I guess it's all in how you look at it. A hone, no matter how good it is, is merely a tool to be used and hopefully taken care of. Through the lifetime of an heirloom quality hone a wood base would likely see a lot of wear and tear from moving it around and exposing it to moisture on a regular basis. I have an exceptional la Vienette coticule bout that I mounted in a beautiful piece of Bocote a few years ago. The hone has been one of my favorites for a long time and has been used heavily. The base is starting to look pretty shabby these days. It's warped and cracked. When it's dry I can barely get the coti seated in it but when wet it fits like a glove. if I let the whole thing dry together it is nearly impossible to remove the stone. Seems that bocote was a bad idea.

I suspect that there is probably a reason certain species were used as bases for a hone.