Interested in any available information on the properties of mesquite
wood to be used as furniture. What are best coatings best moisture
content to apply shrinkage over time etc.

3rrotec..

Thanks for your very interesting question about mesquite.  Possibly it
is due to my location on the East Coast, but prior to researching your
question, I was under the impression that mesquite was primarily used
for grilling.  However, having seen pictures of some furniture pieces
made of mesquite, I can see I could not have been more wrong.

Texas Honey Mesquite is a hardwood that is commonly found in the
Southwest, primarily in the plains of Texas. As with other hardwoods,
such as oak and walnut, it can be used for a wide variety of
woodworking products such as furniture, paneling, flooring and other
products.  One of the advantages, however, that mesquite has over
other hardwoods is that is shrinks very little when dried.  When
looking at the shrinkage of wood, there are three primary types of
shrinkage: radial, tangential, and volumetric.  Wood typically shrinks
in the direction of the growth rings and this is the tagnetial
shrinkage.  It also shrinks across the rings, or radially.  What
causes cracks, splitting and other problems with shrinkage is when the
radial and tangential shrinkage is not evenly distributed within the
the wood.  The volumetric shrinkage is the overall volume lost within
the wood due to shrinkage.  Because of the denisty of mesquite, the
volumetric shrinkage is very low, especially when compare to other
hardwoods.  You can see the comparisons of various woods on the Wood
Shrinkage Table at http://www.woodbin.com/ref/wood/shrink_table.htm.

Another advantage that mesquite has over other hardwoods is the
hardness.  Hardness in wood is measured by the Janka hardness test. 
The Janka test takes a .444 steel ball and determines the force
required to embed the ball to half it's diameter in wood.  Mesquite
measures 2336 psi on the Janka test.  This is one of the highest
hardness numbers among all woods.  You can see how mesquite compares
to other woods in regards to hardness at
http://www.woodfloorsonline.com/techtalk/hardns.html

Mesquite polishes to a very high, natural sheen when polished.  A
clear urethane or polyurethane finish will bring out the natural
beauty of the finished wood as well as protect it.  You can see a
comparision of mesquite finished with either of these products at
http://www.goldenstateflooring.com/resources/product.cfm/SPE/-/mesquite

Thank you for your question and I hope the information I have provided
proves to be helpful.  Good luck and enjoy working with mesquite!  If
you need any additional clarification, please let me know.  If you
look at the references below, you will be able to learn more about
this great wood.

Regards,

-THV

Search Strategy:
woodworking properties of mesquite
wood shrinkage
mesquite finishing

References and Additional Information:

Wood Shrinkage Values
http://www.wwforum.com/faqs_articles/woodmove.html

Texas Fine Woods - Mesquite Information
http://www.mesquiterocker.com/mesquite_general.htm

Mesquite Wood and Its Properties
http://www.heritagemesquite.com/mesquite.html

Good answer, Thanks. 3RRotec