Red Palm

Black Palm and Red Palm are interesting woods which come from the outer hardened area of a type of palm tree. While the wood is called black or red, it actually has black or red flecks on a light or deep tan background as above. Sometimes the flecks are very close together and the piece looks almost black or reddish. It is also possible for the flecks to be further apart. Because this wood only comes from the outer hardened areas, sizes can never be very large. The end grain of the wood is also interesting and looks like hammered leather when used as an inlay. It is best to dry it in thin or rough turned pieces. It is fairly heavyweight when dry. In some cases, it is a good idea to reinforce it periodically while working with it by using thin superglue. Red palm is listed/pictured below and tends to have a little bit lower density then black palm.