Tried Red Palm, kind of purty, but, not the easiest wood to turn. Had my first blow out. Finished the turning with the 150 grit gouge. Still working on my picture taking.
Gary
No shame in the sandpaper here! Sometimes that last little bit of tearout will only get worse with the sharpened skew, so a minute or so with the 120 Norton 3X will "turn" them right on out!
My first two Black Palm exploded on the drill press. The third blank was coated with CA and taped up. Drilled out very nicely and it will be turned later this week. Make sure your tools are sharp and apply coats of CA between cuts to keep it solid, thats going to be my approach.