The Black Palm experience
Hello,
Im on my second set of scales and I wanted to do something a little more eye catching then my last set made in cocobolo. Dont get me wrong the cocobolo is beautiful but if someone was to look at them and not know wood they would think thats just another piece of wood. So I bought black palm, zebra wood, and wenge. I wanted to do black palm first. I got 2"x2"x12" pieces and cut it on my table saw. That wasnt as easy as I thought it was going to be. The palm has very hard large black fibers surrounded by soft chalky brown stuff. If I had a band saw I would have done it on that with a fence set to 3/16" then sand it down to 1/8". After I sanded them down to 1/8" I tried cutting the rough profile with a fine hacksaw. That didnt work because it kept breaking apart and splitting. I switched to the Dermel tool with a metal cutting disk. That worked much better then the hacksaw but it more or less burned through it. I did the final profiling on my 1x30" belt sander. Black palm sands surprisingly well. I tried a 80 grit belt and that would cause it to splinter then I tried a 220 belt. The 220 worked great and I ddint have any problems after that. I contoured the scales on the belt sander then hand sanded them down to 320. At the moment Im applying the ca finish and Ill post photos when Im done.
*If you plan on using black palm for scales buy 1/8" thick stock and have enough to make a few extra scales just incase you snap a set.
*When you cut your profile leave a 1/4" gap and sand down to your final profile shape.
*Stay away from grits under 220 to prevent tearing.
*Use light ca to fill all the pores of the wood.
*Take your time!
Have fun,
Chris
