Purpleheart Roubo


konkers

Purpleheart Bench  

24 members have voted

  1. 1. Should I build my bench out of purpleheart?

    • No, you're crazy!
      14
    • Just the top.
      3
    • Go hog wild, do the whole thing!
      7


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Yes, you are crazy. But what does that have to do with the purpleheart? :D

First, wow. Purpleheart used as railroad ties? Was this in the South American jungle or something? Hard to imagine it being used in North America.

Second, I've read that lighter wood is better for benches than dark species. I guess it had something to do with contrast and making it easy to see your work. This might just be an old wives tales though.

If the purpleheart is cheap enough, I don't see any reason not to use it. If not for the whole bench, then at least for some accents such as the vise chop, endcaps, or the dog hole strip.

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If the purpleheart is cheap enough, I don't see any reason not to use it. If not for the whole bench, then at least for some accents such as the vise chop, endcaps, or the dog hole strip.

It's cheaper than Ash and Red Maple which is why I'm inclined to use it for the whole thing. I'm guessing that with purple hearts insane density, janka, and E value, I'll be fine with 4" legs instead of 5".

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I think you're crazy because I'd want to use it on "real" projects. I'd love to have a nice big pile of purpleheart laying around to keep in stock. Use the heck out of it for accents, like Aaron said. I think it'd be too much to look at anyway. Purpleheart and maple are beautiful together...that would be one sweet bench...maple with PH cap, deadman, chop, maybe even the shelf boards. Awesome.

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Could be a west coast thing as I have always found purpleheart to be fairly cheap. Back in S. California I had a source for $3/bf. That was about 7 years ago so who knows now. But it is never terribly expensive here.

As for building a bench out of it....no way. Far too difficult to mill with power tools, let alone hand tools. But it sure is pretty to look at. :)

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Buy it, mill it up and resell it? Then buy materials for your bench and probably some nice tools as well.

i like this idea if you can get it cheaper. here in illinois i practicly have to sell a organ to get ahold of it cheap enough since only people who carry it are big lumber places and i prefer small one man mills.

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Frank builds that bench in the Ocotober 2004 issue of Woodworker's Journal, I had to go back and find it.

In the article it mentions Frank seals the entire bench top to bottom with Waterlox Wiping Varnish. Several coats upon completion and then another coat "from time to time".

Funny thing, no where in the article does it mention what wood Frank uses. I reread the thing this morning and I'm not crazy, in a lot of the pictures it looks like that could be purpleheart. In other shots it looks like Cherry or perhaps another species. I just can't tell.

Does anyone out there know for sure?

hhh, can you hike on down to his shop and ask him?

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