Mulberry mother-load

[tanner]

While I'm still finishing my very first bow I have been on the lookout for my next set of staves. I was hoping for some osage or hickory, but haven't had a lot of luck finding any close by. Then I learned that mulberry is a very close relative of osage and that IS something I have a lot of here. Then as luck would have it a storm came through this week (not making this up) and blew down a really nice-sized limb from a big mulberry tree in my back yard. Check out the pics!

Also - I do have a question about one of the sections at the bottom if any of you could have a looky and tell me what you think.

First - I decided there were two naturally straight sections that I could get a 70'' and a 55'' piece (10'' thick) from. The first is the 70'' piece:





Here's the 2nd section (55''):



Lastly I have a piece that comes with a question. Picture first - question after:



My question is whether or not you guys think I could get staves out of this. It's pretty twisty, but if the twists aren't a problem, there is at least one section (left-end to just after the first big knot) that I could get 60'' out of. It's plenty thick to get several staves out of (probably 4) and the wood is beautiful so I'd hate to waste it. Let me know what you all think. Thanks!

[crooketarrow]

  I just cut 4 mallberrie logs (14 to 18 "s) back in the spring. I do know this if from past logs. If your not in a hurry sell the ends spray the log with peside and leave it season like it is. Mallberrie like osage is a pleasure to split after it's seasoned a couple years.
  I have before but now I don't build billet bows so they don't look so good to me but that stave log looks gooddddddddd.

[Pat B]

From the looks of the bark it will be some snakey staves.    I'd cut the logs to stave length and at least split them in half. Seal the ends and give most of it at least a year to season. Take one stave, cut it down to almost bow size and give it a few months then get started on a bow.
  You can use the sapwood on mulberry but an all heartwood stave will make the best bow. If you remove the bark also remove the sapwood and seal the heartwood back.

[Fred Arnold]

I did the same with some storm damaged mulberry this early spring. The main trunks were in pretty bad shape but I salvaged some billets that look pretty decent. Yours yielded much longer staves than what I could get. Looks like you'll have some nice wood for bows to work with. Keep us posted.

[tanner]

A few more pics of my haul. I finally decided to tear into the best piece - the 69''er. They're just wide enough I could probably get 6 total staves, but for now I've just quartered one of the halves and left the other to sit. The half I left alone has lots of knots on it so I figure I'll leave that piece until I'm a better bowyer. I originally left this piece alone because I was a little worried about how I was going to get it split. It turns out that a chainsaw works pretty well - much better than trying to split with wedges when it's still wet.

[blackhawk]

Just realize and be aware that you violated some of the grain by sawing them out. When you make a bow and lay it out you'll have to follow the grain lines and not your saw cuts. I always split woods like mulberry at least into quarters so I know the lay of the grain.

[zinger]

Keep in mind that there are generally three types of mulberry trees in the states. These are White, Red, and Paper Mulberry. Red is the only native mulberry, at least in the eastern half of the US. Unfortunately, one of these, Paper mulberry, is absolutely useless for bows, the wood being very weak and pulpy (I know - I cut a few down before I realized how weak the wood was). Honestly I would use pine before I would use this wood. There are some ways to seperate it from the other species, however. First, the leaves are fuzzy/pubescent (edible too), unlike the other two whose leaves tend to be smooth and glossy. Second, the buds are like little cones (think orange road cone shape)  that tend to point away from the stem and are often opposite. The other two have buds that tend closer to the stem (specially in White, which clasps the stem), have the typical bud shape, and are never opposite. Third, Paper M bark tends to have more shallow furrows than the other 2 and can also have strange asymetrical brown patches here and there along it. It also tends to to grow in large patches of male trees which spread by the roots; If you see this you are very likely looking at Paper M.

Hope you've got one of the good ones!

[Pat B]

I thought the same thing, Blackhawk, about grain violations made by sawing and not splitting.

[tanner]

Thanks for the info Zinger - I didn't realize there was a "paper mulberry". This one is a red. There are tons of them around my house. Great for bowmaking - not great for keeping your cars clean (birds love to eat them).

Good call about the grain Blackhawk. Though I did try to follow the grain as much as the bark could tell me (made sawing a little tougher), I'm sure it's violated some. The question I have though is whether or not it will matter since I'll be following the grain to determine the centerline of the back of the bow and reducing the width with that line as the guide?

[rps3]

 To answer one of your questions, I personally try and get as many staves as possible from a tree, even if they look twisted and knotty. You can always burn it at a later date if you think it wont make a bow. I have been surprised at the number of bows I have made out of some rough looking staves. Matter of fact my fastest and smoothest shooting bow to date fought me all the way with twists and checks, and has now killed 4 deer so far.

From my experience mulberry looks like osage, works like osage, and makes a good bow, but it's not osage.