Purpleheart

Formal Name: Peltogyne spp.

Color: Off-white sapwood is sharply demarcated from the heartwood. When freshly cut the heartwood of Purpleheart is a  dull grayish/purplish brown. Upon exposure the wood becomes a deeper eggplant purple. With further age and exposure to UV light, the wood becomes a dark brown with a hint of purple.

Shade: dark

Workability: Working with Purpleheart can present some unique challenges: if the wood is heated with dull tools, or if cutter speeds are too high, Purpleheart will exude a gummy resin that can clog tools and complicate the machining process. Depending on the grain orientation, can be difficult to plane without tearout. Purpleheart also has a moderate dulling effect on cutters.

Physical Properties: Very heavy, high density wood. High bending and crushing strength with medium resistance to shock loads. Moderate steam bending characteristics.

Interior/Exterior: both interior and exterior

Machining:

Nailing:

Screwing:

Gluing:

Finishing: