Jeff Haines, age 15, of Wilmington,  Del., for his question:    

HOW TALL IS A MAHOGANY TREE?

Mahogany is regarded by many as the best cabinet and furniture wood in the world because it is very hard and it has beautiful grain. An African mahogany tree will grow as tall as 150 feet and have a diameter of 10 feet. Spanish mahogany that can be found in the West Indies, Mexico, Florida and Central America grows to be 60 to 100 feet tall and six feet across.

Mahogany varies in color from tan to dark red brown. The wood actually darkens as it is exposed to daylight.

Lumbermen often quartersaw or quarterslice mahogany into veneer, or thin sheets. They do this by sawing through the center of the log lengthwise to divide it into four sections. Next, they cut planks alternately from each face of the quarter. The wood usually shows a ribbon or stripe figure when quartersawed.

Furniture manufacturers often glue mahogany veneer to plain wood to produce a naturally beautiful surface.