Know your wood: Purpleheart

Purpleheart

There is a good pictorial detailing this purpleheart guitar’s construction here. I imagine there might be a candle maker’s tutorial, as well?



Trade Names: Purpleheart , Amaranth

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida – Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae - Pea family
Genus: Peltogyne
Species: porphyrocardia, venosa, paniculata, and others.

Janka Hardness (pounds-force): 2390

For all you botanists out there, Peltogyne paniculata, according to Wikipedia.

Description: Purpleheart refers to many of the species from the Genus Peltogyne. When this dense tropical hardwood is sawn, the heartwood appears dull gray/purple-brown, but when exposed a bit, turns into a vibrant hue of purple. Over time, this color can fade, but the striking violets can be somewhat retained using a high-quality UV inhibitor. Purpleheart has generally straight grain, but irregularities are common. Texture is medium, pores are tight.

Location: Central and South America, namely: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Mexico, Venezuela, Suriname

Further information on Purpleheart found here, as seen in the Wood Explorer database.

Common Aliases: Amarante, Amaranth, Barabu, Bois violet, Ellongrypho, Kooroobovelli, Koroborelli, Lastan, Morado, Palo morado, Pao violeta, Pau roxo, Pelo morado, Saka, Sakavalli, Violetwood.

Performance: Purple is very durable against rot and insect infestation. Keep your tools sharp when working purpleheart, as the wood becomes gummy when it becomes too hot. Like I said before, it’s an interesting wood…

Affordability: $$$ Purpleheart is a relatively affordable and widely available specialty wood in the United States.

Common Uses: Audio equipment, billiard cues, bridges, millwork, skis, sporting goods, wharf construction, specialty guitars, veneers, furnishings, cabinetry, small wooden craft items.

From: The Wood Database:
Common Name(s): Purpleheart, Amaranth
Scientific Name: Peltogyne spp.
Distribution: Central and South America (from Mexico down to southern Brazil)
Tree Size: 100-170 ft (30-50 m) tall, 3-5 ft (1-1.5 m) trunk diameter
Average Dried Weight: 61 lbs/ft3 (980 kg/m3)
Basic Specific Gravity: .79
Hardness: 2,390 lbf (10,630 N)
Rupture Strength: 22,000 lbf/in2 (151,700 kPa)
Elastic Strength: 2,586,000 lbf/in2 (17,830 MPa)
Crushing Strength: 13,350 lbf/in2 (92.1 MPa)
Shrinkage: Radial: 3.2%, Tangential: 6.1%, Volumetric: 9.9%, T/R Ratio: 1.9