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Offline S.C. hunter

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Purple Heart...any ideas ?
« on: March 26, 2018, 06:50:53 pm »
Hey Guys,
  A friend gave me this board. It's 69" long, 2.5" wide, and 1" thick. Any suggestions on what type bow would be possible from it ?
What would be a good backing material?
My draw length is 27", so plenty of wood I think.
   Thanks,
     Steve
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Offline Hamish

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Re: Purple Heart...any ideas ?
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2018, 07:38:59 pm »
Best chance of success, back it with hickory, keep the belly flat. Even so ph can be temperamental. Sometimes it seems to chrysal and sometimes its  is rock hard, and can survive on the belly.

Works best as a decorative core lamination
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Limbit

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Re: Purple Heart...any ideas ?
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2018, 07:43:11 pm »
Advice: save it for risers, tips or core lams. The stuff is not really a belly wood in any way and you'd be lucky if it didn't start to have issues. You can buy a board of Ipe for the belly, use the purple heart in the core and then back it with boo, maple, hickory or ash. It will make a good bow that way.
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Offline Springbuck

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Re: Purple Heart...any ideas ?
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2018, 08:01:44 pm »
  I'm not totally against the idea, but my experience with purple heart wasn't great.  It is one of those woods (my list includes paduak, purpleheart, wenge, and cumaru) that is very hard, very stiff, and NOT very elastic.   One of those woods that will never take set, but will crack or fret readily.

I remember seeing exactly TWO adult-sized, decent draw weight, purpleheart bows, one backed with hickory and one backed with bamboo.   They looked cool as heck, though.

  I did make a couple really nice 45-48" kids bows with it, with bamboo backs which were really snappy little bows, but both eventually broke under essentially normal use by kids, taking big frets off the fades and collapsing.
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Offline Trapper Rob

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Re: Purple Heart...any ideas ?
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2018, 08:07:05 pm »
Check with bubby I think he made one with purpleheart.
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Offline bubby

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Re: Purple Heart...any ideas ?
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2018, 10:58:44 pm »
I made a nice purpleheart bow, maple backed. Pyramid layout to evenly stress the wood , 2"wide and 68" ttt should get you a nice drawlength safely
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failure is an option, everyone fails, it's how you handle it that matters.
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Offline bubby

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Re: Purple Heart...any ideas ?
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2018, 11:00:21 pm »
And it is tough wood on tools
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failure is an option, everyone fails, it's how you handle it that matters.
The few the proud the 27🏹

Offline Bayou Ben

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Re: Purple Heart...any ideas ?
« Reply #7 on: March 27, 2018, 08:43:41 am »
I second bubby's response on being tough on tools.  The worst wood I've worked with in that regard. 
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Purple Heart...any ideas ?
« Reply #8 on: March 27, 2018, 08:50:10 am »
I bought a nice board of PH and kept it around for handle build ups, tip over lays and such.
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Offline BowEd

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Re: Purple Heart...any ideas ?
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2018, 08:59:49 am »
Never made a bow from purple heart yet.Heard the grain needs to be closely inspected.Depending on type of bow design.Rather touchy stuff.I get scrap pieces from my FG bow making friends for embellishments on bows and footing douglas fir or spruce arrows.
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BowEd
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Offline S.C. hunter

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Re: Purple Heart...any ideas ?
« Reply #10 on: March 27, 2018, 03:08:32 pm »
Well, I'm glad I asked before I started on anything. It's nice to have all this information so readily available.   I appreciate the thoughts.
 Bubby, I had thought about a pyramid style.
  I know what you guys mean about it being hard on tools, I made some knife handles out of some before, man I couldn't believe how it dulled a sander belt.
 I'm gonna think this one over for a while.
 Thanks everyone,
   Steve
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Offline Greenriverwoodcraft

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Re: Purple Heart...any ideas ?
« Reply #11 on: April 04, 2018, 07:08:16 pm »
I make purple heart pyramid flatbows that I back with hickory.  I know going in they have a higher chance of breaking than something like hickory backed ash or maple etc but I also realize if it does survive that bow will shoot harder pound for pound than other board bows and will take less set on average.  Plus it looks really sharp when completed.
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