How Good Mulberry Really is?

[arachnid]

Hi Guys.

I have 2 mulberry billets seasoning for several months now, and I started chasing a ring, and when I`m done I`ll splice them and
reduce the stave to a rough shape. I`ve been reading online regarding mulberry as a bow wood and got mixed opinions.
Some love it, some say it snaped at the after 300 shots. I know it`s from the osage family but softer the osage.
I really want to make this bow my primery target bow (for the coming year at least...) but don`t want to
spent a lot of time on a bow that won`t last.

I really like to know from all of you experienced bowyer- what`s your take on mulberry?
 

[bubby]

I don't know about it being softer, i gave a pc to bowman and he was whining about how hard it was , I've got a few staves to try as well from what I've gathered from patb and pappy just go ten percent wider than osage good luck

[Pat B]

   Mulberry is an excellent selfbow wood. I've made bows with all sapwood, 50/50/ sap/heart wood, all heartwood with a ring or two of sapwood on the back and all heartwood and all worked well. In my experience, the more sapwood the thicker the limbs will be. I've never had a mulberry bow break either. Mulberry is physically lighter so it can make a faster bow. I've only used red mulberry(Morus rubra) so other species might be different.
 Yeah Bubby, about 10% wider than osage or make it longer.

[arachnid]

How can I tell what kind of mulberry is this (red/white)?


The sap wood is white and the heartwood is sort of green/golden color.

Is there a prefered design the suits mulberry better then others?
I`m planning a 66"-64" long pyramid with reflexed tips (maybe even a slight recurve).
Does 1 1/2" limb width is enough?

[Sidewinder]

Thats a nice looking piece of mulberry.

[Pat B]

That looks like the mulberry I used.   I'd make it 1 3/4 at the fades. From there the bow you described will work fine. If you find the limbs getting too thin you can tiller from the sides, reducing the width.  Mulberry likes belly tempering too. 

[arachnid]

That looks like the mulberry I used.   I'd make it 1 3/4 at the fades. From there the bow you described will work fine. If you find the limbs getting too thin you can tiller from the sides, reducing the width.  Mulberry likes belly tempering too.

How much is too thin?
How much time do I heat each limb? Is it really a half an hour (that what I read about heat treating)?

[Pappy]

Just finished one up, It shoots great, very fast and the wood is very light compared to Osage.
Looks a lot like it but not really the same from my experience, Little wider and the limb will wind up a little thicker for the same weight bow compared to Osage.
   Pappy

[arachnid]

Well, that good to know. I'm casing a ring with an improvised draw knife I made and it takes forever! Hope it pays off...

[Pat B]

I heat the belly wood until it is a chocolate brown color. I work about 6" until that color, move out 6" more and so on until the limb is done then move to the next. I like to have the bow clamped to a form and let it remain clamped for a few days while the wood rehydrates. Don't temper the back or let the heat bleed around to the back.

[koan]

That sure looks like the red mullberry i have.... Brian

[Springbuck]

  Looks like red mulberry to me.

  I love mulberry.  I'd pay money for it.

  Most of what I have used has been from when people "top" fruitless white mulberry trees (which is a dumb thing to do) and stimulate the growth of long suckers inside the tree.  When those things get about 4" and up dia., they have nice thick rings, but the heartwood has started to show well in the middle, and the wood is hard.

  I treat it like high quality white wood, not osage, but I have never failed to make a bow from a decent stave.  There is usually only a little heartwood on the belly, crown and knobs and lumps all down the back, but it heat treats well, handles strong draw weights, handles different designs, and holds together just fine.

  I have noticed that some trunk wood I had was strangely not nearly as dense as old branch wood off the same tree, but it was still good.