From what I have seen posted on the Tak yahoo group the wood used in the Tak tripods are made of Philippine Luan mahogany, not a true mahogany but a cheaper alternative. Works and looks good though
For what's it worth another alternative is the Tak large metal tripod, new price very expensive but sometimes they pop up on Astromart for reasonable prices. I got one through that method and was easy to get adapters made up for my mounts.