Coconut palm – Palm wood

Red Palmira

Names and distribution:

The coconut palm, also known as Red Palmira (bot. Cocus nucifera), originates from the Pacific region. Because of its fruit and useful nutshell fiber, the palm is now cultivated in large parts of the tropics. The wood is a by-product of the plantation economy. The palms are periodically replaced every 60 years with young, high-yielding varieties.

Black Palmira is the name given to the wood of another palm tree from India.

Wooden picture:

The wood of the coconut palm differs from the wood of our deciduous and coniferous trees (dicotyledons) in that it is permeated by vascular bundles, which take over the function of xylem and phloem (the vascular bundles are visible as black dots in the brain section). The density of the vascular bundles in the wood tissue determines the wood properties. While the density in the core area of the palm trunk is less than 0.40 ^g/cm3 at a wood moisture content of 12%, it can reach 0.⁸⁰ g/cm3 and more in the peripheral area. The color of the wood correlates with its density. The colors vary from light brown to dark reddish brown.

Properties:

Coconut palm wood can only be worked moderately well and is highly susceptible to tooling. A high density difference between the conductive bundles and the base fabric and a certain silicate content lead to a reduction in tool life. Good machining quality can be achieved with carbide-tipped tools. The absorption of varnishes, glazes and oils is unproblematic. Glueability is good when using commercially available PVAC glues (white glues). As high-density coconut palm wood tends to crack, pre-drilling is recommended when using screws.

Use: