The Holy Grail of Rarity, Woodturning a Grass Tree Root 

I‘m so glad to hear this and to see how many views you got! Think it worked out pretty well, greetings from Germany 🥰

Lol I opened up the comments to ask what you paid as you mentioned it. Now I understand.

I expected more for the wood! I’d say well worth it mate 😊

@@mitchjasper4371 me too 😃

@@kimhawxhurst2707 thanks Kim 😃

Thanks for the information, I did not realise it was that unusual. All the best, Mike

I had not encountered this wood till now!! It was in the hands of a master. Thanks!

@@orchidorio Thanks!

There are loads of them where I live and we occasionally have to clear one for a new building. Never realised they were worth anything. Do people just sell them on ebay?

@@stevem815 They do in the UK, they are worth a lot here because they are not a native species and very hard to get hold of

Thanks for the information Peter, that is fascinating, I'm glad they are protected now. I love turning interesting wood but I still much prefer to see it growing. I did not get a smell from it when turning or sanding but I was pretty well masked up the whole time. All the best and thanks again. Mike

@@MikeHolton The smell is in the resin and burning really triggers of the gorgeous smell. The burnt shell/outer husks (not a bark its not really a tree) after they have been through natural bush fire which they love make a steely blue dye (on linen mixed with a particular native berry) and the smell of the resin imparted into the material is just amazing one of the most amazing smells i have ever smelt. 👍🏻 Beautiful job on the vase. God bless 🙏

@@pruebarratt3085 thanks so much, I've heard a few things about the resin. The more I find out about this plant the more I love it. All the best, Mike

Is this in the palm family? The base looks very much similar to a California date

@@jmicaha2655 no it a grass (Edit its not a true grass sorry). Its Xanthorrhoea sp. 👍🏻

Haha we all fear the same thing 😀

Thanks so much 😀

Thanks so much! That is so nice of you to say. All the best and thanks for watching, Mike 😀

I'm an old lady. When the Internet began I never thought people would really post stuff. I wondered who had the time and why would they bother. I'm so glad I was wrong. I think this kind of thing is better than what's on TV and probably better for my brain as well.😊 Thank you for sharing your work!

Thank YOU for your comment. It was a pleasure because I get upset with folks who doubt what they read on UTUBE when the writer knew the subject well. I always say to these doubters, "read, watch how to videos and really listen to learn what school left out."

Thanks so much 🙏

Thanks, that is so kind of you to say, I love what I do and hopefully that comes across in the pieces I make. All the best, Mike 😀

man what a way to think ahead... and imagine what a rarity and value it will be in 30 or 40 years.

Oh wow, that is an incredible story. Good luck with your plan although I don't think you need it, it's a great idea. All the best, Mike

Thank you.

Make sure no mites get in where you're storing it 😅 you're bound to make some craftsmen quite happy

@@curlyfryactual 😀

Thanks, it was a very nerve wracking turning, so glad when I got to the end. All the best, Mike

Amazing piece! if you were to sell this, what would you ask?

@@jerrysmith7166 good question, I would imagine about £300

@@MikeHolton amazing work dude, this is really a piece of art!

@@OldeManMinguiz thanks 😀

Thanks so much Paul, I really appreciate that, all the best, Mike 😀

The Algorithm seriously pushed this one & it only caught my interest bc it didn't make sense to me...."grass tree root" had me puzzled & it was really a beautiful piece.

The brainwashing is complete. Smile for the camera.

Same with me. I kept scrolling past it but RU-vid was persistent with this one. Glad I watched it!

Thank you so much 😀

Imagine how I felt turning it 😀 all the best, Mike

Sorry, they are a protected species in Australia and you need a special permit to dig one up, sell or do anything with them. Hence they are very rarely exported and very hard to find.

Hi, thanks for taking the time to post, we have had all sorts of interesting stories and information about this plant. They do not grow in the UK so this one would have come from Australia. All the best and thanks again, Mike

It's pretty good I must say, we have nothing like it over here 😀

@@MikeHolton So, anyway. My parents are getting divorced, and while they're working stuff...out...they send me away to a State Rec camp, in Myuna Bay, on the shores of Lake Macquarie. It's the kinda place where you send your kid for the holiday because you don't know what else to do with them. They're just annoying little bastards, you're the kinda parent who really doesn't actually like kids, or, as in my case, you need to do some lawyerin' and property-divvying. During the last day, since everything was more or less packed up, so there was nothing else to do but go for a bushwalk to fill in time until our parents - or, in my case, parent - picked us up. We get the lecture before we go, some poor State Recreational Employee workin' his way through uni, pointedly and firmly told us to stay on the track. Don't wander off. And do not, repeat, DO NOT, touch anything. It's a park area, the plants and wildlife are protected. A minute, minute and a half, after this, when we're about fifty yards down the track, we here this almight CRACK and it's one of the more irritating kids who's walked over to a grass tree, grab the flower spike at the top, and stomped through the base to get himself a spear to menace other children with. Yeah. He got sent back. Anyway, I'm from NW NSW, and there's hundreds around where I grew up. I wasn't that impressed with that city slicker idiot. I imagine your example turned up in Blighty from some Pom returning home from Australia in the 50s, or some other prior, less enlightened time.

@@hoilst265 wow, thanks for sharing

@@MikeHolton It's just a story that makes me chuckle. The comic timing was near-perfect. They're protected, quite majestic - I do believe I've got some flower spikes from them somewhere - harvested from long before they were protected. Nice looking vase, by the way. It's good to find an actual *wood*-turning channel, and not an "Actually, it's more like 14kgs of epoxy resin with some slivers of purpleheart and coloured pencil stuck in it-turning" channel. (I've been meaning to find someone to turn me some speaker enclosures, but that's a future project.)

I believe these particular grass tree roots are from W.A from what I can gather. They are not protected as the tree has long died and left it’s root in the ground.

Thanks so much, the wood is amazing, I've never seen anything like it, am trying to get hold of more. I did not know it was on a coin! Thanks, Mike ☺️

I was wondering. I'm in Melbourne.

@@MikeHolton Should be quite a few of these becoming available as the Wind Farms spread along the coastal ranges in Oz! Gotta be some windfalls from saving the planet. 🙄😉😁

@@theoztreecrasher2647 Haha thanks, good to know 😀

the loon, or loony is it?

Thank you very much, it really is beautiful wood 😀

Thanks, I'm happy with it 😀

Thanks Sandy, I did a it more research last night and was stunned to see how old these trees can get! Before I started to turn I learned that protection was needed so I used FFP3 rated masks the whole time. All the best and thanks again, Mike

These are known as Balga in the Noongar language from the South West of Western Australia where they are prolific.

Thank you for increasing my knowledge. I used to live in a place called Black Boy Wood and often frequented the Black Boy pub. l might have to go and see if it is still there as it has been 35 years since i left the area.

I love to collect the dark red resin that is on the living tree just under the surface ground. It acts like a slow moving glass that makes excellent infill for natural wood walking sticks. Has a really nice aroma too.

Comon names are grass tree, yakka and black boy they grow about the length of a matchbox every 100 years I have seen them over 3m tall

Thanks! People have seen all sorts in the bottom lol 😆

Thanks, I appreciate it 😀

Wow thanks so much! I really appreciate it 😀

Thank you very much! I do get some hate from a small minority of people who just want me to get on with it. But if they do not like the format then they are free to follow someone else. All the best and thanks for watching. Mike

@@MikeHolton i like that you speak what we think and then answer it. good example: why put on the gloss finish and then cut it back ? then you give the answer

@@thesage1096 Many thanks my friend, I really appreciate you saying that.

@@MikeHolton and i appreciate you taking the time to reply to comments even days after your videos went live

@@thesage1096 I try my best, I feel it's my duty to respond to those who have taken time to comment, although with this video doing so well it been tough lol

Most of them do but this plant is very slow growing so you get a good hard wood from it, All the best, Mike 😀

@@MikeHolton Banksia give really nice grain patterns too if you can get a decent piece dried without it splitting.

@@chrisbrent7487 Love to get some, I have a nut coming soon 😀

Thanks so much Joyce, I have managed to get another one of these but it's about twice the size 🤣

Haha thanks Darrell, it's just practice, I have no special talent just a desire to get better 😀

Thanks Andy, that took a while at the start there to get the right balance between stem and top, worth the effort though I think. All the best, Mike

Thanks so much, all the best, Mike 😀

heh heh. monocots.

Ditto !

I appreciate the knowledge! Thanks!

tu es plus que bienvenu mon ami 😁

Glad you liked it! A few people claim to have seen a face in the bottom 😀

It certainly has the essence of Damascus! All the best, Mike

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and thanks so much for taking the time to watch, all the best, Mike

The hollow wasn’t deep enough for a vase though…🤷🏿‍♂️

@@4th_Lensman_of_the_apocalypse indeed, it's a high bowl

Thanks! It really is pretty amazing grain 😃

Thanks so much!, you have some of the most beautiful wood over there and I want to turn it all 😀

Glad you enjoyed it Kirsti 😁

Thank you very much! All the best, Mike

Thanks Debra, it really has the most beautiful grain 😀

Thanks so much Frank 🙂

Thank you so much and bless your father, my dad passed 12 years ago and I miss him so much. All the best, Mike

too bad hes dead

Roots can make for beautiful pieces as the grain structure is all over the place. All the best, Mike

The long sleeves are held back with Velcro, I no longer wear anything on my wrists 😀

Thanks Ruth, they are just amazing, I have heard so much from people about how they grew up with these plats around them. All the best, Mike

Haha thanks so much for the support 😀. All the best, Mike

How tastes vary so much. I wouldnt give you a nickle for that. Not my thing at all.

@@sarahmanalapan8443 it would be a very dull world if we all liked the same things 😀

Thanks Dee, I will pass that on to my wife 😀. And thanks again for your long and continued support, always makes me smile when I see a message from you, all the bet, Mike

Thank you! Cheers!

Thanks 😊, I was on edge most of the time

Thanks, I could not agree more, the Fibonacci spiral we often see in nature is clearly the cause of this amazing pattern. And to top it off there have been numerous reports of people seeing faces in there including, Jesus, A monk with a beard, a lady and an alien. It's got it all 😆. All the best, Mike

Wow thanks so much Peter and welcome to the channel, all the best, Mike 😃

I agree, stunning grain 😀

Thank you so much 😀, had to laugh at the use of the word "bellend", in the UK it's mainly used as an insult lol 😀

@@MikeHolton *LOL* I didn't knew that. It's just the end of a Didgeridoo. Because it mostly looks like a bell.

@@tzmandevil6118 🤣😂 I knew what you meant and you are right, just funny to hear it in a different context.

Thanks Stu, give it a go, it's a lot of fun 😃

It's.very intuitive to start

Thanks so much, I've never seen grain quite like this before, it's just amazing!

Thanks, the grain is nothing like I have ever seen before! 😀

Thanks, it really is a quite remarkable wood 😀

Thanks so much, it had my nerves going as well 😂

Thank you so much indeed my friend, I loved working on this even though it was a little scary at times. All the best, Mike

Glad you enjoyed it Gareth and thanks for the support 😀

Awesome, thank you and welcome 😀

Thank you very much! You are right, it looks so much better in the flesh. All the best, Mike

Thanks so much and I jumped as well, luckily no harm was done. It is a beautiful piece and I have no idea what to do with it now. Hopefully I can find it a place in the house or find it a new home.

Thank you very much! 😀

Thanks so much Bob 😀

Thanks for the family story, I love hearing these 😀

Thanks that is a very kind thing to say. I just love what I do and hope that comes through in the video, All the best, MIke

Thanks Chris 😀

Thank you very much! The grain is just stunning 😊

Thank you so much Kersti 😀, quite often the wood make the choices for you, you only have to listen. All the best, Mike

Thanks Amy, the grain is just amazing, so glad I got a chance to turn this. All the best, Mike

Palm trees could also be considered grass trees. There are a variety of flowering trees and other plants in the monocot family (plants that only have 1 leaf when they sprout as opposed to dicots which have 2). They are not really grasses though. Grasses are in the Poaceae family, while palm trees are in the arecaceae family and Grass Trees are in the asphodelaceae family.

@@CarbonFiberSwan fascinating stuff! Thanks so much for sharing, Mike

Thanks Eric, this was amazing to turn 😀

Thanks so much Danny, the grain is just amazing!

Thanks so much, so kind of you to say 😊

Many thanks! I can't get over looking at the grain in this, it's amazing!

Thanks Troy 😀

@@MikeHolton Thanks for sharing Mike👍

Thank you very much Chris 😀

Hi William, there has been many stories about these fascinating plants posted since I released the video. I never thought it would have created so much interest and regaling of natural and social history, I have loved every post, thanks so much for sharing even more about these plants. All the best, Mike

It's all going a little crazy 😀 thanks so much

Thank you so much 😀

Thank you very much my friend, you are a long way from me but we seem to appreciate the same things, all the best, Mike

Haha, me too David, not having a steady rest and having 10" sticking out from the chuck is not ideal lol 😀

I was, too. I am a rock-solid front-end scraper guy. You gouge guys terrify me on the regular. I have only two gouges that I ever use, both big and shallow. One is HSS and the other is plain ol' carbon steel. I can sharpen it in a couple seconds on a whetstone. I use these for removing corners from square things. As soon as the piece is round enough that I can use a scraper or a skew, the gouges are done. I won't hollow with anything other than a rounded front-end scraper. That little tungsten-bit tool looks like something I might use.

@@BrutishYetDelightful Carbide tipped tools are easy to use, a flat round one would be good for you to try for hollowing. I know what you mean about gouges, they do take some practice but I've used it so often now it's like second nature.

@@MikeHolton I may try a carbide tool or two. I have some experience with them in a metalworking setting, and they seemed remarkably durable while cutting steel, much more so than any other cutting tool we had. I would assume they would stand up to an awful, awful lot of woodturning. Am I correct in this? I've just never taken the carbide plunge because I already have more traditional tools than I can actually use.

@@BrutishYetDelightful They last a lot longer and can be sharpened easily in about 30 seconds.

Well there you go, I would not know the first thing about making a pen, it's all down to what you are used to doing. All the best and thanks, Mike

Thanks so much Zac 😀

Haha thanks and I will do my best, Mike 😀

Oh wow, I can imagine, thanks so much for sharing and I'm happy to have been able to bring back the memories of your grandpa. All the best, Mike

Thank you very much, I would really love to come over one day to see them, since releasing this video I've heard so many stories about them and their history. Thanks!

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, I was on edge the whole time with this one lol🤭

Thank you very much Bonnie 😃

Thanks so much Shelley 😀, all the best, Mike

Thank you very much Shawn 🙂

Thanks so much 😀

Thanks Margaret 😊

Hello and thanks so much for your words they have made my day. I care a lot about the work I do and do my best to keep everything honest and personal. I still have so much to learn and am so grateful that people are happy to join me on this journey. All the best, Mike

Thanks Bev, yes it was expensive, yes I was nervous turning it but yes I would do it all again, thanks.

Google; Balga grass tree. At 5 to 8 hundred years old they can get to about 3+metres, or over 10ft tall. They have evolved to withstand and recover from the worst bush fires. Kangaroos snuggle under the drooping foliage in rain storms. Most people also don't know Bamboo is a grass.

@@Quinctili Thanks so much for the knowledge 😃

Thanks so much 😀

Thanks! 😃

Thank you very much Tom, the shape did cause a few problems but I think I made the right call at the start to give it a thicker stem. All the best, Mike

I know what you mean. If I can ever find another I'll give it a go 🙂

Glad you enjoyed it, all the best, Mike 😀

Thanks so much 😀