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Thread: Another timber I.D.?
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20th March 2022, 10:11 PM #1Senior Member
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20th March 2022 10:11 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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20th March 2022, 10:14 PM #2
That looks like coconut palm tree.
JimSometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important...
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20th March 2022, 10:51 PM #3Senior Member
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21st March 2022, 10:01 AM #4
Its definitely a palm (a monocot). Which palm? well that could be one of a number of palms which are exploited for wood.
The second photo clearly shows the marked gradation of the wood density and vascular bundles (the dark brown bits) from the psuedo bark & cortex to the core. Its most dense at the outer and less dense to almost pithy mush at the core.
Figure 3 at this link shows the structure of palm wood in cross section. ENH1212/EP473: Palm Morphology and Anatomy (ufl.edu) & a clearer image here - Geschichte (palmito-info.net)
Palm can be very dusty when worked and the dust from some palms can be quite problematic particularly the wood from "fishtail palms" in the Caryota genus. "The whole plant contains needle-like calcium oxalate crystals which if chewed or eaten can produce a burning sensation in the mouth. Skin contact can result in burning, itching and dermatitis." - Fishtail palm (Caryota) | Queensland Poisons Information Centre (health.qld.gov.au)
Exposure to the calcium oxalate is particularly irritating and a long term irritant as it is typically found as an insoluble crystal in plant stems - so very slow to disperse naturally in the skin etc. Its very common in the plant world ("dumb cane" - Dieffenbachias etc) and more familiar to us as the main cause of "kidney stones." Handling the seeds of fishtail palms with bare hands is the typical exposure. However exposure to palm wood dust is a potential and very significant hazard for wood workers, with stabilization minimizing the dust hazard somewhat but definitely not eliminating it.Mobyturns
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21st March 2022, 10:58 AM #5GOLD MEMBER
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H'mm, wonder how well it burns?
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21st March 2022, 06:20 PM #6
Hi RSD,
For what it is worth, the photo is of a bowl I made from a lump of coconut palm. It is about 270mm x 140 deep.
Jim
Coconut bowl.jpgCoconut bowl2.jpgSometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important...
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31st March 2022, 10:19 AM #7Senior Member
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Looks like Black Palm. Used for axe handles etc on some pacific islands.
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2nd April 2022, 10:53 PM #8GOLD MEMBER
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