Hi guys,.
I'm making a small marking gauge along the line of the Hamilton Toolworks 4" gauge. I'm using Purpleheart and brass. Should be pretty and work well if I can get it finished. Right now I'm frustrated.
Is this stuff brittle or is it just me? I had the "arm" fabricated and drilled a small hole in the end to match the size of the screw I'm using to hold the blade. When I screwed in the screw, it split the part right down the middle. Never had this happen in maple and I was surprised to see it here. The arm is 1/4" thick, 3/4" wide and 4" long. It has a 3" long slot down the middle.
Then, when I glued the 2 halves back together, the glue wouldn't hold. I've never seen wood the titebond would't bond. I let it sit 2 hrs - it just fell into 2 halves again. It's as if the wood is so dense the glue wouldn't penetrate.
I was also surprised the my normal files hardly make a dent in this stuff.
Anyone familiar with this wood and can offer advice on how to work it?
Thank you!
Fred