Handicrafts from edited Caryota trunks

[DoomsDave]

So, I've edited my Caryotas of Doom, and I've got a bunch of wood I was going to burn in my Tree-Ma-Toria^TM (fireplaces) but maybe I should make something instead.

I've seen pictures of gorgeous bowls, etc., made from palm wood.

Anyone have any thoughts, experiences, about this?

I have a lot of wood

[Darold Petty]

Dave, I believe you should keep 10 or 12 pieces and discard the rest.  Think of the land available that is now covered by this debris pile.  

[DoomsDave]

2 minutes ago, Darold Petty said:

Dave, I believe you should keep 10 or 12 pieces and discard the rest.  Think of the land available that is now covered by this debris pile.  

Yeah, it will promote some Zen restraint, and mindfulness, which I need to exercise a lot more of. The wood burns great once it dries, and the ashes are full of potash, which palms LOVE. Ashes to ashes, ashes to palms. How's that for recycling? (Twang on one of those Zen Harp Thingies, like Morticia Addams . . . )

I think most of the wood from the tops is too spongy to be very useful for anything. But the bottom parts, much different.

[Josue Diaz]

With that much wood, maybe you could use the rounds yo create walkways around your garden of doom.

[DoomsDave]

2 minutes ago, Josue Diaz said:

With that much wood, maybe you could use the rounds yo create walkways around your garden of doom.

Those are nice, but I like bricks better.

[Tracy]

8 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

But the bottom parts, much different.

Dave, you can bring one to the next So Cal Palm Society meeting for your very own custom stool!  Alternatively, you could stand on one to elevate yourself during the auction and see all the bid numbers better.

[Stevetoad]

after seeing your post of the smashed van i cut mine down before it got to big. I dont know if im just sensitive but about an hour later i broke out in a extremely itchy rash all over my hands and arms. lasted a few hours too. 

[ck_in_fla]

I know the seeds from all Caryotas contain an irritant that is so troublesome that most recommend that gloves be worn when handling them.  You may want to check that it's safe to burn the cut up trunks before actually doing it.  Burning them may release some toxic fumes.  

[Tracy]

3 hours ago, Stevetoad said:

after seeing your post of the smashed van i cut mine down before it got to big. I dont know if im just sensitive but about an hour later i broke out in a extremely itchy rash all over my hands and arms. lasted a few hours too. 

So Steve how old was yours and which one was it Caryota olancha, urens or ???  Trying to decide how big to let mine get, as well as a Caryota gigas that will be a challenge due to it being on a slope in a backyard.  I'm not sure what mine is, as it was labeled Caryota no, but it's proven otherwise.

[Palm Tree Jim]

4 hours ago, Stevetoad said:

after seeing your post of the smashed van i cut mine down before it got to big. I dont know if im just sensitive but about an hour later i broke out in a extremely itchy rash all over my hands and arms. lasted a few hours too. 

Cut down my mitis when it went to seed and I experienced the same irritation. I wore proper clothing and eye protection and still had discomfort.

I tried to be very careful with the inflorescence as that it was contains the irritant.

Last year, I had a gigas removed that went to seed and informed the team cutting to be careful and not one of them had any problems. 

Like Tracy, I still have 1 gigas and 2 urens type left to deal with. None are flowering yet, but I’m always thinking perhaps sooner then later.

 

 

[DoomsDave]

I think the irritation is an individual thing.

I was practically immersed in Caryota stuff, and no real problem for me. I even got a bit in my eye .. . .

No problem.

Might be an interesting survey to see who's irritated by caryotoid sap and who isn't.

[richnorm]

Split them in half and use as edging?  They may rot quite quickly though!

[Josh-O]

This is why I don't plant caryota's in my garden. Nice plant but gonna be work down the road to cut them out

[NOT A TA]

Steve, your garden looks better without it.

[Scott Cohen]

Crafton once told me there was some kind of acid in the sap and ski. Of the fresh seed that causes many to break out in a very itchy rash. Even through clothing. 

[Tracy]

1 hour ago, Josh-O said:

Nice plant but gonna be work down the road to cut them out

This one is going to be tough because it sits on the slope, hanging over a covered patio.... and the photo is now a couple of months away from 6 years old.  It's the Caryota gigas which has grown a lot in the last 6 years.

[DoomsDave]

7 hours ago, Tracy said:

This one is going to be tough because it sits on the slope, hanging over a covered patio.... and the photo is now a couple of months away from 6 years old.  It's the Caryota gigas which has grown a lot in the last 6 years.

Still gorgeous!

But temporary, alas.

Not sure how tipsy gigas are compared to urens. Hope not as much.

Anyone know?

[DoomsDave]

2 minutes ago, Tracy said:

Dave, you can bring one to the next So Cal Palm Society meeting for your very own custom stool!  Alternatively, you could stand on one to elevate yourself during the auction and see all the bid numbers better.

If you carry it for me! Those hernia trusses get confining after a while . . .

[Palm Tree Jim]

10 hours ago, Josh-O said:

This is why I don't plant caryota's in my garden. Nice plant but gonna be work down the road to cut them out

Lesson learned......never again on planting one, at least at my current garden.

[waykoolplantz]

20 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

So, I've edited my Caryotas of Doom, and I've got a bunch of wood I was going to burn in my Tree-Ma-Toria^TM (fireplaces) but maybe I should make something instead.

I've seen pictures of gorgeous bowls, etc., made from palm wood.

Anyone have any thoughts, experiences, about this?

I have a lot of wood

Pity you didn’t leave some 6-10 footers.  

TikiRick is a master with a chainsaw (hint-.screenname)

Have him flyby and work his voodoo.....add some tiki torches and some rum and you have a pop up Trader Vic’s in your own backyard

[DoomsDave]

5 minutes ago, waykoolplantz said:

Pity you didn’t leave some 6-10 footers.  

TikiRick is a master with a chainsaw (hint-.screenname)

Have him flyby and work his voodoo.....add some tiki torches and some rum and you have a pop up Trader Vic’s in your own backyard

I wanted those expletives taken down, somehow some way to avoid future disasters.

Hmm, already have the rum..... 

[waykoolplantz]

2 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Hmm, already have the rum..... 

tho it will make a good topic...some of my plant friends have gone overboard on really old rums..... guilty as charged

what is your fave rum ?

[jimmyt]

Yeah.....    Make stack-able interchangeable Tiki poles! ,,  while drinking rum........

Edited March 8, 2019 by jimmyt

[DoomsDave]

10 minutes ago, waykoolplantz said:

tho it will make a good topic...some of my plant friends have gone overboard on really old rums..... guilty as charged

what is your fave rum ?

That 12 year old Dominican Republic stuff  . . . .

[Stevetoad]

19 hours ago, Palm Tree Jim said:

Cut down my mitis when it went to seed and I experienced the same irritation. I wore proper clothing and eye protection and still had discomfort.

I tried to be very careful with the inflorescence as that it was contains the irritant.

Last year, I had a gigas removed that went to seed and informed the team cutting to be careful and not one of them had any problems. 

Like Tracy, I still have 1 gigas and 2 urens type left to deal with. None are flowering yet, but I’m always thinking perhaps sooner then later.

 

 

Hey Jim, If you look carefully at the middle photo i posted you can see the red latin palm I got from you on the far left. Hard to see but its doing great. No winter damage either this year and my winter has been really cold.

[Stevetoad]

19 hours ago, Tracy said:

So Steve how old was yours and which one was it Caryota olancha, urens or ???  Trying to decide how big to let mine get, as well as a Caryota gigas that will be a challenge due to it being on a slope in a backyard.  I'm not sure what mine is, as it was labeled Caryota no, but it's proven otherwise.

mine was maxima. it was about 5 years old. It was a one gallon when i bought it and didnt grow hardly at all the first 3 years. Then turned into a rocket over night.  

[Palm Tree Jim]

14 minutes ago, Stevetoad said:

Hey Jim, If you look carefully at the middle photo i posted you can see the red latin palm I got from you on the far left. Hard to see but its doing great. No winter damage either this year and my winter has been really cold.

Great to hear it’s doing well!

[waykoolplantz]

7 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

That 12 year old Dominican Republic stuff  . . . .

My two current faves are Centenario 25...and ElDorado 21.

thereare a few 30 year old runs that are incredible to taste..and painful on the wallet

[Merlyn]

If you have pieces big enough you could make a park bench out of them!  I did that with chunks of oak trunk, I just sliced the top flat with a chainsaw and notched the bottom for legs.  An angle grinder with a 40 grit "flap pad" does a great job of smoothing out the saw marks.