Carob

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sorcerertd

Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2019
Messages
2,655
Location
North Carolina, USA
Oooh, I can't wait to see some of that. Looks like I'll have to, though. Hope the carpal tunnel doesn't keep you away from it for too long!
 

leehljp

Member Liaison
Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
9,314
Location
Tunica, Mississippi,
Sharon, my daughter has a palm tree in her yard in central Arkansas. She said it died last year due to the extreme cold winter. It is about 9 inches at the base and 12 ft tall; Last week, she asked me to take it down for her. I am excited for that wood as you are for the carob. Show us some of the wood when you get it. That is going to be some pretty wood.
 

MedWoodWorx

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2021
Messages
598
Location
Greece
Sharon, my daughter has a palm tree in her yard in central Arkansas. She said it died last year due to the extreme cold winter. It is about 9 inches at the base and 12 ft tall; Last week, she asked me to take it down for her. I am excited for that wood as you are for the carob. Show us some of the wood when you get it. That is going to be some pretty wood.
have you ever turned palm wood? i am asking because the wood is fiber like, no rings etc. technically a palm tree is not a tree is closer to grass! you can use the palm branches (the lower part that is attached to the trunk) although i suppose that if you soak it with ca glue you might be able to. cheers!
 

MedWoodWorx

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Joined
Nov 23, 2021
Messages
598
Location
Greece
My friend had her dead carob tree taken down and the stump dug up. She saved the wood and the stump/rootball. I can hardly wait to get at it with a chainsaw! My carpal tunnel in my right hand is putting THAT on hold for a while.
get well soon, i have to cut down three carob trees in my yard and i really hate the idea..i hate even pruning them, i feel sorry for them; feels like i cut their limbs :(
 

leehljp

Member Liaison
Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
9,314
Location
Tunica, Mississippi,
have you ever turned palm wood? i am asking because the wood is fiber like, no rings etc. technically a palm tree is not a tree is closer to grass! you can use the palm branches (the lower part that is attached to the trunk) although i suppose that if you soak it with ca glue you might be able to. cheers!
Yes. Several times over the years. My16 yr old grandson is the one interested in making pens and selling some. I have explained to him the difficulties involved. He doesn't have a lathe and I live about 2 hours from him. I want to make some bowls, but I need to see the specific grain. It is kinda rare for a palm tree to be that far latitude north and not on a coast or in a desert.
 
Joined
Sep 24, 2006
Messages
8,206
Location
Tellico Plains, Tennessee, USA.
It's been a few years, 2004, I turned a pepper mill from Black Palm.... made an interesting mill and it sold the first time I showed it...
34-187.JPG
 

fairmgr

Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2017
Messages
6
Location
Upstate NY/Florida
Sharon, my daughter has a palm tree in her yard in central Arkansas. She said it died last year due to the extreme cold winter. It is about 9 inches at the base and 12 ft tall; Last week, she asked me to take it down for her. I am excited for that wood as you are for the carob. Show us some of the wood when you get it. That is going to be some pretty wood.
I did turn a piece of a palm. I had to stabilize the wood. I used Minwax stabilizer and soaked it for several hours in a vacuum pot and then cooked at 200 degrees in a toaster oven. It was a lot of time to prep but turned ok.
 

MedWoodWorx

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2021
Messages
598
Location
Greece
Yes. Several times over the years. My16 yr old grandson is the one interested in making pens and selling some. I have explained to him the difficulties involved. He doesn't have a lathe and I live about 2 hours from him. I want to make some bowls, but I need to see the specific grain. It is kinda rare for a palm tree to be that far latitude north and not o

It's been a few years, 2004, I turned a pepper mill from Black Palm.... made an interesting mill and it sold the first time I showed it...
View attachment 325089
Thats a palm "leaf- branch" isnt it?
 

penicillin

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2019
Messages
1,036
You can buy Bethlehem Carob pen blanks at Rockler. They come with a certificate.
https://www.rockler.com/bethlehem-carob-wood-pen-blank

I bought and turned one into a pen. Frankly, the wood was rather bland with slightly pink hues. It had very little grain or interest compared with the grainier Bethlehem Olive Wood pens that I made at the same time. It was easy to turn.
 

jrista

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Joined
Aug 12, 2021
Messages
2,222
Location
Colorado
have you ever turned palm wood? i am asking because the wood is fiber like, no rings etc. technically a palm tree is not a tree is closer to grass! you can use the palm branches (the lower part that is attached to the trunk) although i suppose that if you soak it with ca glue you might be able to. cheers!
I've tried turning it a few times for pens. Its tough, as the black "rods" are quite hard, while the brown stuff is extremely punky. I think that stabilizing the remaining black palm blanks I have would make it a lot easier to turn, and sand. It was really the sanding I think I had the hardest time with...the punky brown just sands off in droves, while the hard black rods sand much slower. So I kept ending up with an uneven surface, which I never liked.
 

leehljp

Member Liaison
Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
9,314
Location
Tunica, Mississippi,
You can buy Bethlehem Carob pen blanks at Rockler. They come with a certificate.
https://www.rockler.com/bethlehem-carob-wood-pen-blank

I bought and turned one into a pen. Frankly, the wood was rather bland with slightly pink hues. It had very little grain or interest compared with the grainier Bethlehem Olive Wood pens that I made at the same time. It was easy to turn.
I see fairly good quality blanks from stores and online, but having the tree as Sharon will - I'll bet she can get some great blanks out of it.
 

sbwertz

Member
Joined
May 11, 2010
Messages
3,649
Location
Phoenix, AZ
have you ever turned palm wood? i am asking because the wood is fiber like, no rings etc. technically a palm tree is not a tree is closer to grass! you can use the palm branches (the lower part that is attached to the trunk) although i suppose that if you soak it with ca glue you might be able to. cheers!
I've turned black palm...it's interesting. I wasn't real taken with the look of the finished pen.
 
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