A good wood supplier?

[strat_addict]

I'm wanting to build a Trainwreck styled head cab with Purple Heart. I tried emailing Wood Worker Source but its been a while and I haven't heard anything back. Can anyone recommend a high quality wood supplier that would sell me pre-cut Purple Heart (to my specifications, this wood can sometimes be somewhat hard to work with) at a reasonable price?

[Jackie Treehorn]

http://macbeath.com/products/lumber/exotics.html

[hitchcaster]

FYI its very heavy.... and it expands and contracts alot... so even though it looks cool might give you problems.. im not saying don't go for it, just a heads up

[JamesHealey]

Don't inhale any of the dust from the purple heart wood when you're sanding it, it's not very good for you at all.

[strat_addict]

FYI its very heavy.... and it expands and contracts alot... so even though it looks cool might give you problems.. im not saying don't go for it, just a heads up

I don't know where you got that but everywhere I read, it says its very durable and will last a long time.

[Plexified]

Here is a fabulous source I've been using for years .

Tell them Courtney and David from 2018Customs sent you !

Purple heart is very heavy , dense and absolutely beautiful .

But after you browse their site , I'm sure you will be drooling , David

Report back !

oops almost forgot the link

http://www.woodworkerssource.com/

[strat_addict]

Here is a fabulous source I've been using for years .

Tell them Courtney and David from 2018Customs sent you !

Purple heart is very heavy , dense and absolutely beautiful .

But after you browse their site , I'm sure you will be drooling , David

Report back !

oops almost forgot the link

http://www.woodworkerssource.com/

I tried emailing them over a month ago for a price quote and there's still no reply from them. I think I'll just try some place local and hand pick my purple heart.

[CapnCrunch]

Strat Addict,

Where are you located? If you're in the U.S. and are near any large city, you probably have a supplier near you. Have you looked in the yellow pages under Hardwoods? Most large cities have at least one hardwood supplier. You might also look under architectural woods or supply. You could also call a local cabinet shop and ask them where you could buy hardwood locally. I would personally have a hard time buying hardwood that I couldn't touch and look at.

If you are set on Purple Heart, go for it. Almost all tropical hardwoods, are very dense, and heavy. The rule of thumb with hardwood is the denser it is, the more it moves. All wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity. The denser it is, the more it expands and contracts. As long as you use good joinery techniques, this movement will not affect your cabinet at all. If you build the cabinet as shown in the plans in the TW files section, you will be fine.

Depending on where you live, the effect of seasonal movement due to humidity changes can either be negligible, or very significant. If you live in the desert, you won't see much movement. If you live in the Northwest, you'll see a lot (I repaired an outdoor deck in the Seattle area which was decked with Ipe, that literally pushed itself off the house). The upside is, in the Northern hemisphere, we are in Summer, so your wood should not expand beyond where it is now. It would contract in Winter. Therefore, you shouldn't have to worry about the front (valance?) expanding against your chassis and pushing your box apart.

The other thing to think about is how you will finish the Purple Heart. If you don't use a finish with UV blockers, it will not stay that striking Purple color. It will eventually turn brown.

+1 on using caution when working any tropical hardwood. Some of these woods can actually be deadly if you inhale the dust when sanding or cutting. I have heard of cases where people go into anaphylactic shock from allergic reaction to the dust. Kind of like bee stings. To some folks they're just annoying, to others they are deadly.

[CapnCrunch]

double post

[strat_addict]

I live in the Midwest. I looked in the yellow pages and found a good place to get exotic hardwoods.

Now, I'm a little worried about it expanding and contracting because we get all of the seasons in all of their glory...

I'm considering about going with a Swamp Ash or an Alder and just giving it a nice purple finish...

[CapnCrunch]

Seriously,

As long as you buy dry wood, and if you're buying it from a retailer or wholesaler that specializes is hard woods it will be, you really don't have to worry about movement too much. If you were talking about a table top with bread board ends, then yes you'd have to design for the movement. However, in a project the size of a head cab, you'll be fine if you allow just a little room between your valance and the chassis. Everything else in the cabinet is moving in the same direction and at the same rate, so movement is irrelevant. Where you have to worry is when you have boards joined cross grain to long grain. Wood moves the most tangential to the growth rings. It moves less radial to the rings and almost not at all in length.

I'm not saying that alder with a stain couldn't be cool, but it won't be the same, and it won't be as cool

There are a few wipe on, brush on (or spray on) finishes that offer good UF protection. Sikkens offers a couple interior clear finishes that give good UV protection to preserve the Purple.

[CapnCrunch]

Double again.

[Woodworkers Source]

Hi strat-addict,

This is Craig from Woodworkers Source. Unfortunately, for some reason I had not received your email. I will be happy to help supply you with the wood for your project. It might be best if you called me at our toll-free number. I have plenty of Purpleheart in stock, and can do some limited milling. I will look forward to hearing from you!

Craig Haggarton
wood@woodworkerssource.com
800-423-2450

[joebob]

http://woodfinder.com/

[bigbeck]

Very elegant with just a clear Tung oil finish. The poor pic doesn't show how nice this 18 watt really looks. About 3.00 per foot for 1x8 and 3.75 for 1x10. You just need to be patient and wait for a good batch to come in. I have about 4 Home Depot stores within 10 miles of my home so it's never a problem in finding the "good stuff".