Purple Heart Plank

[Craig Wilcox]

Where would Myrtle be on that list?  When I got a blank from Goby walnut, he included this incredibly dense, colorful piece of Myrtle.  It is about 3" thick, 4" wide, 6" long.  I used a couple 3/8" slices for another project, it finished up beautifully.  Checkers a bit more difficult than dense walnut.

Wish I had a camera to take a pic of it.  Lovely stuff, all yellow and brown, swirly grain.

Craig (of the many questions)

[Hungry Horse]

Be careful working Myrtle, the dust from this stuff will give folks that aren’t normally allergic a rough time. If you mill a lot of Myrtle in your shop, you will never see a spider. It runs to the heavy side, but can be beautiful. Some finishes that require wood penetration, have a hard time with Myrtle as well, do to its high oil content.

  Hungry Horse

[Waksupi]

I don't know if it would relate to gun stocks, but I have made two longbows over the years from purpleheart. Both broke in a short time. Apparently not a lot of flex to the wood.

[Martin S.]

Fred, (Old Ford2) and Craig Wilcox:

Happy to help out.

I have learned so much from these boards, it is nice to be able to actually provide some content for others.

Craig, I found another chart with myrtle wood, it comes in at 1270.

Here's a chart from tonewood.com

Janka Hardness Scale
Janka hardness measurements reflect the number of pounds pressure it takes to press a .444" diameter steel ball, to it's maximum diameter, into a vertical sawn section of wood.

WOOD VARIETY   SORTED BY
HARDNESS
 Macassar Ebony    3220
 Screwbean Mesquite    2335
 Persimmon    2300
 Dogwood    2150
 Ohia    2090
 Osage-Orange    2040
 Hop Hornbeam    1860
 Pecan    1820
 Shagbark Hickory    1820
 Hornbeam    1780
 Apple    1730
 Almond    1700
 Black Locust    1700
 Honey Locust    1580
 Witch Hazel    1530
 Orientalwood    1480
 Bastogne Walnut    1460
 Madrone    1460
 Rosewood    1450
 Sugar Maple    1450
 Cuban Mahogany    1430
 Tanoak    1400
 African Mahogany    1350
 White Ash    1320
 Beech    1300
 Myrtlewood    1270
 Yellow Birch    1260
 English Walnut    1200
 Green Ash    1200
 Pacific Yew    1150
 Koa    1110
 Cascara    1040
 Southern Magnolia    1020
 American Black Walnut    1010
 Mango    980
 Claro Walnut    950
 Black Cherry    950
 Imbuya    950
 Sourwood    940
 Eastern Red Cedar    900
 Hackberry    880
 Longleaf Pine    875
 Rock Elm    860
 Slippery Elm    860
 Bigleaf Maple    850
 Black Ash    850
 Tropical American Mahogany    845
 American Elm    830
 Western Larch    830
 Red Lauan    825
 Sycamore    770
 Port Orford Cedar    720
 Silver Maple    700
 White Lauan    690
 Douglas Fir    685
 Sassafras    630
 Tamarack    590
 Northern Catalpa    550
 American Chestnut    540
 Yellow Poplar    540
 Sitka Spruce    510
 Bald Cypress    510
 Butternut    490
 Redwood    480
 Black Willow    420
 Basswood    410
 Yellow Buckeye    350
 Western Redcedar    360
 Aspen    350   


SORTED BY
WOOD VARIETY   HARDNESS

 African Mahogany    1350
 Almond    1700
 American Black Walnut    1010
 American Chestnut    540
 American Elm    830
 Apple    1730
 Aspen    350
 Bald Cypress    510
 Basswood    410
 Bastogne Walnut    1460
 Beech    1300
 Bigleaf Maple    850
 Black Ash    850
 Black Cherry    950
 Black Locust    1700
 Black Willow    420
 Butternut    490
 Cascara    1040
 Claro Walnut    950
 Cuban Mahogany    1430
 Dogwood    2150
 Douglas Fir    685
 Eastern Red Cedar    900
 English Walnut    1200
 Green Ash    1200
 Hackberry    880
 Honey Locust    1580
 Hop Hornbeam    1860
 Hornbeam    1780
 Imbuya    950
 Koa    1110
 Longleaf Pine    875
 Macassar Ebony    3220
 Madrone    1460
 Mango    980
 Myrtlewood    1270
 Northern Catalpa    550
 Ohia    2090
 Orientalwood    1480
 Osage-Orange    2040
 Pacific Yew    1150
 Pecan    1820
 Persimmon    2300
 Port Orford Cedar    720
 Red Lauan    825
 Redwood    480
 Rock Elm    860
 Rosewood    1450
 Sassafras    630
 Screwbean Mesquite    2335
 Shagbark Hickory    1820
 Silver Maple    700
 Sitka Spruce    510
 Slippery Elm    860
 Sourwood    940
 Southern Magnolia    1020
 Sugar Maple    1450
 Sycamore    770
 Tamarack    590
 Tanoak    1400
 Tropical American Mahogany    845
 Western Larch    830
 Western Redcedar    360
 White Ash    1320
 White Lauan    690
 Witch Hazel    1530
 Yellow Birch    1260
 Yellow Buckeye    350
 Yellow Poplar    540

It didn't copy and paste well, but if you go to this link, it is in a little better format.

http://tonewood.com/luthier-resources/janka-hardness-scale-guitar-wood.html

[Daryl]

so-  Myrtlewood   = 1270 - softer than maple.

[alacran]

I have made furniture out of purple heart. It is very hard but easier to work than Padauk or Wenge , which are listed lower in the Janka Hardness scale.  I have never inletted into Purple Heart. But it joins nicely. It is very heavy.  It is photo reactive. Varnishes with ultraviolet inhibitors minimize that aspect.  I made a bench with it fifteen years ago and it is a warm purple now.
The weight of the butt on a rifle would help balance a heavy barrel.
A purple heart rifle was raffled  two to three years ago at the NMLRA's September shoot. I don't remember who made it I suppose Dick Miller would know. I might have the issue of Muzzle Blasts that featured it. If I find it I will let you know who made it.

[Mr. Bubbles]

HArdness is only part of what makes for a good stock wood.  I also tend to think that shear strength is particularly important, particularly in narrow wrists/  This chart is for North American woods.  YOu can see by this that sugar maple far outclasses red maple in that department.

https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr113/ch04.pdf