Queen Palm

Just for input on the ever abundant queen palm.
any input is welcome!

Sunset Mike

Looks sweet.

Did that wood carve pretty good? I always thought queens werent carvable for some reason.

Here's another.

He's coated with epoxy resin. A note to those using it for the first time. DO NOT APPLY IN WET WEATHER AND MAKE SURE THE CARVING IS DRY!

I just went through having to strip of some on another sculpture. The resin didn't take and was slow to solidify and turned the sculpture an ugly brown. Fortunately, I was able to save it. The resin does not like moisture and in any case needs to be applied sparingly. When used correctly it looks great and offers a lifetime of protection against the elements.

[ Edited by: Sunset Mike 2010-11-26 23:00 ]

Looking fine. Good on you.

Thanks Hoale Jim!

Check out my website if you like,

http://sunsettikiworks.com/

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.

This guy is also queen Palm. Wet, not yet ready, but very workable Queen Palm. The cracks began showing up but actually added to the character of the piece. The recipient, (a full blood Apache) loves the work!