Purpleheart
Durability: Very Durable
Colour: Dark
Sizes available: 50, 75, 100, 150, 200 mm
| Trade Name: | Purpleheart |
| Botanical Species: | Peltogyne species |
| Other Names: | Amaranth, Violet Wood (USA), Koroboreli, Saka, Sakavalli (Guyana), Purpleheart (Surinam), Pau Roxo, Nazareno, Morado (Venezuela), Tananeo (Columbia) |
| Country of Origin: | South America. |
| Weight: | Weight varies from 800-1000kg/m³ (60-63lb/ft³) averaging 860kgs/m³ (54lb/ ft³). |
| Durability: | Very Durable |
| Strength: | SD1 |
| Seasoning: | ||
| • | Dries fairly rapidly with little degrade. | |
| • | But care is needed to dry out the centre of thick pieces. | |
| • | Air drying is slow, with some end and surface checking or case hardening. | |
| • | There is small movement in service. | |
| Characteristics: | ||
| • | The heartwood is a deep purple-violet colour when freshly cut, maturing to dark brown. | |
| • | The original colour is restored when re-cut. | |
| • | Straight grained, but often irregular, wavy and sometimes interlocked, producing a pleasing striped figure on quartered surfaces. | |
| • | Texture moderate to fine. | |
| Working Qualities: | ||
| • | It is rather difficult to work, with moderate to severe blunting effect on tools. | |
| • | It exudes gummy resin when heated by dull cutters and the material is best run slowly through machines equipped with high speed steel knives. | |
| • | The wood turns well and smoothly. | |
| • | Pre-bore for nailing, glues without difficulty and stains and wax polishes easily. | |
| • | Spirit finishes remove the purple colour. | |
| Uses: | ||
| • | Although expensive, it is used for heavy constructional work, bridge building, fresh water piling, dock work, cladding, house construction and vats. | |
| • | Excellent for flooring and very suitable for gymnasium equipment, shafts, tool handles, boat building, turnery, furniture and billiard tables. | |
| • | Also as decorative veneers for inlaying and marquetry work etc. | |
| • | Best colour from sawcut as steaming affects the soluble phonicoin content. | |
| Product Attributes: | ||
| • | Large sizes available. | |
| • | No bleeding of stain. | |
