purple heart wood

I can't comment on the hit, but my personal opinion is that purple heart is among the UGLIEST woods that can be used in a cue. Again, that's just my own personal opinion.
 
My friend John Parker, of Auerbach Custom Cues, makes several Purple Heart Cues a year. Folks in Tulsa like them real well. He has also made several ebony shafts too...

see www.auerbachcustomcues.com

There are several players locally that Break Cues made from Purple Heart.
 
purpleheart

i like it!!!!
have a few cues in the works with purpleheart, two with curly purpleheart

my personal cue is an old brunswick house cue i converted, my first conversion btw

notice the purple font? :D​

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in attachments, bottom cue has curly purpleheart handle, not completed yet. that is last coat of clear, still have to rub out
 

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i've seen a range of ph. it is a flat wood with no particular grain pattern of note. i think people like grain(it's why they like cocoboloa). i have a curly ph that's fantastic,,,,,,but it's curly, and that's why.

it could also be that people have seen ph in it's poorest light. imo, i think it needs to be other dark woods to really show off. as a standalone, because it leans to reddish purple, red is rather gaudy to begin with. i don't like plain jane ph.
 
A cuemaker friend of mine tells me that purpleheart is a poison wood
that causes the same reaction as poison ivy if working with it without protection, and he says it's real nasty on the lungs if not protected. I have no reason to doubt him, but I don't know.
 
I think that it was actually tulipwood that was mentioned as not very popular. I have seen some really unbelieveable cues done in purpleheart...and purpleheart Titlists are pretty sought after.

The thing with purpleheart is, it can come in a variety of hues....I personally do not care for the lighter shades of purpleheart. I think if you can get a dark rich purpleheart, it'll make for a very lovely cue. It will turn brown on you if exposed to the light...not sure if a UV finish would eliminate this or not.

Like purpleheart, cocobolo is also a 'toxic' wood as far as inhaling the wood dust goes.

Lisa
 
Purpleheart

Purpleheart, like any wood, can become very difficult to work with for anyone that builds up a reaction to it. It is not, however, like cocbolo which causes a rash most of the time even with first time users. (I have turned purpleheart bowls with no reaction.) Some people have even developed a reaction to pine over time, a wood that is usually very benign.

All wood dust is a carcinogen and without dust collection and proper filtering, exposure to it is bad for everyone.:(

Purpleheart is one of my favorite woods along with ebony and my current playing cue is purplheart with ebony outlined, curly maple points.

Purpleheart, by the way, was used as the wood for the keel of sailing ships in the 16th and 17th centuries. It's very hard and stout, extremely water resistant and finishes beautifully. It looks very dull brown when first cut and then turn purple with exposure to air and sunlight. It is a very noble wood!

I love the feel of the hit with it.

Just my 2 cents.

Brian in VA
 
As with any wood there is a huge variance in color and grain. I happen to like the cues that i have seen with purple heart in them. I will say i prefer PH wood to be used more in points and inlays than an entire forarm.
 
asiasdad said:
A cuemaker friend of mine tells me that purpleheart is a poison wood
that causes the same reaction as poison ivy if working with it without protection, and he says it's real nasty on the lungs if not protected. I have no reason to doubt him, but I don't know.
Click to expand...

i might be wrong but i think all oily woods are like that. bocote i think is also oily.
 
Purple heart is one of the less toxic woods that I have worked with, but people can certainly have reactions from it. Anybody can be allergic to the oils or dust of any wood. It is true that oily woods are more likely to be toxic or cause reactions, but there are plenty of exceptions on both sides of that. One of the most toxic woods (in dust form anyways) is the very dry century plant, and some very oily woods like olive are relatively non-offensive. When used for shafts, PH provides a very stiff hit, best suited for jump/breaks or billiard cues. Getting the pores sealed for use as a shaft can be a pain in the ass though. As for looks, it is all personal opinion, some like it, and some don't. My wife plays with a purple heart and ebony cue that I made for her, and she loves it. The only issue I've had working with it, is that the pores are really big, and it takes some extra preperation before applying the clear coat. I have not come across the perception that it is a less popular wood, but what do I know?
 
I just recieved my Purple Heart SP from ZIM today and used it for several hours tonight playing with it, and while it may not be fancy( 4 point ), I like the simple look of the cue. And it plays very nice too :)


I also seen a plain Purple Heart Gilbert with a white wrap, and DAMN for $375 it was very nice looking for being plain.

But its all personal preference.
 
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