As with other woods, work through a progression of grits to produce smooth results. Purpleheart turns cleanly with sharp tools, and it sands well. Routing this dense wood can result in burning, which is hard to sand out, and gouging can unexpectedly occur when jointing. Because of the hard-to-detect interlocking grain, hand-planing, chiseling, and working purpleheart with carving tools can prove trying. Purpleheart presents a number of challenges in the shop. Laminating purpleheart next to a browntoned wood to maintain contrast. Its purple stage, to avoid future disappointment. Purpleheart over time, visualize the wood in its eventual deep brown stage, not If that’s not feasible, acquire all of them from one dealer, requestingĬonsistency of color throughout the order. So if your project is to require several boards, try to choose them in person. Substantial color variations, ranging from wine-red to eggplant to true violet. Lumber dealers identify purpleheart as Peltogyne, omitting Straight-grained with uniformly distributed pores, you’ll sometimes find curly wood, whichĬommands a premium price. Finally, while most purpleheart lumber is relatively The lesson: shop around and factor in shippingĬosts with online dealers. A 3 × 3 × 6" square, costs about $20.Įxpect to pay about $2 for either a 3⁄4 × 3⁄4 × 5" pen-turning blanks or aġ1⁄2 × 11⁄2 × 3" bottle-stopper blank. Woodworking store sells a 1⁄8 × 3 × 24" board for $9.50 and aġ⁄4"-thick piece for $12.00. Thinner and shorter boards are available. For example, one online retailer sells a 3⁄4 × 4 ×Ĥ8" board for $26, while another sells purpleheart for $10.50 a boardįoot. Online and specialty wood dealers sell purpleheart by either Over time, the sapwood doesn’tĬhange, but the heartwood transforms to a rich purple, and then dark brown. Purple and brown, with a creamy gray sapwood. Freshly harvested timber displays a dull gray Purpleheart trees grow from 100' to 170' tall, with trunk diameters up to 4'. Brazil’s equatorial region of theĪmazon River basin is a prime growing area, as well as Suriname and Guyana. Hardwoods native to tropical rainforests. The genus Peltogyne encompasses more than a dozen species of Woodworkers sometimes introduce purpleheart as an accent color in inlays and Of small scale: bottle stoppers, pens, bowls, knife scales, and jewelry boxes. Today, hobby woodworking projects made exclusively from purpleheart tend to be Mansion in the Berkshire Mountains, Massachusetts. Purpleheart lumber was for the 1928 installation of a library in the Lindsley Strength and natural resistance to decay and insects. It excels in many of these uses because of its Material for applications such as dock pilings, boat decks, planking, bridge Purpleheart (sometimes referred to as Amaranth) has served as a common building Within its native range of Central and South America, The full-sized reproduction of the 129' slave ship Amistad, which was launched in May of 2,000 in Mystic, Conneticut, featured a sturdy keel made of purpleheart from Guyana. The second factor: the wood changes colors over But in a large dose, a large purple cabinet, for example, the color In smallĭoses, purple projects positive associations, such as nobility, creativity, and Projects are prohibitive, two factors work against purpleheart. Although the lumber is not so expensive that similar largescale Like otherĭisctinctive exotic hardwoods, it holds a valued place in the woodworking Purpleheart (Peltogyne spp.) is the only commercial wood of that color,Ĭaptivating woodworkers who scout for something eye-catching. A distinctive color makes it an ideal accent wood.Įxcept for a handful of vegetables, flowers, and minerals, purple is one of the
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