Black Palm Sawn Turning Blank 55mm x 27mm x 510mm

Black palm turning blank, 55 x 27 x 510mm. Dense black-on-tan figure, sawn square and ready for the lathe.

Black Palm Turning Blank

A black palm turning blank in this size gives you room to move beyond a single pen — enough cross-section for a bottle stopper or a small handle, enough length for a matched set. Borassus flabellifer carries dense black streaking through a tan-brown base, and the extra bulk on this size shows more of that figure than the smaller pen blanks do. 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, almost cane-like under the tool — and it takes a mirror finish once you’re through the outer fibres. Read more on the species at Wikipedia.

Working a Black Palm Turning Blank on the Lathe

• 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 beat heavy roughing passes
• Turning: the extra cross-section holds detail well and rounds out cleanly on a bottle stopper or knob profile
• 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 turned

Best Projects for a Black Palm Turning Blank

• Bottle stoppers and decorative knobs
• Small bowls and trinket boxes
• Larger pen and pencil turnings
• Decorative elements on a box or piece of furniture

Stock & Finish

Sawn square, ready for the lathe. 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.