free of voids and pockets. The wood is known for its unique pink coloring, which tends to take on a deeper reddish-brown hue over time.

Both, cherry wood and mahogany are two difference types of hardwoods. Basically, hardwood is the wood that comes from an angiosperm tree. This is a type of tree that has seeds that are enclosed, be it in pods, a shell, a covering or in a fruit. For example, apples or nuts and seeds like acorns and walnuts. These types of seeds allow birds and insects to be attracted to the flowers of the tree and be able to carry the pollen to other trees. This is also the reason why hardwood trees are not often bunched together but are spaced apart and often have other trees in-between them.

Most hardwood trees are also deciduous is nature. A deciduous tree is a tree that loses its leaves annually. Hardwood trees are also slower to grow, taking their own time. Due to this, most hardwood is dense. This is also the reason that hardwood is expensive, as it takes longer to grow. Some famous hardwoods include maple, balsa, oak, elm, mahogany, and sycamore.

Cherry wood is the wood of the cherry tree, which is officially part of the Prunus genus of trees and shrubs. Cherry wood has a reddish brown hue with a golden luster. When the wood is cut, it is very pale in color but the wood tends to become darker and richer with age, and eventually takes on its famous rich brown red shade.

Cherry wood is also often referred to as Black cherry, Capulin, Cherry, Chisos wild cherry, Choke cherry, Edwards Plateau cherry, Escarpment cherry, Gila choke cherry, Mountain black cherry, New England mahogany, Plum, Rum cherry, Southwestern chokecherry, Whiskey cherry, and/or Wild black cherry.

Cherry wood is fine textured, strong and fairly durable. It is also easy to work. This makes the wood extremely popular with cabinetmakers. In addition to cabinets, the wood is also used to make other furniture, as well as in wood bending and turning. It is also used to make veneer, interior millwork, and small accessories.

As a wood, cherry tends to be slightly softer than other hardwoods, such as maple. However, it is more capable of absorbing a stain or a glaze, hence the finished product has a more even stain finish. The wood also has a distinct grain pattern running through it due to the incorporating on the sapwood and hardwood into the timber, which may not be appealing to everyone.

Mahogany, on the other hand, is a type of tropical hardwood. The mahogany found in the market can be sourced from a variety of different trees that have the reddish-brown hue which is associated with traditional mahogany. However, genuine mahogany is sourced from three species of trees: the Swietenia mahagoni (L.) Jacq., S. macrophylla King, and S. humilis Zucc. These trees are native to the Central and South America. Due to the demand of mahogany, these trees are also grown on plantations located in Asia, specifically in India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Fiji.

As a wood, mahogany has a straight, fine and even grain, which is free of voids and pockets. The wood is known for its unique pink coloring, which tends to take on a deeper reddish-brown hue over time. Mahogany is quite easy to sand, cut and turn on a wood lathe. It is also known to be strong and durable.

Mahogany trees tend to grow to huge sizes; this allows the harvesters to process the tree as one and produce large, continuous boards. This allows the woodworkers to create furniture from a single board without any seams or joints. In addition to furniture, mahogany is also used for boat building. This is due to the fact that mahogany is resistant to rot.

Furthermore, mahogany is popularly used to make musical instruments, such as wooden drums, and acoustic and electric guitars. It is quite popular for the backs, sides and necks of acoustic guitars. This is due to the fact that mahogany has the ability to produce a very deep, warm tone, similar to maple or birch. In fact, many Martin D-15 and Gibson Les Paul models use mahogany.

However, due to the high demand for mahogany, has led to overlogging of the trees. This has in turn led to CITES listing Swietenia mahagoni on its endangered list, while S. macrophylla King, and S. humilis Zucc are listed as vulnerable.

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