How easy is it to carve the wood of a palm tree?

Not terribly easy. It is a mix of hard and very soft, so it's difficult to get a clean cut. You need extremely sharp tools. I think most people resort to sanding to get an acceptable surface finish. read more

Palm tree wood is full of sand and plays havoc on power tools. It is very spongy. As the tree grows it pulls sand up with the water and that is the reason you never see it used by woodworkers. read more

Some obscure woods like sourwood in the Appalachian mountains are easy to carve wet, and can’t be touched with power sanders when dry. Study wood shrinkage before you start. Quartersawn lumber at least shrinks uniformly, but is hard to acquire. read more

They typically have sand embedded throughout the trunk so it will dull any tool except sandpaper. I would say yes you can and should carve palm tree if that is what you have on hand go with what you got I say. read more

Use of palm tree wood is not limited to indigenous peoples. Palm tree wood is used in several small scale industrial products that are distributed in areas where palm trees are common and the infrastructure for small scale mass production is available. Palm tree wood is pressed to extract oils for soft drinks, cooking, preservative, syrup and soap. read more