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Discover the natural beauty and enduring strength of hardwood. Perfect for furniture making, cabinetry, flooring, and custom woodworking projects, our hardwood selection includes a wide variety of species such as maple, ash, walnut, birch, cherry, and more. Whether you’re looking for rough-sawn lumber or live edge slabs, we carry top-quality hardwoods in a range of sizes and finishes to meet your needs. Each piece is carefully sourced for character, grain consistency, and long-lasting performance, ideal for both DIYers and professional craftsmen. As a proudly Canadian company with locally owned stores, Windsor Plywood specializes in hard-to-find wood products and offers expert, one-on-one service to help you bring your vision to life. Visit your local store to browse our full hardwood selection and get the guidance you need for your next project.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is purpleheart wood and what makes it distinctive?
Purpleheart (Peltogyne spp.) is a dense tropical hardwood from Central and South America, instantly recognizable by its vivid purple colour when freshly cut. With a Janka hardness of approximately 1860, it is significantly harder than most domestic hardwoods. The purple colour is a result of chemical compounds in the wood reacting with oxygen; the intensity fades somewhat to a deeper brown-purple with prolonged UV exposure.
What is purpleheart used for in woodworking?
Purpleheart is used for accent pieces in furniture and cabinetry, inlay work, tool handles, pool cues, guitar bodies, cutting boards, turning projects, and any application where a dramatic, high-impact natural colour is the design intent. It is also used structurally for decking and heavy construction in South America due to its exceptional hardness and durability.
Does purpleheart maintain its purple colour over time?
The vivid purple of freshly machined purpleheart fades with UV exposure to a deeper reddish-brown-purple over time. UV-inhibiting clear finishes slow this process but cannot prevent colour change entirely. Keeping purpleheart pieces out of direct sunlight and applying a UV-stable finish coating preserves the colour better than leaving it unfinished or with a standard clear coat.
Is purpleheart difficult to work with?
Yes. Purpleheart's hardness dulls cutting tools quickly and generates significant heat during machining, which can cause the wood surface to turn brown from the heat rather than the expected purple. Use sharp tools, take moderate feed rates, and allow the workpiece to cool between passes. The wood sands cleanly once machined. Finishing requires a sealer coat as purpleheart can bleed colour into surrounding lighter woods in combination pieces.
Does Windsor Plywood carry purpleheart in stock?
Windsor Plywood carries purpleheart as a specialty exotic hardwood subject to current availability. Contact your local Windsor Plywood branch to confirm whether purpleheart is in stock and in the dimensions suited to your project before planning around this species.