Mahogany: The Material of Choice for Precision Patterns

Step into Harrison's Steel's Pattern Shop and the scent of fresh-cut wood envelopes you. Neatly stacked at one end of the shop are thick boards of a dark-colored hardwood known as mahogany. The boards are used to produce the reverse of a specific part number, generally in two halves. The top half of the pattern, called the cope and the bottom half, called the drag.

Most commonly used in fine furniture, mahogany is Harrison Steel's material of choice for pattern production.  The reasons are many.  Mahogany is a hard wood, has straight grain and is free of voids and pockets. It has excellent workability and can be machined into highly precise shapes. Mahogany trees grow to be very large so that the wide boards needed for large patterns are readily available. The trees themselves are not endangered so they are an environmental solution as well.

Once the mahogany patterns are made, they have a long lifespan. Highly durable, mahogany patterns withstand the challenges of production without compromise. The wood does not rot and is resistant to warping. This means that when properly stored and maintained, a pattern maintains even the most exacting specifications and can be used for many years, even decades.

Let Us Engineer and Build Your Patterns for You.

Harrison Steel has been an expert in engineering and building prototype and production casting patterns for customers and other foundries, delivering precise-made, pour-ready patterns to your specifications. We offer patterns for all grades of steel, including stainless. Choose from mahogany, white pine or epoxy patterns. Our centralized Midwest location is served by interstate and rail for fast, easy access, while simplifying logistics. Contact Us for information or a quote.

Pattern Shop

Quality castings start with a quality pattern. While many foundries no longer make patterns, Harrison Steel operates a 24,000-square-foot, fully equipped pattern shop that combines state-of-the-art technology with old-world craftsmanship. Here we produce prototype and production patterns for new castings utilizing mahogany, white pine or epoxy materials. Our experienced team is meticulous in its work, utilizing a sophisticated F5-Axis CNC pattern router as well as time-tested hand methods to render highly engineered patterns that will result in precise, often complex castings. The ability to produce patterns on-site allows us to cut lead times on new castings as well as to quickly execute engineering changes to existing castings.

Having our own Pattern Shop is important not only in new pattern production, but in the maintenance and upkeep of existing pattern. Each time a pattern is used, it is inspected by the Molding Department and then returned to the Pattern Shop for maintenance before the pattern is returned to storage. This helps ensure that each time the part number is ordered, the pattern is correct, waiting and ready for production.

All patterns are stored in boxes and/or skids in a climate-controlled environment. The constant temperature preserves the integrity of the patterns so there is no warping or deterioration of any kind.

Production and Technical Capabilities