Any suggestions ????????

[smiife]

hi guys,
any sugestions on what to do with this....be nice now !!!!!!!!!:o:o
driving down a road the other day and heard a chainsaw
so i immediatly had to go and have a looksee.:)(.
my name is michael and i am a woodaholic:U:U


the guys were cutting up a palm tree and loading it in a truck
all that was left was this piece i salvaged from the jaws of a
bobcat,so of course i had to have it,so driving away from the scene
i thought what do i do with it !!!!!!!!!!! :think2:
cheers smiife:2tsup:

[issatree]

Hi smiife,
That is a good question. I think I would cut a piece off, big enough to do a Bowl, & turn the other piece upside down, & place up against a Northeast Wall, & let the water? run out.
I can't see any Pith, Yes I said Pith? so it could be OK to Turn.

[smiife]

hi issatree,
yeah no pith,just very fibrous,i am not sure it won't just
fall apart when the ''bark'' comes off,so i thought i
would ask the experts.
cheers smiife:2tsup:

[Arry]

how on earth did

1. you fit it in your car?
2. Carry the thing?

[smiife]

hi arry,
i told you i am a woodaholic:roll::roll:
1..i drive a courier van around all day ,so plenty of room most days
always room for more timber:U
2..it was only 830mmx200mm so i put on my shoulder :cool:
cheers smiife:2tsup:

[nz_carver]

Hey just thinking :rolleyes:
here's a idear Just might work if you try hard

Turn it!!!:D

[Mobyturns]

"what do you do with it?" Watch it dry and become an unturnable lump!

The trunk looks suspiciously like an alexander or bangalow palm, they don't have the same characteristics & properties like black / red / coconut / Fiji fan palms etc used for timber. Some turners have turned royal palms & I have experimented with some palms in Nth QLD. Unfortunately some show promise and have similar features to black palms but do not have the same strength or durability in the filler and break down rather quickly. The other issue is some palms that do have value as timber don't show those same properties when grown in a domestic situation as their relatively high growth rates degrade the timber.

[TTIT]

:whs:
I managed to get an egg turned from a similar lump but what was left has gone black with mould and will be going to the green waste next trip!

[hughie]

I've got some that I managed to dry out and not get attacked by the dreaded mould. Looks fairly featureless and very fidrous I suspect I wll be dumping it.

[smiife]

thanks guys,
so i guess i should have left it where it was:oo::oo:
maybe it will fit in the green bin or i could send it to
nz carver, freight on.... he had a good idea :o:o:o
only joking .. thanks again guys always a mile of infomation
on the forum
cheers smiife:2tsup:

[ogato]

I have turned a couple of palms and was quite happy with what I produced. Best results with palms that are relatively solid right across the diameter, most likely the very bottom of the tree. I found that the bottom meter or so of Bangalow Palms were the best, and I found a couple of Cocos Palms that were OK too.

I turned a couple of Bangalow bowls end grain; using wood hardener to firm up the softer centre section, and I made a couple of flatter Cocos Palm bowls/platters where the outer section was solid but the pith was too spongy.

Photo below of the Bangalow bowls. The browner Bangalow bowl was relatively aged/dry when turned, the bowl in the foreground was turned wet, dried and re-turned which may account for the colour difference.

Jeff<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

[Paul39]

I saw a mushroom made of palm in my favorite hardware store the other day. It was gorgeous!

As for mold. Cut to size and dip in straight vinegar or 10 - 20 % household bleach and water for about 10 minutes and let dry.

[smiife]

hi guys,
today i was just about to throw the log in the green bin,
and then i saw ogato's photo;s of a nice couple of bowls
and decided to give it a go ,and thanks paul for your advice too!
it is always good to try something differant and take on a challenge
so thanks again guys:U
cheers smiife :2tsup:

[soundman]

As for mould, boarax is ya friend, hot water and as much as will disolve then drown all open faces as soon as possible, it will keep the insects at bay too.

As for the palm...yep as some have said, most of them are pretty useless unprocessed, but they are very good candidates for stabilisation.

Once dry they tend to be soft and spongy, so they soak up resin pretty well.

cheers

[ogato]

Hi Smiife
I use the Tony Greig cricket pitch test to guage whether or not palms are solid enough to use. Try poking your car key in the end of the log - if there's reasonable resistance, it may be OK, but if it goes in easily the log will almost invariably be too soft and fibrous to mount on the lathe.
A couple of pics of a bit of Alexander palm picked up recently. One is the base of the trunk - can get the key in but with a bit of effort; the other end of the piece of trunk, about 1meter up, it's much softer - the key goes in easily all the way. This end would not be usable.
For the bowls in the earlier posting, I mounted using a tenon about 2.5cm.
Best of luck with the project, get back in touch if you need.
Jeff

[smiife]

hi guys,
thanks soundy and jeff
some usefull info there,will try the key test on the weekend:cool:
thanks again
cheers smiife:2tsup:

[Mobyturns]

most likely the very bottom of the tree. I found that the bottom meter or so of Bangalow Palms were the best, <!-- google_ad_section_end -->

I agree with Ogato the base is definitely worth a look as I have had the same experience with palms. I have also seen bangles made from parts of Mcarthur palms.

[smiife]

I agree with Ogato the base is definitely worth a look as I have had the same experience with palms. I have also seen bangles made from parts of Mcarthur palms.


hi mobyturns,
could you show the bangles....any pics:U
is macarthur palm the same as this piece???
cheers smiife:2tsup:

[ogato]

Hi Smiife

I've got stuck into the Alexander Palm which I've had lying around for a while. Not sure when it was cut down, but I've had it here for 3-4 months. So far have just roughed it - I'll now let it dry for 3-6 months.

I sawed off the base 220mm, attached a faceplate to the top end (which will become the inside) - the reason I do it this way is that the lower section is firmer and therefore will be a stronger tenon and later base of the bowl.

On to the lathe, form a tenon, shape the outside . . . I used a bowl gouge and a 10mm scraper. The gouge goes OK, but I think a good sharp scraper is the tool of choice. Happy with the outside shape - off the lathe and onto the chuck to do the inside, using a combo of gouge and scraper.

Happy with the inside finish and thickness, off it comes and I liberally apply some Earls Wood Hardner to soak in to both the inside and outside of the base section.

Palm roughs don't tend to warp or crack, but worth checking on them from time to time. I'll get back to this one in a few months and let you know how it goes.

Jeff

[Paul39]

That is nice. I like the shape and the specks and spots of the figure.