Purple Heart Plank

[Mike Lyons]

A Vietnam Veteran I play tennis with has this plank.  He said his dad gave it to him 40 years ago. He doesn't know how long his dad had it.  It's big enough for a rifle.  It's hard as a rock and solid.  Would it make a good stock?

[T*O*F]

It doesn't look wide enough for a stock when you figure in the drop.  If you have to cock it sideways to get something out of it, you would get all kinds of cross-grains running thru it which will cause nightmares.  You always want to try and run with the grain.  Don't know its suitability as a stock wood.

[Chowmi]

Looks to me like the grain is straight, so even if it's wide enough, you would have a weak wrist.

Norm

[Nordnecker]

I've never worked with purpleheart. I think it's more suited for accent parts like pool cue handles, inlay, pen blanks, etc. or fitting on a boat. Trouble is, you kinda hate to cut up a nice sized piece of exotic wood for little stuff. I have a piece of Greenheart and a piece of Lignum Vitea that I don't know what to do with.
That piece looks to be about 6" wide. That's not wide enough for a long rifle stock. You might be able to trade it for a stock blank. I'd find out what a piece of purpleheart that size is worth.

[Mr. Bubbles]

It's going to change color on you over the years.  Starts out very purple, and then ages to brown.  Padauk and Bloodwood are the same way.  It's a stable, closed grain wood and well suited to carving and fine detail, but to my mind, it's also pretty ugly.  Why would you want to make a traditional muzzle loader out of a non-traditional exotic wood anyway?  If you have to use it for a gun stock, put it on a modern gun.

[Robby]

Send it here and I'll let you know.
Robby

[Mike Lyons]

I don't want to make anything out of it.  This fellow is a retired carpenter and retired totally disabled Vietnam vet. His  whole house  interior is wood he planed  and dowels everywhere.  He's single with no family around.  Financially,  he's fine but a tight wad. I try to swing by once a week to BS and make sure no blow flies are swarming his place and have been for 15 or so years.  Ive been telling him details about my rifle build so he's become interested in making a Bean rifle.  His last name is Bean.  His dad built sailboats and he claims to be relation to the Bean gunsmith. I told him to buy a Kibler Colonial and put a bean patchbox etc on it.   But, he's a tight wad and my next step was to have him use the piece of wood on his porch his dad gave him and he brags about all the time. That's how the non-traditional wood came into play. 

[Pukka Bundook]

Your mate's  board would make fine ramrods.
Purple heart  was used a lot in UK & on the Continent.  Makes high -end rammers!

[Justin Urbantas]

I don't want to make anything out of it.  This fellow is a retired carpenter and retired totally disabled Vietnam vet. His  whole house  interior is wood he planed  and dowels everywhere.  He's single with no family around.  Financially,  he's fine but a tight wad. I try to swing by once a week to BS and make sure no blow flies are swarming his place and have been for 15 or so years.  Ive been telling him details about my rifle build so he's become interested in making a Bean rifle.  His last name is Bean.  His dad built sailboats and he claims to be relation to the Bean gunsmith. I told him to buy a Kibler Colonial and put a bean patchbox etc on it.   But, he's a tight wad and my next step was to have him use the piece of wood on his porch his dad gave him and he brags about all the time. That's how the non-traditional wood came into play.

If he wanted to build a family gun, the southern rifle would be closer to a Bean rifle

[Iktomi]

It's going to change color on you over the years.  Starts out very purple, and then ages to brown.  Padauk and Bloodwood are the same way.  It's a stable, closed grain wood and well suited to carving and fine detail, but to my mind, it's also pretty ugly.  Why would you want to make a traditional muzzle loader out of a non-traditional exotic wood anyway?  If you have to use it for a gun stock, put it on a modern gun.

  It might be ok as a component in a laminated stock blank for a modern gun.

[ddoyle]

Bring him a hunk of maple suitable for a rifle and a loaner copy of your favorite how to build an ALR book or at least Fox Fire#5. He'll either build a rifle that you can enjoy being part of or someday he'll give the plank back.  Sounds like he has the skills, time and interest give him a nudge your 40-50 bucks wont buy a more valuable gift then giving someone such a rewarding hobby.

[Jim Kibler]

Depending on the stock profile, often 7" in width is enough to get a blank.  It is generally consider proper layout to angle your pattern such that grain flows better through the wrist (for straight grain wood). 

I can't tell you how many prospective wood dealers I've seen who run the fore end parallel to the board when cutting out blanks.  Not good unless it's stump wood or there's a curve to the grain at the butt.  The barrel will support any minor cross grain condition in the forestock.

In the vast amount of wood used for stocks, the grain is generally straight and a slight angle during layout makes the wood perfectly acceptable for use.

Jim

[Craig Wilcox]

I have worked a lot with purple heart, and found it's stability to be fine - made a series of finger-joint boxes for my wife's family in Brazil.  I have also, much more recently, made some grips for a 1911 and a cowboy gun.  All came out beautifully, and the color is preserved by several coats of lacquer.

As a fellow Vet, I really appreciate you looking out for one of our brothers.  Ask him what HE would like to do.  And if he wants to make a kit build such as Kibler ships, help him pick out one he would like to treasure.

Me sitting around all day on my pity-pot led to me starting a small gunsmithing business, and now has me pointed toward this Herman Rupp I am building now.  Having a lot of fun with it!  Next week tho, I get to spend some time at Cleveland VA Hospital, so will have to take my sketchbook, and my gun building books with me.

Don't know if Afgan Vets use the phrase, but - "Welcome Home, Brother!"

[Martin S.]

The following scale is borrowed from the Bell Forest Products Website:

Begin quote:

The Janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular domestic or exotic wood species. The Janka test measures the amount of force required to embed a 0.444" steel ball into the wood to half of its diameter. Woods with a higher rating are harder than woods with a lower rating.
The scale used in the table is pounds-force.

Janka   Specie Name
350   Buckeye Burl
380   Aspen
410   Basswood
470   Guanacaste (Parota)
490   Butternut
540   American Chestnut
540   Poplar
540   Mappa Burl
600   Spanish Cedar
800   Genuine Mahogany
850   Quilted Western Maple
850   Western Maple Burl
850   Curly Western Maple
850   Black Ash
891   Lacewood
930   Anigre
950   Cherry
950   Tornillo
950   Curly Maple (Red Leaf)
950   Cherry Burl
950   Maple (Red Leaf)
950   Curly Cherry
960   Peruvian Walnut
1010   Walnut
1020   Holly
1055   Curly Pyinma
1100   African Mahogany
1100   Figured Mango
1160   Thuya Burl
1170   Koa
1200   Redheart
1200   Masur Birch
1210   Nicaraguan Rosewood
1220   Red Oak
1220   Curly Oak
1220   Quarter Sawn Red Oak
1220   Spalted Oak
1260   Birch
1260   Amboyna Burl
1260   Curly Narra
1260   Flame Birch
1260   Birch Burl
1260   Narra
1294   Figured Makore
1294   Makore
1320   White Ash
1320   Curly White Ash
1320   Swamp Ash
1330   Shedua
1335   Quarter Sawn White Oak
1335   White Oak
1350   Ebiara
1360   English Brown Oak
1400   Mayan Walnut
1400   Eucalyptus
1439   Quilted Sapele
1450   Birdseye Maple
1450   Hard Maple
1450   Curly Maple (Hard Maple)
1450   Quarter Sawn Maple
1450   Bark Pocket Maple
1450   Hard Maple Burl
1450   Spalted Maple
1450   Rift Sawn Hard Maple
1460   Madrone Burl
1500   Sapele
1520   Canarywood
1548   Honey Locust
1560   Afrormosia
1712   Merbau
1780   Black & White Ebony
1810   Afzelia Burl
1820   Hickory
1830   Zebrawood
1830   Figured Zebrawood
1860   Jarrah Burl
1878   Yellowheart
1900   Red Palm
1930   Wenge
1960   Bolivian Rosewood
1970   Padauk
1970   Ziricote
2010   Bocote
2020   Black Palm
2140   Sucupira
2150   Leopardwood
2160   Goncalo Alves
2200   Chechen
2200   Honduras Rosewood
2200   Honduras Rosewood Burl
2250   Chakte Viga
2318   Spalted Tamarind
2400   Osage Orange (Argentine)
2400   Santos Mahogany
2410   Figured Bubinga
2410   Quilted Bubinga
2410   Bubinga
2430   Cochen Rosewood
2430   Indian Ebony
2440   E. Indian Rosewood
2480   Tamboti
2490   Red Mallee Burl
2490   Brown Mallee Burl
2500   Tulipwood
2520   Purpleheart
2520   Figured Purpleheart
2532   Marblewood
2620   Amazon Rosewood
2690   Jatoba
2690   Olivewood
2700   Granadillo
2760   Osage Orange (USA)
2900   Bloodwood
2920   Yellow Box Burl
2960   Cocobolo
3000   Mun Ebony
3080   Gaboon Ebony
3080   Royal Ebony
3160   Angelim Pedra
3220   Macassar Ebony
3230   Pink Ivory
3330   Cumaru
3340   Kingwood
3340   Camatillo
3370   Grey Box Burl
3390   Mopani
3590   Brown Ebony
3660   Katalox
3660   Figured Katalox
3670   African Blackwood
3690   Brazilian Ebony
3710   Lignum Vitae (Argentine)
3730   Red Coolibah Burl
3800   Snakewood
4380   Lignum Vitae (Genuine)

End quote.

I have made the font on common gun stock woods bold.

Purple Heart is a fairly "hard" wood, relative to others.  It may be a little more difficult to work.

Martin (I was a forester in a previous career.)
Participant, Red Sea Yacht and Flying Club, 1990-91, on CV-67

[Daryl]

The spalted maple # of 1,450 is interesting - same as hard curly maple, burl and the other maples, showing it is not early rot by any means.

The Purpleheart at 2520  is also interesting. I made a bow of it some time back- like 15 years ago(,maybe more). I made a flat bow and although nice and thin, I found the wood brittle in compression. It's tension strength was good, but the belly failed. i guess it should have been wider than I made it.

As a stock wood it would likely suck, big time. No figure that  I've seen in the wood here and weird grain structure - reminded me of Ramin.

[Greg Pennell]

Purple Heart makes some lovely footed arrow shafts...which is my only experience with the wood.

Greg

[Pukka Bundook]

Ramrods Gents, makes best ramrods.  :-)

[WestBranchSusquehanna]

The following scale is borrowed from the Bell Forest Products Website:

Begin quote:

The Janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular domestic or exotic wood species. The Janka test measures the amount of force required to embed a 0.444" steel ball into the wood to half of its diameter. Woods with a higher rating are harder than woods with a lower rating.
The scale used in the table is pounds-force.

Janka   Specie Name
4380   Lignum Vitae (Genuine)

Thanks for the list:  I used Lignum Vitae for the plates on my vises on the scandinavian workbench I use.  Had to work the wood like a piece of metal it was so hard.  No wonder it was recommended by the book.
I'm also going to keep my eye out for a nice piece of curly cherry for a future build.  Was thinking it was too soft until I read the list.
Thanks again.

[Daryl]

Seems to me, the Brits used a lot of Greenheart for ramrods.  Is this correct, Pucka Bundook?

[Majorjoel]

One of my sons bought me a nice plank of Leopard Wood for Father's Day many years ago.

I still do not know what I will ever do with it?

[stubshaft]

I've used it for bow laminations and footing arrows. 

[Mike Lyons]

Ramrods and toothpicks for filling misdrilled barrel and thimble holes.   

[Pukka Bundook]

Daryl,

I don't know anything about Greenheart.  Very sorry.

R.

[Old Ford2]

The following scale is borrowed from the Bell Forest Products Website:

Begin quote:

The Janka scale is used to determine the relative hardness of particular domestic or exotic wood species. The Janka test measures the amount of force required to embed a 0.444" steel ball into the wood to half of its diameter. Woods with a higher rating are harder than woods with a lower rating.
The scale used in the table is pounds-force.

Janka   Specie Name
350   Buckeye Burl
380   Aspen
410   Basswood
470   Guanacaste (Parota)
490   Butternut
540   American Chestnut
540   Poplar
540   Mappa Burl
600   Spanish Cedar
800   Genuine Mahogany
850   Quilted Western Maple
850   Western Maple Burl
850   Curly Western Maple
850   Black Ash
891   Lacewood
930   Anigre
950   Cherry
950   Tornillo
950   Curly Maple (Red Leaf)
950   Cherry Burl
950   Maple (Red Leaf)
950   Curly Cherry
960   Peruvian Walnut
1010   Walnut
1020   Holly
1055   Curly Pyinma
1100   African Mahogany
1100   Figured Mango
1160   Thuya Burl
1170   Koa
1200   Redheart
1200   Masur Birch
1210   Nicaraguan Rosewood
1220   Red Oak
1220   Curly Oak
1220   Quarter Sawn Red Oak
1220   Spalted Oak
1260   Birch
1260   Amboyna Burl
1260   Curly Narra
1260   Flame Birch
1260   Birch Burl
1260   Narra
1294   Figured Makore
1294   Makore
1320   White Ash
1320   Curly White Ash
1320   Swamp Ash
1330   Shedua
1335   Quarter Sawn White Oak
1335   White Oak
1350   Ebiara
1360   English Brown Oak
1400   Mayan Walnut
1400   Eucalyptus
1439   Quilted Sapele
1450   Birdseye Maple
1450   Hard Maple
1450   Curly Maple (Hard Maple)
1450   Quarter Sawn Maple
1450   Bark Pocket Maple
1450   Hard Maple Burl
1450   Spalted Maple
1450   Rift Sawn Hard Maple
1460   Madrone Burl
1500   Sapele
1520   Canarywood
1548   Honey Locust
1560   Afrormosia
1712   Merbau
1780   Black & White Ebony
1810   Afzelia Burl
1820   Hickory
1830   Zebrawood
1830   Figured Zebrawood
1860   Jarrah Burl
1878   Yellowheart
1900   Red Palm
1930   Wenge
1960   Bolivian Rosewood
1970   Padauk
1970   Ziricote
2010   Bocote
2020   Black Palm
2140   Sucupira
2150   Leopardwood
2160   Goncalo Alves
2200   Chechen
2200   Honduras Rosewood
2200   Honduras Rosewood Burl
2250   Chakte Viga
2318   Spalted Tamarind
2400   Osage Orange (Argentine)
2400   Santos Mahogany
2410   Figured Bubinga
2410   Quilted Bubinga
2410   Bubinga
2430   Cochen Rosewood
2430   Indian Ebony
2440   E. Indian Rosewood
2480   Tamboti
2490   Red Mallee Burl
2490   Brown Mallee Burl
2500   Tulipwood
2520   Purpleheart
2520   Figured Purpleheart
2532   Marblewood
2620   Amazon Rosewood
2690   Jatoba
2690   Olivewood
2700   Granadillo
2760   Osage Orange (USA)
2900   Bloodwood
2920   Yellow Box Burl
2960   Cocobolo
3000   Mun Ebony
3080   Gaboon Ebony
3080   Royal Ebony
3160   Angelim Pedra
3220   Macassar Ebony
3230   Pink Ivory
3330   Cumaru
3340   Kingwood
3340   Camatillo
3370   Grey Box Burl
3390   Mopani
3590   Brown Ebony
3660   Katalox
3660   Figured Katalox
3670   African Blackwood
3690   Brazilian Ebony
3710   Lignum Vitae (Argentine)
3730   Red Coolibah Burl
3800   Snakewood
4380   Lignum Vitae (Genuine)

End quote.

I have made the font on common gun stock woods bold.

Purple Heart is a fairly "hard" wood, relative to others.  It may be a little more difficult to work.

Martin (I was a forester in a previous career.)
Participant, Red Sea Yacht and Flying Club, 1990-91, on CV-67

Hi Martin,
Thank you for the valuable list of woods and their relative hardness.
It is valuable to some of us armchair specialists.
The list has answered some of my concerns.
Best regards!
Fred

[JBJ]

As with so many of the tropical woods (as well as several of the native woods), purple heart can trigger an allergic reaction (notably from the dust) for some folks. The following site is worth book marking for future reference: http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/ . It covers a large number of different species of wood.
J.B.