Black Palm is a hard, dense, and stringy wood that, despite being somewhat difficult to work with, makes for phenomenal-looking finished products. The distinctive streaks embedded in the wood — which can vary in color from black to white to brown — add visual flair to pens, knife handles, pool cues, and a host of other turned items.

Black Palm (Borassus flabellifer) is native to Southeast Asia and also goes by the names Asian Palmyra Palm and Toddy Palm. The trees can reach tremendous heights of 100 feet or more, and are so hearty that they sometimes live for more than 100 years. The long trunks of the trees contain an abundance of wood, naturally — although, due to their relative thinness, the pieces that finally emerge are never especially wide (rarely over 6 inches).

Unlike its ubiquitous cousin, the coconut palm tree (Cocos nucifera), which features long feather-like leaves, the Black Palm tree forms its fronds in short, fan-like clusters.

Black Palm Tree

Black Palm Knife Handle
Created by Renato M. of Italy

Much like the coconut palm, however, the Black Palm tree does bear fruit. These fruit are about 4 to 7 inches in diameter and contain a sweet jelly. The ripened outer layer of the fruit is also edible. In addition to the fruit, Black Palm trees yield a sweet sap, called Toddy, that can be used to make, among other things, palm wine (Toddy is also sometimes used as a laxative . . . so, you might not want to drink too much!). An interesting note: There's an ongoing debate about whether the term "hot toddy" derives from this palm sap.

Black Palm can be a tricky wood to turn, mostly because of its stringy grain. It is also heavy and dense, with an average specific gravity of about 0.68, so sharp tools are usually required to work with it. Black Palm is probably not a wood that an absolute novice woodturner should try.

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