Turning coconut

[Sadhaka Nilakantha]

We are wondering if anyone has had experience turning coconut. We had to cut down a couple trees. I've seen small pieces made out of some sort of palm in the past. Can you turn medium/ small bowls out of it? Any suggestions? Thanks a bunch.

[Aaron Craven]

Never turned it, but look for Red Palm (Cocos nucifera); same stuff. Everything I've seen talks about serious tearout problems and the need to stabilize the wood somehow.

[Paul Williams]

I have turned a few small pieces from Coconut my cousin sent me from Maui. I remember some tear out and need for fairly heavy sanding. I also remember picking splinters out of my hand. Very interesting wood with all of the dark "grain" straight lines and in one direction. A simple bottle stopper with the grain vertical was quite popular. I didn't take any photos.

[Geoff Whaling]

Parts of it turn well, but the pith is like turning a bundle of straw. The density of coco wood, or any palm wood, varies radially from the center with the softest material at the largish "pith" and the most dense almost at the circumference. Coconut palm is abrasive on tools, and can be very very abrasive depending upon where the tree came from and how much silica is in the vascular structures. Stellite tipped band saws are recommended for commercial milling. A tip for turning - keep the rpm as low as practical - as it does not wear the edge as fast.

If you wish to use the whole section of a log for an end grain bowl about the only section of the log that is useful is the section just above the root ball or including the root ball. Sections higher up will require some form of stabilization.

Have a look at this link - explains much about the structure of coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) and how its "eco friendly" coco wood is being commercialized for coco wood & coco veneer. https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/63894/Cocowood-tech-brochure.pdf

I know Hawaiian turner Kelly Dunn has turned some palm bowls. I have attempted a few and not worth the effort personally, however I use a fair bit of palm in my spin tops

335213

[Wes Ramsey]

I brought some queen palm back from GA last summer and made 1 bowl out of the log. It was a fun project to try, but the finished product felt much like a coconut husk - flimsy and rough. When it dried I sanded it out and got a reasonable surface, but I have such a variety of wood waiting to be turned I don't plan to make anything else from it. I think it could be really pretty stabilized.

This is what I turned. It warped into enough of a football shape that I couldn't even begin to chuck it to turn off the tenon so I used an angle grinder with flap wheel to make feet :)

335291335292335293

[Jeramie Johnson]

335291335292335293

Those are some neat pictures of your work.

[Sadhaka Nilakantha]

I love that bowl! I really like the earthy look to it. From what I've been reading it may not be worth the effort. I'll keep it mind for a rainy day project. I appreciate all of the responses. Thanks everyone! Aloha!

[Wes Ramsey]

Thanks guys! I still don't know what to do with it, but I was able to mark two items off my turning bucket list - turn palm and cut feet on a bowl. I will call it art. Since it is so pourous it won't hold soup :)