Holden

I plan to make a serving tray using spalted maple 20in long by 3in wide half an inch thick strips with 2in by 3/4in thick Purpleheart as a border. Are these two woods compatible for gluing together with titebond II or III or should I consider another glue, or even epoxy? The tray will be a gift so a failed glue joint sometime down the line would be an embarassment. I guess my concern is that the two woods may be dissimilar enough in density and porosity that they would expand and contract at different enough rates to crack the bond at the mating surfaces. What do you think? Holden

Julian the woodnut

Any of the TB glues will work fine with those two woods. Purple heart isn't oily like ipe is. Whenever you're in doubt, just test the glue with two small pieces and see what happens.

firehawkmph

Holden,
I agree with Julian. I use purpleheart and maple all the time on my peppermills and nothing has ever come apart. I use titebond III.
Mike Hawkins

Garmar

I made a chessboard out of maple and walnut, with 1/8" strips of purpleheart separating the blocks, about 15 years ago. They held up fine.

One thing to consider in your situation is with gluing a 3/4" strip to the end grain. It may eventually cause joint failure with different expansion and contraction rates if the tray is very wide. Maple is a very stable wood though. Generally it's best not to capture end grain if possible. Have you considered inlaying the purpleheart? A 1/4" inch deep rabbit 3/4" wide with miters would create a very nice affect and virtually eliminate any problems.

Holden

Thanks Garmar I have used similar approaches to the end grain problem in the past with good results. There will be small brass mooring cleats attached to the ends with screws too, and by using longer screws in counter bored holes near the corners I hope to accomplish a mechanical attachment too. Holden

Holden

Thanks Julian for the welcome, and thanks Mike for your assuring experience. Holden

Texas Malamute

I used thin strips of Purpleheart to border both Ambrosia Maple and African Mahogany in a pistol case I made. It glued nicely to both woods, and added a nice decorative touch.

Since you are bordering the Maple with the Purpleheart, will your design allow you to put maple splines in the corners, or Maple dowels on the sides for extra strength?

Holden

Thanks for the idea Texas Malamute, I'll be cutting the corners away with a hole saw to give it an oddly proportioned Maltese cross appearance and splining would definitely add some strength there. Holden