Wood questions

[Jacob s white]

Purple Heart is on sale and a 3/4 5 by 24 is 10 dollars I’ve heard that purple heart will turn brown so was wondering if it is worth it to use purpleheart at all

[Jim Becker]

Purple heard will get a little brownish over time...most species have some color change from oxidation and UV. But it's still pretty wood, bot by itself and when used with something contrasting like maple.

[Doug Dawson]

Purple Heart is on sale and a 3/4 5 by 24 is 10 dollars I’ve heard that purple heart will turn brown so was wondering if it is worth it to use purpleheart at all

Purpleheart is pretty when it’s fresh, but yes it turns brown and IMO it’s not worth the amazing slivers and the wear on your tools. Best left to the engineers/designers who specify it and let _them_ work it. Leave it in the showroom.

[Charles Taylor]

Here are opposite ends of a purpleheart offcut lying around my workshop. One end was cut somewhat recently, the other end has been untouched for many years.
Offcut.jpg

[Richard Coers]

Purple heart I have machined was hard as a rock and had a high mica content. Took the edge right off my planer knives. I still have half the board I bought 25 years ago. I never intend to use it again.

[Rob Sack]

I have several cabinets I built out of purpleheart. Miserable stuff to work with, but you can't beat the color. One cabinet is over 20 years old. It is finished in conversion varnish and is a bright a purple as the day it was finished. The other piece is a large bathroom cabinet that also is over 20 years old. It was finished with vinyl sealer followed by a water base top coat. Still purple, no brown in sight. All the trim in that bathroom is custom made and finished in pre-catalyzed lacquer. Again, the purple still pops. As far as splinters are concerned, they can be plentiful not to mention painful. But on the bright side, they are easy to find. They really stand out even when deep.

[John K Jordan]

Purple Heart is on sale and a 3/4 5 by 24 is 10 dollars I’ve heard that purple heart will turn brown so was wondering if it is worth it to use purpleheart at all

I've used a lot of purpleheart for woodturning. Most is brown when cut, turns purple after exposure to light and/or air, then gradually turns brown again. That's most. I was given some a few years ago that is purple when cut and has stayed purple. Wish I could find some more or at least knew where it came from.

BTW, a guy I knew in Peru said they can't understand the US obsession with purple heart. He said in his area purpleheart was cheap wood used for floor joists and such.

JKJ