Mullberry back checking

[Don]

Lost 3 stave to really bad checking. Cut last Sept. and good mullberry is really hard to find around these parts.
I prepared them like Osage. Debarked, sealed with glue, and waxed ends.
All of my other woods look OK. My Osage also look fine , glad of that.

[Woodland Roamer]

Don, I would just season staves with the bark on next time. That way you don't have to worry about the back checking at all and it's a lot less work that way. I've done Osage and Black Locust this way and never had any problem.

Alan

[Justin Snyder]

I am sorry to hear that.

I might be a little obsessive, but I put 3 coats of white glue on the back of mulberry staves, or anything else for that matter. It only takes a second and it sure is worth the piece of mind.  I haven't yet lost one to checking and it is super hot and dry here.  Justin

[smokeu]

yea i check my wood every day for for the first week of drying,< and will sometimes add an extra coat of glue if its iffy or starting to check. I will usually dry my better wood indoors.... I also put a very heavy coat on the back too and sometimes the belly if its locust.

Mike

[Don]

I have done some of the things you all suggest. Like glue on the back and leaving bark on the back of my osage.
These staves I had in the upper part of the garage and it my have gotten to hot to fast.
Any nway everything else looks OK.
I also cut a real nice red elm today. They say you don't have to seal the back after removing the bark but I did anyway.
Think I'll get another elm tomarrow.

Don

[George Tsoukalas]

Did you take off the sapwood? If I were to remove the bark I would also remove the sapwood and then I would seal with poly. I would also seal the ends too. Jawge

[Buckeye Guy]

With Mullberry the sapwood must come off sameday as bark then seal & cont. as other woods

[Eric Krewson]

Like others have said, if you left the sapwood on the back is going to check no matter how well you seal it. Everyone seems to like wood glue as a sealer but I lost some mighty fine osage to checking because I put my faith in wood glue as a sealer. Shellac is the only way to go for me, easy to put on and easy to scrape off when you are ready to work on your stave, nothing seals better.

[Bullitt]

So Don are you burning the Mulberry? How bad are the checks? The only Mulberry I have made from was Red Mulberry from northern Indiana a friend cut from a friend's yard. He removed the bark and sent me a stave. Sat for about a year, then I removed the sap wood. The hardest Sapwood EVER! Thick rings and made a nice little 44 lb. reflexed tips and snake skin backed, by Gary Davis. He used the bow to show how at the 1st. Primitive shoot at Marshall,  Michigan. Don't give up on it! Good shootin, Steve

[Don]

Hi Guys.
Ya I removed the sap wood just like I had done with some of my Osage.
One of the stave's I started chasing down some rings to see how deep the checking went.
Went deep enough that I wouldn't have any bow left.
They are sitting in the corner now. I may be able to squeeze out a kids bow at some point.
Don