Post #610785 by AlohaStation on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 11:08 AM

Florida has a wide variety of palms that people try to carve - since you are listed as being in Daytona I will assume you have acquired a piece of Sabal/Cabbage Palm?? In your image it appears that you are carving in the Bark. The bark is outside 1" or 2" of the log, it is very fiberous and will flake off as you try and do detail. The simple solution is to remove the bark and carve in the wood. Yes, its a pain in the ass! The "wood" is ussually more dense and much lighter in color. If there is no difference in the wood and the bark I suggest finding another log.

I have experience with similar issues - How did I fix it? I didn't - toss the log and start on another one! The illusion of carving in palm is that it is soft and easy to work. NOT!! I enjoy carving in hardwoods because I don't have to deal with all the problems that palm presents - splinters, rot, inconsistant hardness, limited ability to detail and did I mention SPLINTERS! Carving palm is fun and you can get some great rewards - but it is not my first choice for learning how to carve.

Good luck