The tree had died 80 years before he got hold of it and stood somewhere in the Virgin Islands before it was finally cut down. An American who had family living in the area obtained permits allowing him to buy and export the tree. It was shipped to North Carolina where it was cut into veneer, then trucked to California where it was stored as the owner searched for a buyer.
McLaughlin and fellow New Hampshire furniture maker David Lamb could get the best price by buying the entire tree's worth of veneer, but at $28,000, it was beyond their reach. Their novel idea was to sell "shares" in the wood, offering furniture customers a chance to buy some of the veneer for future use. They raised enough cash to make the purchase, assuring themselves and their customers a supply well into the future. One of these pieces was this Occasional Game Table (see right)".
Tom has built a mahogany chest of drawers, the Genesis table, and a San Domingan Sunrise sideboard with this mahogany. Click the names to view each piece.
Tom with a few of the lengths laid out
There's history in this grain
The veneer layers show form of the tree