The original bed was made from mahogany and we wanted to use the same material, so the next thing I needed to do was find a supply of this. I am most fortunate to have a friend here in Niagara-on-the-Lake who is a cabinetmaker, historian and restoration specialist; a lover of architecture and old buildings. He has a large workshop on the edge of town and a great stock of all the materials relating to these interests. He has old Victorian window glass, antique hardware and fittings, you name it. Most importantly for me, as it turned out, he has a wide range of timber, accumulated over many years; some of it has been reclaimed from old structures and is decades old. When I explained my project he told me that he had some mahogany. I could take a look and see if it would be suitable. I went around and found the wood to be perfect for my purpose, and there was enough of it. Good and generous man that he is, he allowed me to buy it.
Mostly, the wood was in planks two inches thick, by six or seven wide and eight or nine feet long. Jim has heavier, more powerful machines than I, so he helped me with the first cutting, in preparation for making the bedposts, which was to be the first task.
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