Black Palm Sawn Handle Blank 70mm x 25mm x 550mm

Black palm handle blank, 70 x 25 x 550mm. Dense black-on-tan figure, sawn square and ready for the lathe or the bench.

Black Palm Handle Blank

A black palm handle blank is the widest cut we bring in — enough width across the face for a knife or chisel handle, or a small mallet head, with the length to square up and still have offcuts left over. Borassus flabellifer carries dense black streaking through a tan-brown base, and on a piece this size the figure reads as bold panels rather than fine lines. Adrian sets these aside whenever a good parcel of black palm comes through.

Why Black Palm is a Turner’s Wood

The colour is the drawcard: dense black fibres run through a warm tan-brown background, no two pieces reading quite the same. It’s a palm rather than a hardwood, so the structure is fibrous rather than grained — dense and hard-wearing as a grip — and it takes a mirror finish once you’re through the outer fibres. Read more on the species at Wikipedia.

Working a Black Palm Handle Blank

• Hardness: tough on edges — the silica in the fibres blunts standard HSS fast, so keep a diamond hone or carbide tool handy
• Grain: fibrous and directional, more like coconut palm than oak or blackwood — light, even cuts and passes beat heavy roughing
• Shaping: the wider face holds up well to rasping and shaping by hand as well as the lathe
• Finishing: we recommend Rustins Danish oil, EEE-Ultra Shine or Shellawax to bring the black figure up
• Stability: kiln-dried and stable, minimal movement once shaped

Best Projects for a Black Palm Handle Blank

• Knife and chisel handles
• Small mallet heads
• Walking stick tops and larger knobs
• Decorative elements on a box or piece of furniture

Stock & Finish

Sawn square, ready for the lathe or the bench. Natural colour and figure variation expected piece to piece.

Shipping & Pickup

Ships Australia-wide via Australia Post or Aramex. Pickup welcome from our Mulgrave NSW location Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm and Saturday 9am to noon. Bulk enquiries — phone (02) 4577 5277 or sales@trendtimbers.com.au.

More Black Palm

Browse the rest of our turning blanks or see other black palm stock in the range. This size comes through occasionally in a decent run — once it goes, the listing closes.

Because timber is a natural product, not all stock is ready to send immediately. Occasionally we need to mill your timber to the size you’ve specified before dispatch.