Purpleheart Small-size Veneers

Purpleheart Small-size Veneers

Genuine wood sliced-veneer sheets.

Selected single veneers, no sequence.

Dimensions:

Fix length of 30 cm long.

Width: From 15 to 21 cm, depending on availability.

Thickness: 0.5 mm.

Sold by the sheet.

Measurement scaling:

Width rounded to the covered centimeter: 15.8 giving 15 cm.

Photos:

To keep the cost of these products as cheap as possible and contrary to other veneers on this website, the pictures of small-size veneers do not represent the available stock.

What are Small-size Veneers?

These are veneer sheets with a fixed length of 30 cm (exactly 30.5 cm).

These sheets are not in a continuous sequence and may come from different logs.

What is Purpleheart wood veneer?

What are the common names of Purpleheart?

Amaranth, Cayenne Mahogany, Violeta, Roxinho.

What is the botanical name of Purpleheart?

Peltogyne mexicana, P. paniculata and P. venosa.

What is the origin of Purpleheart wood?

The Purpleheart tree is indigenous to Central and South America. Its geographical distribution spans from central Mexico to central Brazil, encompassing French Guiana.

How to identify Purpleheart wood?

The distinctive feature of Purpleheart wood is its striking purple color. When freshly cut, the wood appears grayish-purple but quickly deepens to a rich violet hue upon exposure to light.

This hardwood species has a fine texture with slightly open pores, similar to those found in walnut wood. The color is generally consistent throughout the veneer, with minimal grain patterns. The sapwood is a lighter grayish color.

What are the mechanical properties of Purpleheart wood?

Density: Approximately 900 kg/m3 at 10-12% moisture content.

Janka Hardness: 11090 Newtons, for comparison: Oak is 4980 N, and Poplar is 1650 N.

Modulus of Elasticity: 20.26 Gigapascals, for comparison: US Maple is 12.62 GPa, and Poplar is 9.75 GPa.

Flexural Strength: 83 Megapascals, for comparison: US Maple is 109 MPa, and Yew is 96 MPa.

What are the applications of Purpleheart wood?

High-end furniture: Purpleheart is often used for luxury furniture pieces due to its rich color and high density.

Inlays and marquetry: Its distinctive color makes it ideal for intricate inlay work and marquetry designs.

Cabinetry: Purpleheart is used for cabinets and other storage units, adding a touch of elegance and durability.

Guitar fretboards: Its hardness and density make it a popular choice for guitar fretboards, providing excellent durability and a smooth playing surface.

Other instruments: Purpleheart is also used for other musical instruments, such as violin bows and parts of pianos.

Jewelry: Purpleheart is sometimes used in jewelry making, such as for beads and pendants.

Custom woodworking projects: Purpleheart can be used for a variety of custom woodworking projects, such as decorative boxes, cutting boards, and architectural elements.

Due to its unique properties and striking appearance, Purpleheart is a highly sought-after wood species for a wide range of applications.

What is wood veneer?

Veneers are thin sheets of wood obtained by slicing or peeling.

Their surface has the appearance of planed wood without any finish or treatment. They are neither glued nor backed with any other material. This means that both faces of the sheets can be used.

Veneers are mainly used to cover less aesthetic substrates such as plywood or particleboard to make furniture or wall panels.

Wood veneers are also used to create decorative objects such as lamps, jewelry, bookmarks, and more.

By assembling several sheets of veneer on top of each other, it is possible to manufacture objects requiring high mechanical resistance, such as skis, bicycle frames, or musical instruments.

The applications of veneer are as varied as they are multiple.

Since veneers are genuine wood, all wood finishing products, whether varnish, stain, or oil, are suitable. The choice of finish will depend on your personal preferences and the final use of the object.

The veneer offered here is a sliced sheet of uniform thickness, but the thickness might differ from one species to another. The standard thickness is around 0.6 mm.

Although the edges of the veneers have been cut roughly straight, the cut is not perfectly parallel. Some veneers may retain the natural taper of the tree, being slightly wider at the foot than at the top.

Some veneers may have a trace of a waney edge (an edge following the tree's natural shape) on the sides. In this case, the dimensions indicated correspond to the minimum width of the veneer, as specified in the "Dimensions" paragraph.

How to use veneers?

How to cut the veneers?

Veneers can be easily cut with a utility knife.

For straight cuts, the best results are obtained with a veneer saw.

Use a fretsaw, scalpel, or veneer knife for curved cuts.

Always allow for a slightly larger veneer sheet than your intended surface. This will allow you to adjust the size after gluing for a clean finish.

A flush trimmer can also be used to trim the veneer after gluing.

When cutting with a utility knife or veneer knife, it is best to cut with the grain of the wood. To check this, run your finger along the edge of the sheet. The direction that feels smoothest is the ideal direction for cutting.

What is veneer splicing?

As the veneers have the width that nature gave us, you might need to cover an area wider than the veneers available.

Therefore, you need to splice the veneers by gluing or fixing them side by side with tape to obtain the desired width.

Trim the veneer's edges with a straight and smooth cut to realize good jointing.

Stick the veneers with tape (the blue one is a good choice.)

Usually, the veneers are spliced side by side, but to obtain a longer length, they can be done foot by foot.

The splicing must be done before gluing the veneers on the substrate.

What Glue to Use for Veneering?

Several types of gluing are possible.

Vinylic glue (PVA or PVB) is well adapted to porous substrates such as plywood, particle board, or MDF. The veneers must be pressed with clamps over the entire surface at once.

Note: A technique using vinylic glue and an iron can also be used to glue veneers, but we strongly recommend choosing this technique only if other gluing solutions are impossible.

- Neoprene glue is applied to all surfaces, especially non-porous surfaces, using two coats of glue and marouflage.

- Animal glue, such as hide, sinew, or bone glue, are pellets that must be cooked in a double boiler and used hot.

How to Sand Veneers?

Veneers and all our products are genuine wood and can be sanded according to thickness.

Please do not use a belt sander, regardless of the thickness of the veneer, as this could pierce it.

With a 0.6 mm veneer, lightly sand with 120 grit and then finish with 180 or 240 grit. With an orbital sander, 180 grit is already sufficient for most applications.

How to Finish a Veneer Realization?

All finishing products generally used for wood are suitable for finishing our products. For example, you can use a varnish, wax, paint, or oil.

However, ensure that the product you want to use is compatible with the final use of your creation.

More information:

Please look at our TUTORIALS; you might find some valuable tips.

Please contact us by email or phone for any additional information.