Black Palm Tree

I used to know an African guy at a weekend market. From a Village near him in Africa the people made goods that he purchased then resold at his weekend stall. Amongst them were wooden spoons (largish). I used to buy them and turn the handles. They were stringy and tough made up of tubes, I put them away, they turned up last week. It is a mongrel to turn. It was Black Palm. He also imported African Ebony Carvings and African Blackwood blocks (got some of them) at the time maybe 15 yrs ago.

Here is a pen made from Black Palm.

For fifteen years I had a stump of Xanthorrhoea about 300 yrs old WAustralian Grass Tree ,it has a terrible reputation for being dangerous, the dust inside. It reminds me of Palm Tree with all those fibrous roots up the outside and mushy inside. Pics of the cut root, found out it was variety Pressii from WA,also a pic of the blanks I used the yellow ones. Pressii is the only yellow coloured Grass Tree.

Peter.

The end result justifies the trouble taken to turn it. The pen is a corker

Peter, I've never seen anything like it.
What a beautiful pen!!
*****NICE*****

Lovely Peter

Amazing bit of wood Peter and well turned

Well done Peter. This looks like the Black palmira I have so could be the same stuff I know what it is like to turn and you have managed to pull it off a treat. I found keeping all the cuts down hill helped a lot

A very nice pen Peter, excellent work.

I like your variety of black palm. It certainly has appeal.

A super pen.

Another beaut Peter.
Well done.

Les

The Xanthorrhoea grows at the rate of 2cm a year, when it matures it sends spikes up high covered in flowers forming a spear like stem. They have a part in Aboriginal history and use.

Along the way I learned more about Palm trees, I find selecting blanks more than a history lesson.

Peter.

A super pen Peter. A very distinctive grain.

Great looking pen Peter.

Nice and colourfull ! I've made a lot of pens with black palmyra, they are much darker and not contrasted as yours