Author Topic: mulberry curious (Read 1915 times)

burn em up chuck · « **on:** October 13, 2013, 09:00:01 pm »

never worked w/mulberry, this is just a recommendation or where to start for say a pyramid, or maybe a longbow(narrow design). Just curious to see what you guys w/experience w/this wood will say

be nice

Joec123able · « **Reply #1 on:** October 13, 2013, 09:12:22 pm »

It's very good bow wood

Danzn Bar · « **Reply #2 on:** October 13, 2013, 09:32:41 pm »

I've heard its a cousin to qsage, and make your bow 10% over what you'd do with osage. But take my comment with a grain of salt I have a few mulberry staves but have yet to try one ........plan to though on my next.
DBar

Pappy · « **Reply #3 on:** October 14, 2013, 09:48:56 am »

Anymore advice on Mullberry,I have a couple of stave's myself from the same tree as Chuck,nice and clean,good growth rings but just seems very light in weight compaired to Osage or even Hickory.

Pappy

PrimitiveTim · « **Reply #4 on:** October 14, 2013, 09:54:19 am »

Apparently males are lighter. Leave more wood on it than you would other bows.

Josh B · « **Reply #5 on:** October 14, 2013, 12:54:59 pm »

If you guys have male mulberry, it is way lighter than the females. They grow nice and straight and get really big, but the wood of the males where I live are only .50 sg. Some of the females are mid to high 60's sg, but usually pretty gnarly. The males will make a fine bow, but it takes a lot more of the wood to do it. I usually build em 2" at the fades to midlimb on flat bows and add two inches of length per limb for male mulberry. With females, I build em 1 3/4 " fade to midlimb normal length. Even at those blown out proportions, the males will start coming into floor tiller (just starting to bend) while they're still 3/4" thick. The difference between male and female mulberry is pretty profound. I can't think of any other wood that I've used that is that different. Anyway, that's What I've experienced with mulberry. I hope it helps. Josh

burn em up chuck · « **Reply #6 on:** October 14, 2013, 10:36:00 pm »

keep it coming guys, Ive noticed in the past couple of months a lot of knew enthusiasts

I like hearing all this.

Pat B · « **Reply #7 on:** October 14, 2013, 11:27:50 pm »

Mulberry can be a very good bow wood but, like DBar said, make it about 10% bigger than an osage of the same weight. I've heard it's lighter physical weight helps it compete with osage for speed. If properly treated a bit of sapwood(for contrast) worked well for me but like osage all heartwood is usually preferred.

Pappy · « **Reply #8 on:** October 15, 2013, 06:30:33 am »

All I know is it was a big tree from OK. It has some very large growth rings at least 1/4 inch and is very clean except a few pins [very few] I have 2 staves so I may give one a try at 1 3/4 to about mid limb at about 64 or 66 t-t and see how it goes.

Pappy

TRACY · « **Reply #9 on:** October 15, 2013, 07:19:14 am »

The few I've built were 2 1/4" at the fades. Definitely wider and slightly thicker than hickory or elm. The Thompson Brothers swore this was the BEST bow wood, even over Osage and elm (Witchery of Archery).

Thought about tempering it to make it a little more durable..

Chuck, not sure about narrow with this wood. ELB style would work if narrow is your goal. Good luck.

Tracy

burn em up chuck · « **Reply #10 on:** October 15, 2013, 10:49:47 pm »

thank you guys for all your help, I'm hoping more will come(ideas). thank you Tracy I love that book, ive read it twice,but i missed the reference about mulberry. will have to read again.

chuck

Primitive Archer