Back Material for Pupleheart Project

[Mark Hockenberg]

I'm building a small wine rack 31" x 8" out of 3/4" purpleheart. It has two vertical dividers in dados plus standard issue sides, top and bottom. As it's coming together, it's become clear that it won't have good stability without a back.

So... My first choice is 1/4" mahogany. I can either leave it natural and have a contrast in color. Or maybe there's a purpleish/brown stain that could help it blend with the purpleheart.

Thoughts?

[Jim Becker]

The back doesn't have to be continuous...it just needs to provide anti-racking support, so you could use some purple heart panels top and bottom at the rear to stabilize the piece.

[Mark Hockenberg]

Hey Jim - Good idea - I thought about some version of that. I also thought about triangles in the corners. If I did a full back, I would cut a 1/4" rabbet in the sides, top and bottom and take 1/4" off the center dividers. If I did a partial, I would need to make stopped rabbets or attach those parts to the very back (which is less preferable). You may be forcing me into breaking out a chisel :)

[Earl McLain]

How about a metal mesh back panel? Most Ace Hdwe stores have at least a small variety of brass and/or aluminum stamped sheets. Might fight with decor--but as Jim said, it should be enough to stop any racking.
earl

[Phil Mueller]

Keep in mind that purpleheart can turn brown over time. Some of my projects are now a dark brown and some have stayed fairly purple....just depends on the board. With that in mind, mahogany or walnut (or other darker woods) may eventually have less contrast. For more contrast, I’ve used hard maple as an accent.