Post #566656 by Sunset Mike on Fri, Nov 26, 2010 11:19 PM

Queen palm is carvable, but difficult and requires care.

IT does not react well to machinery as it is composed of fibers bound by a in cellulose sort of mass and gets torn up very easily. It is also not very solid in places and breaks, cracks or splits easily and is often soft and spongy. It isn't really wood as much as it is something closer to bamboo on the evolutionary scale.

I am working strictly with hand tools, chisels, rasps, saws and sandpaper. With these you do more Cutting and less tearing and though very time consuming it can make queen palm look, well, fit for a queen!

Once the wood is dried it takes on a ruddy, fibery multi -hued appearance and turns varying shades of Orange brown and is actually very attractive when smoothed out and varnished. Varnish also helps in solidifying the softer portions making them easier to work with. It can be carved with machinery, but has to be sufficiently dry, and solid, such as the lower trunk portion of the tree. A lot of carvers I have met aren't fond of it and prefer Sabal ( Mexican fan palm)at least here in California where Coconut Palm is not available.