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purple heart doesn't bend

john lucas

john lucas

AAW Forum Expert
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
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Location
Cookeville, TN
I bought a piece of purple heart at Woodcraft that was long and narrow. thought it would be perfect for my fan inlay mirrors. WRONG. That stuff won't bend. I cut it down to thickness and it wouldn't bend so I made it thinner. Flexed a little so I thought it would work. NOT. could not force it bend as tight as I needed. So I boiled it for an hour. I was barely able to bend it around the tightest radius. I usually put it in the form bent overnight so that it's pre bent and gluing is easier. After pulling it out of the form it sprang back to almost straight. So I decided to glue it anyway because glue is slippery and figured I could force it into shape. Struggle, struggle, struggle, tighten, tighten, tighten. Finally got it together but could not get the all the gaps out. OH well I figured I would have to toss it. After it dried I put it on the lathe and turned away some thickness. Surprise, I turned through the gaps that didn't close and was able to complete the mirror. This one will have to cool down for a week or so after all the lanquage used. I'm going to cut another thin piece and try soaking it in vinegar. I've had good luck in the past bending woods to extreme using the vinegar soak. Of course it changes the color of some woods so it still might not work. Hate to just toss that piece of wood. OH I forgot, there aren't any scraps in my shop. It just might become miniature goblets.
 

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I often use several layers of veneer size thicknesses. Makes gluing interesting trying to get glue on all the various pieces. Especially when you use 3 pieces of veneer between each maple layer. I like the looks of one thicker layer but obviously it limits the wood I can use.
 
As hard of wood that purpleheart is I would be afraid that the memory of the purpleheart might someday try to spread your laminates back apart.
 
No don't think that will ever happen. I do have to be careful how I run the grain and you'll see that I ran the grain for the mirror in the same direction as the grain runs in the purple heart. I've never done one the other way to find out. May have to do that as a test mirror some day.
 
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