A Puzzle

[bob svoboda]

A friend gave me this piece of monkey puzzle. Having never worked with something quite like this before, it appears I'm the puzzled one. Can my fellow Creekers help with some valued advice on how best to use this wood? The piece is 22" long, 6 1/2" at the top and 7 1/2" at the bottom in the picture.:confused::confused:

[Keith Palmer]

Bob,

With that size and shape I would probably do a hollowed vessel, like a vase. Some of the more experienced turners will have more ideas.

Here is an endgrain bowl I turned from monkey puzzle.

http://kapsworkshop.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/img_51472.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4478627789_c225a8b84f_o.jpg

[Frank Van Atta]

Make a recurved bowl from the bottom half with the ring of branch knots right at the point where the bowl curves back in.

Here's an example (no - it's not something I made):

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/monkey%20puzzle/monkey%20puzzle%20bowl%201%20s50%20q60%20web.jpg

[Matt Owen]

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/monkey%20puzzle/monkey%20puzzle%20bowl%201%20s50%20q60%20web.jpg



It looks like that bowl needs a shirt. :D

[Richard Madison]

At least one end grain HF and an end grain bowl?

[Rich Stewart]

T-shirt. Hahaha

[David E Keller]

Matt, that's funny... Really funny.

I've never heard of monkey puzzle... Is it related to monkey ear or monkey pod? Either way, the end grain turning sounds like a good approach.

[Keith Palmer]

Matt, that's funny... Really funny.

I've never heard of monkey puzzle... Is it related to monkey ear or monkey pod? Either way, the end grain turning sounds like a good approach.


I believe it may be the same thing you are calling monkey pod. Here is what I found on Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria_araucana).

Keith

[David E Keller]

Thanks for the link, Keith. It's definitely not the same thing as monkey pod(raintree) as there is a separate page on wiki for monkey pod. The stuff I got came from Hawaii, and that's not a habitat for monkey puzzle.

The monkey ear tree grows in florida and has seed pods that look a bit like monkey ears, hence the name. The wood looks a lot like monkey pod, but I'm told they're different. Neither of them are even remotely like pine.

This sounds like a different tree all together. Who would have thought there are three distinct 'monkey' trees?

[bob svoboda]

Thanks for the ideas. I think I'll try the t-shirt approach :D

[Steve Schlumpf]

Should be some interesting wood! Looking forward to seeing what you turn out of it!