Palm Wood

[Scott Allen]

Have been given some palm wood from Florida. I turned a bowl blank.
How do you stabilize it? The end grain is reedy.

 

[N_Addy]

Can't help you with stabilizing but check out Dewey Garrett. He's done some interesting things with Palm.

 

[Steve Worcester]

I have turned both black and red palm, and generally end grain so that you get the stricking visual across the face of the piece.

What I did was turn it thick and paper bagged it for a couple of weeks. It dries fast. After that you can return it again.
I have a friend that turns it and douses it with CA glue to stabilize it.

 

[Scott Allen]

Thanks

Thanks for reply, Garrett does some nice work.

 

[dkulze]

Palm is a big bundle of fibers, like any other wood, but more so. I'd guess it's even more important to make sure and support the grain with each cut. This means that if you're turning the piece end grain (like a spindle), you'd cut center to outside when hollowing (like inside a bowl) and outside to center when turning the outside. Vice versa for side grain.

Dietrich