Palm Tree Preparation

Hey everyone,
Maybe someone can give me a straight answer. I live in Phoenix and have a friend in the tree cutting business. He gave me about 400 lbs of freshly cut down Palm tree. I have no idea what species it is... However I want to make a Tiki. I have looked at everything I could find on Tiki carving, but can't get the answer I need. My Questions:

How should I prep the palm?
Does it need to dry out first?
I would prefer to use gouges and chisels but the inside is like mush... does that mean I can't carve it?
Once carved, can I seal a wet palm?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

You may want to repost this under "creating tiki"/"tiki carving".

I'm sure one of the many skilled artists on here could give you good answer.

On 2014-02-17 21:48, SoCal Savage wrote:
You may want to repost this under "creating tiki"/"tiki carving".

I'm sure one of the many skilled artists on here could give you good answer.

Thanks for the feedback!

I tried to post to that folder, but it was locked... Bummer... Any help would be, well, helpful...

[ Edited by: Photown 2014-02-17 22:01 ]

Depending on the type of palm it is
it might not be carvable, but you will have to dry it out
for up to a year or more if they are large sections, before carving.

"Do not cut down the tree which gives you shade" and " Rotten wood does not carve well"...Confucius

Don't wait - just carve. No prep needed. It will dry after you start carving into it. It will be soft - till it dries. Don't seal it till you can pick it up with one hand. Palms are designed to store water especially in dry conditions, so most of its weight is water.

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2014-02-18 07:24 ]

Debarking will help it dry faster. Many use a chainsaw and skip it over the surface sided to side to take the back off quickly. Also note which way is up on the trunk. Palms draw moisture up, so you want to carve them upside down and they will not rot when put outside.