mullbery or osage?

[david w.]

after reading about mullbery i tseems justas good as osage but i havent worked with either one. what would you recomend for a new bowyer.

mullbery or osage?

[Coo-wah-chobee]

             Mulberry...........bob

[cowboy]

Whatever's free .

[david w.]

i wish it was free.  this addiction is starting to eat up lwan mowing money  but its worth it

[mullet]

  they are both different but are close enough alike to where I say use either one.The Mulberry in Florida I can't tell much difference from Osage.I've gotten some Mulberry from some of the guy's on here from up North and it is not as dense and yellow as what we have here.But I usually have to trade or buy Osage,I don't Mulberry.

[david w.]

i think i will get a mulbery board instead of osage

[Hrothgar]

Here in nortwest Missouri the red mulberry isn't as hard or heavy as the osage, tends to be easier to work. For a first bow I would recommend it over osage.

[Pat B]

I believe the rule of thumb with mulberry is add 10%-15%(length and width) to an osage design for mulberry. Being lighter in physical weight gives it the extra kick, compared to osage.   Pat

[Hillbilly]

For someone starting out, the mulberry is usually straighter, cleaner, (less knots), and easier to work and chase a ring on. Mulberry rings are sometimes 1/4" thick or more. Either one will make an excellent bow, though.

[DCM]

It depends upon the specimen and what kind of bow you want to make.  Generally mulberry rings are bigger for sure and that would be an advantage for a beginner.  But I don't think I'd do so far as to say mulberry is the same as osage.  In fact mulberry will chrysal quite easily compared to osage.  In most cases you can design for it's lower density but for a short, heavy bow osage stands out rather dramatically.  For a longer bow mulberry would give the benefit of lower mass on the outer limb.

[david w.]

i am new to this and i always hear people talk about chasing rings. i have no idea how to do that

[cowboy]

David, what I was reffering to with the (whatever's free) was any kind of trees you can get your hands on, including white woods. I'm fairly new to this too, and have made several out of White oak, Red oak, and hickory - all trees, haven't tried any boards. It's all good if your just learning, I can tell ya though - that osage is going to be a lot snappier than the white's from what I've seen (haven't tried mullberry).

  I've found that if you get out in the suburbs/ farm lands outside of the towns, you can usually get permission to cut a few for free - all it takes is asking around. They don't always say yes, but when they do - voila! free wood .

[Justin Snyder]

i am new to this and i always hear people talk about chasing rings. i have no idea how to do that

The back of the bow, the part away from you when you are shooting, needs to be one growth ring from one end of the bow to the other. If you use white woods, you can usually just remove the bark and you have the back of the bow.  On woods like mulberry and osage you use the heartwood, the darker wood in the middle of the tree that is usually covered by an inch or so of lighter colored wood that is just under the bark.  With these woods you remove the sapwood (lighter). Most guys use a draw knife for this.  Then clean the back of the bow up by scraping or sanding until the back is one growth ring. The bow can then be worked out of the stave.  Justin

[david w.]

i was planning on getting a mulbery board do i still need to chase a ring?

[Auggie]

Nothing wrong with boards,however oak might be cheaper. Might not hurt to look in your phone book for tree removal, topping service,and talk to these guys,Ive gotten some nice staves for free from these guys in my area. Good luck,and just do it as Justin says its the best way to learn, and ask the PA guys any thing about it.