I've seen the classic "five-pith" designs created with monkey pod, (Albizia samann) but is this species a good wood for regular turning? Does it turn well green?
I've seen the classic "five-pith" designs created with monkey pod, (Albizia samann) but is this species a good wood for regular turning? Does it turn well green?
Ive never turned it green but have turned quite a bit of monkey pod. The chatoyance on a finished piece of monkey pod is amazing!!
I thought the "5 pith" effect that you're referring to was Norfolk Island Pine. Monkeypod looks more like one of the mahoganies, only brown & blonde instead of reddish. Its' chatoyance is similar to mahogany, anyway. Beautiful wood, I'd love to get the chance to turn some.
The only monkey pod I have turned was wet as it could be, holding an incredible amount of water. After flash drying and sanding, large bands would shrink and fuzz up. Not the best green tiurning experience but gorgeous wood.
So, I'm guessing there aren't many people who turn this species?
I've turned it and it's a nice wood but the problem is obtaining it. It's readily available from Hawaii but that obviously limits the number of people able and/or willing to pay to have it shipped.
I turned a lot of it, and it is a nice wood to turn, but here in Hawaii, we have lots of Monkeypod bowls from the Far East, and they sell for 20 bucks or so from any of the -mart type stores. So, selling a MP bowl is hard to do, since most everyone expects the bowls to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 bucks. For a 12" bowl.
Unsure what 5 pith method or "regular" turning is....... Turns well green. It's a little smelly. Beautiful wood if you get old growth, it has 3 colors, tan, brown and chocolate brown. Frequently it has curls, due to the nature of how the tree grows. It seldom grows straight up. When I turn MP it's usually for gifts. Since it's really not worth trying to sell.
To be honest, I haven't turned it, either but am researching the topic for a friend.
The "five pith" concept noted earlier is a bowl with multiple branch piths evenly spaced around the walls. I've seen that twice so I assumed it was fairly common.
Could it be the Monkey Puzzle you are thinking of ??, it has the branches around the tree in even spacing, kind off at least, the other one that’s used is the NIP [Norfolk Island Pine) it also is turned with the knots showing around in bowls.
araucaria-araucana.jpg Norfolk Island Pine.jpg
Last edited by Leo Van Der Loo; 02-07-2017 at 1:04 PM.
Have fun and take care
I thing that's it, Leo. I always assumed the two were one in the same. Now I know.
Norfolk Island Pine has 6 piths. I had to check mine.......
Monkey Puzzle is what you are probably looking for.
Yeah, this is what I had in mind when I asked the question. These were posted by Bill Gowers on Facebook.
IMG_3484.JPG.
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Russell Neyman.
Writer - Woodworker - Historian
Instructor: The Woodturning Experience
Puget Sound, Washington State
"Outside of a dog, there's nothing better than a good book; inside of a dog it's too dark to read."
Vernon Lebrand, who lives up in Washington likes the Monkey Puzzle tree, which I think is 'Chilean Pine', but not positive on that. He puts blanks out in the lawn end grain down and they are nicely spalted in a month or so. The two Monkey trees do get confused...
robo hippy
Monkey pod is a broadleaf tree and Monkey puzzle and Norfolk pine are true conifers. An endcut of the stem should separate the two quickly. Both of the pines are extremely old (in the evolutionary way) species and are found only on a few Pacific islands. The piths you are refering to are branch piths. Both species are very symetrical in growth patterns which is a good indicator of early evolution. Also known as raintree and is not uncommon in the tropics.
Last edited by robert baccus; 02-28-2017 at 10:53 PM.