Spalled Tamarind

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3rd Rockfromthesun

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Apr 20, 2015
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I bought a Spalted Tamarind board that has very nice and intricate patterns. I want to make a few pens & wondering how hard the wood is. Is it dense like some of the S. American & African species? What precautions on cutting, turning, & finishing?

Many thanks!! T.R.
 
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I have 2 burl blocks of this wood. One is stabilized, and the other isn't, and the unstabilized block is noticeably lighter. I have yet to turn them, so I'm not much help in that area.

And welcome to the forum.
 
Welcome to the forum! I haven't found spalted tamarind to be a particularly hard wood. With all things spalted, proper breathing protection is important. The little that I have turned did fine with my skew and finished without any unpleasant surprises. Hope this helps!
 
The spalted tamarind I have (only 1 spindle) is pretty light weight and almost punky. Had some tear out issues. At some point I'll probably stabilize the remaining portion before turning.
 
Thank all for replying to my question, all helps greatly. I'll turn a couple and report my experience & post pictures of finished pen

BSea, thank you for the welcome!!

Jolie, I have mask and dust collector hooked up to lathe, will be careful.

Lyonsacc, pinky due to spalting? Do you use thin or medium CA to stabilize the blank?
 
3rd Rockfromthesun said:
Thank all for replying to my question, all helps greatly. I'll turn a couple and report my experience & post pictures of finished pen

BSea, thank you for the welcome!!

Jolie, I have mask and dust collector hooked up to lathe, will be careful.

Lyonsacc, pinky due to spalting? Do you use thin or medium CA to stabilize the blank?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure why it was so soft. That is the only piece of tamarind I have ever handled, so I don't know if all of it is that way or if it was due to spalting or rot or some sort of exposure. I'm spoiled when it comes to stabilizing (I won a cactus juice stabilizing setup from Turn Tex a couple of years ago).
 
Sounds like a strange material to work with. I'll make sure to drown it in thin CA to stabilize the blank. I'll let you know how it works out.

What is cactus juice stabilizing setup?
 
I bought a board of spalted tamarind in Hawaii a few years ago. It is a dense light colored wood. In addition to cutting with the grain you might try a cross cut piece. Turning will be a little more difficult but it can be a more effective use of the spalt lines. It drills, turns and finishes very well.
 
Very nice!! What result did you get from turning angled cross grain? My board has nice spalting & grain patterns. I'm looking forward to trying the tamarind. Pictures to follow.
 
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