First Mulberry Bow - I like it! [Photo heavy]

[kbear]

Hi Folks!

I got my hands on some Mulberry billets a couple of years ago. I had heard it made a good bow, but man, I am blown away..... This stuff is great! Light as a feather, easy to work, very flingy, and takes little set. Looks the goods too.

Specs:

Mulberry, from Tecumseh NJ
64" ntn from W jointed billets
38# at 28", 2" at the fades
Inlaid Ebony Rest and Striker
Buffalo horn Tip Overlays
Leather grip
14 Strand Dacron String with rabbit fur Silencers
Gloss Tru-Oil finish over water-proofing coats of Tung Oil
And, cos I couldn't bring myself to to deface the beauty of the wood, I made a nifty little arrow head from a slither of horn, and burned the poundage on that..........

2019-09-22_03-06-48 by korey Aitkenhead, on Flickr

2019-09-22_03-07-19 by korey Aitkenhead, on Flickr

2019-09-22_03-06-54 by korey Aitkenhead, on Flickr

2019-09-22_03-07-07 by korey Aitkenhead, on Flickr

2019-09-22_03-07-01 by korey Aitkenhead, on Flickr

2019-09-22_03-07-27 by korey Aitkenhead, on Flickr

2019-09-22_03-07-33 by korey Aitkenhead, on Flickr

2019-09-22_03-07-39 by korey Aitkenhead, on Flickr

2019-09-22_03-07-47 by korey Aitkenhead, on Flickr

I decided to leave two rings of sapwood on there. It makes for a really nice contrast against the slowly darkening heartwood. You probably can't see it in the photos, but the backs of both the top and bottom limbs are slightly concave........ Unintentional, just following the rings.

I really like hoe this bow shoots. Even though it is only 38#, it is super quick.

I think I have a new favorite bow wood!

Thanks for looking........

[PEARL DRUMS]

Fist, remind me not to arm wrestle you. Secondly, good looking bow. I like how you left a few rings of sapwood on it. Very classy.

[Stoner]

Maybe that's why I wasn't successful with mulberry, I removed all the sapwood. Great craftsmanship right there, job well done. John

[bjrogg]

Nice bow kbear. I've got some mulberry I need to spend some more time with. Hopefully in a couple months. Yours looks really nice.

Pearl I thought your third comment would be about the fender shirt.
Bjrogg

[PEARL DRUMS]

I caught that to, BJ.

[SLIMBOB]

Made one from Mulberry earlier this spring and it was my first from it.  Really impressed with it.  It is my go to bow right now so it is shot a good bit and it has taken almost no set since being shot in.  I have some more headed my way as we speak.  Good job on on maintaining that flat profile. 

[Hawkdancer]

Very nice!  I like the weight marker idea, too.  We don't have very many mulberry trees out here except the one in my neighbor's yard, and I don't think he wants to cut it yet!  After I get the knee healed and rehabbed, it will be back to the bow bench to get some stave to various stages of started!
Probably ought to finish carving the wood spirit into my fly pole, too!
Hawkdancer

[Pat B]

Mulberry is an excellent bow wood. I've made many bows with mulberry from all sapwood to all heartwood and every combination between the 2. They all worked well.
Very nice bow there, KBear. 

[Hamish]

Nice work Korey. You're really pumping out some good bows.

[PaSteve]

Well done. The sapwood adds a nice touch.

[kbear]

Nice work Korey. You're really pumping out some good bows.

Thanks Hamish. The pumping is about to come to an abrupt end, as I sail on Thursday until Christmas. Oh well...... I will return though with a keen fervor for building arrow-flingers!

[straightarrow]

Nice work, kbear!

[Limbit]

Mulberry is great. You chose the right design for it too. If you make another one in the future, you can try heat treating the belly on it and flipping the tips. Makes a fun shooter.

[kbear]

Mulberry is great. You chose the right design for it too. If you make another one in the future, you can try heat treating the belly on it and flipping the tips. Makes a fun shooter.

I am definitely keen to start flipping tips once I get back from my sojourn. I already have my cauls underway. I have really been working on nailing the basics first. I made board bows for a couple of years, using Eric Krewsons' Tiller Gizmo, before tillering by eye on proper staves over the last year and a bit. It took me couple of years to get my hands on some decent staves so it was boards from various sources. Now I have an abundance of staves!

One thing I have been doing on a consistent basis is heat treating. I first rub the belly with colophony (pine resin) dissolved in gum turps prior to treating. This seems to distribute the heat more evenly on the surface and prevent scorching. It smokes up and brings tears to my eyes, but smells great! You can see in the pics that the belly is darker than it should be, and the early wood provides a starker contrast when heat treated. However, based upon some recent posts, and re-watching Marcs' video, I probably haven't been treating it long, and probably not deep enough.

I am still playing with the malming idea too; brushing the belly with dissolved colophony using a manilla rope brush (doesn't melt) during the heat treat in an attempt to introduce more resin into the belly......... (white woods mostly, there's not much point in trying it on Osage)

[kbear]

How rude of me. Thank you everyone!