Is Black Palm Even a Wood? Woodturning a Matching Pair of Bowls

Black palm isn't really a wood at all. Botanically it's closer to grass than to a hardwood tree, and it behaves completely differently on the lathe because of it. No grain in the usual sense, just hard black fibres running through a soft, pale matrix. Striking to look at, and a real challenge to cut cleanly.

In the film I turned a matched pair of small bowls from the same piece, working through how to approach the material safely and coax a clean finish out of that unusual structure. I also covered the matching itself, cutting two blanks from one piece so both bowls carry the same character and the same run of black fibres.

If you've been curious about turning something exotic, or you want to see what happens when the usual rules stop applying, this one's worth a watch.