:-( Tried my hand at turning Red Palm last night. The project was supposed to be a Mont Blanc pen. Had my doubts about this wood when I cut the blank to size and it started to peel off long splinters (I use a Compound Miter Saw to cut to length. Went ahead and glued it up the tubes. I then started to turn, I really now was worried when my gouge ( freshly sharpen ) 1st touched the wood, instead of chips it started to come off like long splinters. Played around with tool rest height and angles and it started to turn OK. Got the blank rounded and rough shaped the lower tube, I then switched to a spindlemaster all was going great when all of a sudden the whole lower tube just exploded, it just came apart like a droped a box of straws, never saw anything like it. I have had other blowouts before (rosewood seems to do it once in a while for me when I do BtB slimlines) but this one was amazing in the way it went.
Anyway taking my chances and hoping to salvage something from the black I was able to turn the upper tube and make a keychain out of it. I think from now on I'll pass on the Red Palm but man it sure is a pretty wood. :roll:
James
Anyway taking my chances and hoping to salvage something from the black I was able to turn the upper tube and make a keychain out of it. I think from now on I'll pass on the Red Palm but man it sure is a pretty wood. :roll:
James