Palm wood - any good for turning?

[holzman]

I am talking about the average Sydney backyard palm. Can palm-wood(?) actually be turned? Anyone got any experience?

I picked up a couple of slices of the trunk of a palm from the side of the road. 500mm dia. - quite spongy, i could poke the car key easily into the freshly cut logs. Maybe too fresh? Should i leave them to dry a little first?
Cheers

[Termite]

Take it back where you found it, rubbish.;)

[rowie]

as with banksia nuts,most palm wood is too soft to turn successfully bar a couple of types, if not only one and even the densest black palm can be very splintery and chip very easy.maybe u could soak it in a (polyglycol?) solution to hold it together/allow a good finish once turned? any methods that are used for spalted/punky/rotten wood should be successful.
cheers,

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

What rowie said. :)

I've seen a couple of palm bowls turned by different blokes and they're definitely unique... but one thing both blokes agreed on: "great learning experience, won't be doing another."

I know one of 'em used the "turn a bit, smother in CA" method and I believe the other vac-soaked his with PolyU, although I can't say for sure. I'm not sure whether PEG (PolyEthylene Glycol) would work... sure, it's great for treating wet wood but it's hardly my idea of a good binding agent.

[Cliff Rogers]

Black Palm & the outer parts of big old Coconut can be turned but the result is an aquired taste.... bit like turned grass tree. :cool: