# Purpleheart bed WIP



## Woodmonkey (12 Sep 2014)

Making a bed for a mate in purpleheart (I know!). Thought I would start a wip if anyone is interested. It's a simple design, the bed will be up on a mezzanine with a low ceiling, so it will be a low, chunky design. The wood has been sitting for a little while in the workshop, I started ripping some of it down today.


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## Zeddedhed (12 Sep 2014)

I'm looking forward to seeing this one through. Especially interested in details of the joints you'll be using and if you're feeling so inclined what decision making process influences the choice of one joint over another.
Only if you're so inclined that is....


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## deema (12 Sep 2014)

Wow, what a wonderful bed it will be made from Purple Heart. Where ever did you get the timber may I ask?

Thanks


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## Steve-O (13 Sep 2014)

Wow, that is beautiful looking wood, looking forward to seeing how this progresses! 

Stephen


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## Woodmonkey (14 Sep 2014)

The headboard & foot board will be dominoed together (probably two rows of the 50mm) the side rails will be attached using concealed bed bolts so that it can be disassembled. I've made several beds using this method. I like the concealed ones as you don't need to have a bolt head protruding through the leg.
The wood came from Yandles in Somerset. Its a bit of a trek from Bristol, but it's worth it as they have such a good variety of timber and you can pick through and select the bits you want, so can minimise wastage.


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## Fat ferret (14 Sep 2014)

Is purple heart like green heart? ie. weighs a lot and very hard? Best of luck.


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## Woodmonkey (14 Sep 2014)

Yes it weighs a lot and yes it's very hard! Apparently they build bridges out of it in south America


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## Woodmonkey (15 Sep 2014)

Had a morning planing wood, everything is dimensioned now, except for some cross cutting which I prefer to do only when I have to.
These roller stands make life much easier when planing heavy boards like these on my hobby sized machine





The four rails just need cutting to length





These five pieces will be laminated together to make the headboard. The legs are in the background (one will be cut in half to make the two short legs)


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## Woodmonkey (16 Oct 2014)

After some time off I've finished this bed off this week, not much of a wip I'm afraid, I didn't remember to take many photos but it's all fairly straight forward stuff. Someone was interested in the joints, there's a threaded insert which is screwed and epoxied into a 14mm hole in the leg. This then accepts a length of threaded rod.




There's a couple of domino holes there too, the dominos are glued into the rails, I've done the same joint before just using a traditional tenon. The dominos keep it all aligned and then the nut is tightened to bring it all together.




The notch cut out from the cleat was to improve access for the spanner to tighten the nut.
The slats & centre rail are just 3x1 softwood with the corners rounded over. 
Finish is 3 coats of Danish oil. Wasn't sure about a purpleheart bed when i started but it's grown on me and i quite like it now it's finished.Will try and post some better pics when it's delivered and in situ.


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## paulm (16 Oct 2014)

Nice work 

Will the finish stop the timber reverting back to a brown colour over time do you think ?

Cheers, Paul


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## Woodmonkey (16 Oct 2014)

I've no idea, time will tell! I believe it gradually darkens in sunlight, but don't know what final colour it will end up.


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## Noel (23 Oct 2014)

Lovely bed. Nice touch putting the spanner notch in.
Did you make the half moon "washers" (is there a proper name for them?) or buy them?


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## Noel (23 Oct 2014)

No worries, found some, although I'm sure prices vary.
http://www.bedslats.co.uk/half-moon-was ... nents.html


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## Woodmonkey (23 Oct 2014)

I got all the hardware including the spanner from here:
https://www.scfhardware.co.uk/index.php ... /3/p-00303


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## Eric The Viking (26 Oct 2014)

I think there are different species, all called "purpleheart" with different characteristics. 

I got a board from Yandles some years back, intending to make boxes with it, but...

- It really stinks when you cut it. The smell is, to me, nauseating. I have some offcuts left in a drawer, and they still smell horrid, years afterwards. It really puts me off using it for boxes, unless I could cedar line them or something.

- I put a pile of shavings on a sunny windowsill, and some outside in the sun. Both went a dull light brown fairly fast.

- the grain is heavily interlocked and (to me) boring to look at. It also has mineral inclusions that blunt tools fast, and a resinous sap (the smell?) that scorches very easily when crosscutting on the tablesaw. 

There was a whole mini web site on purpleheart a while ago, but even that didnt have a definitive answer to the colour fading issue. I think the "intensity deepens" thing is a woody urban myth.

I have decided I hate the stuff. If God created gimmicky wood, it's either this or zebrano.

E.

PS: the splinters are proven to be Satanic in origin, probably voodoo. I got one, unfortunately: it needed exorcism, as well as a sharp scalpel and tweezers.


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## Woodmonkey (26 Oct 2014)

I think there must be different types as this stuff didn't have any noticeable smell, and I didn't notice it blunting the tools at all. Also it went brown when freshly cut or sanded but quite quickly returned to purple after exposure to light/ air.
Incidently I turned a purpleheart bowl for my mum a few years ago not long after I started turning (at least five years ago) it's been on the bathroom window sill in the sun with pot pouri in it and it's still purple, quite a nice deep ruby-brown-purple colour.


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## Eric The Viking (27 Oct 2014)

I should have said: I like the bed design, even if I struggle with the wood itself.

It would be nice to get to the bottom of the mystery. The stuff I have is definitely purple, but really doesn't sound like what you've been using. Unfortunately, it's too long ago to find out where it came from. The only species books I have just list it as one thing, so no help there.

Even so, I bet the splinters on the stuff you used are still vile, even if they don't pong!

;-)

E.


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## Woodmonkey (27 Oct 2014)

Yep the splinters were evil!


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## whiskywill (16 Jun 2018)

Woodmonkey":1p81bvbl said:


> I think there must be different types as this stuff didn't have any noticeable smell, and I didn't notice it blunting the tools at all. Also it went brown when freshly cut or sanded but quite quickly returned to purple after exposure to light/ air.
> Incidently I turned a purpleheart bowl for my mum a few years ago not long after I started turning (at least five years ago) it's been on the bathroom window sill in the sun with pot pouri in it and it's still purple, quite a nice deep ruby-brown-purple colour.



I made this about three years ago and it has no finish on it. It is kept in a room which gets a reasonable amount of sunlight and hasn't faded and it certainly didn't smell any different to any other wood I have used.


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## whiskywill (26 Jun 2018)

Very strange! 

I did not post this on June 18th 2018. It was supposedly at 9.44 on a Saturday morning. I never, ever, ever visit this site, or any other, on a Saturday.


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## ScaredyCat (26 Jun 2018)

whiskywill":280i2qns said:


> Very strange!
> 
> I did not post this on June 18th 2018. It was supposedly at 9.44 on a Saturday morning. I never, ever, ever visit this site, or any other, on a Saturday.



It says 16th, not 18th ....


...... whooaa double confusion :shock: 16th was a Saturday...

.


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## Fergal (26 Jun 2018)

Woodmonkey":25pvgg72 said:


> I think there must be different types as this stuff didn't have any noticeable smell, and I didn't notice it blunting the tools at all. Also it went brown when freshly cut or sanded but quite quickly returned to purple after exposure to light/ air.



I got a few pieces of Purpleheart from Yandles offcut bin to experiment with and they did the exact opposite, really nice purple colour when freshly cut then turning brown when touched or sanded. They did smell a bit too when cut, not as bad as Wenge though which smells like elephant poo (I imagine).


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## whiskywill (27 Jun 2018)

ScaredyCat":1qbseped said:


> whiskywill":1qbseped said:
> 
> 
> > Very strange!
> ...



My typing is slipping. It was indeed the 16th, which was a Saturday. There must be a gremlin in the system.


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