Mulberry?

[TYLER WOOD]

Have any of you turned mulberry before? I was driving down the loop yesterday giong home. A truck pulls along side me with a trailerload of the stuff. BRIGHT yellow, absolutely gorgeous. So me of course called the number on the side of the truck, talked to the owner and cut a deal. One bowl for as much wood as I could haul. So I grabbed 4 logs of the mulberry about 6" diameter. But the real haul was two large slabs of mesquite or some other wood that looks alot like it.

But the question is will the mulberry stay that color, how is it to turn, any special needs for this wood???

[Bob Hamilton]

I have turned a couple of pieces from mulberry. I don't recall any particular problem turning it. I would hazard a guess that it turns like ash or elm. It does darken over time. The first bowl I turned from mulberry was several years ago and it is now a very nice reddish brown:

http://www.bobhamswwing.com/justpics/mulbowl1.jpg

The other one was a couple of years later and this picture was taken a couple of months after it was turned. I gave it away so I don't know what color it is now.

http://bobhamswwing.com/Gallery1/Gallery1-3/imagesgal1-3/mulberrybowlside.jpg

Take care
Bob

[Dave Mcintire]

I turned some a while ago and would say its worth a try. It will not stay yellow however - it turns a brownish yellow (mostly brown). It is a hard wood but turned pretty good considering mine was pretty curly. Also finished nicely.

[Marvin Hasenak]

Mulberry is a cousin to Osage Orange, turns great!

[mike fuson]

I've not turned any of it but I have worked with it , I think light has some to do with it browning. The boards I had, some in the shop and some outside in the sun, browned at incredible different rates. The ones outside were brown in a matter of minutes ,the ones in the shop took longer. My advice is to turn the bowl sand it and finish it at one time, and I wouldn't say then that it wouldn't turn brown. The brown is however on the outside only. The boards I had that turned brown quickly I just ran them through the planer and they were yellow again. Cherry does this also but alot slower. Cherry will darken over the years

[Adam Bauer]

Also to note, turn this when its still green. Once this stuff dries its like a rock. Still turnable but be prepared to constantly be at the grinder sharpening your tools. However, it looks great and a can have almost a kind of irridesence to it. Or at least the batch I had did.

[Jim Becker]

Yea, Mulberry (and osage orange) are a real trip to turn...the bright yellow is SO strange when the wood is wet and fresh! Good stuff, however...

[Gary Herrmann]

...rubs hands together while cackling like a maniac...

Mine, all mine. The Mulberry tree next store when my neighbors build their addition. heheheh