Mulberry

[Johnny65]

Hi all,

I've been given some Mulberry logs, up to 20 inch diameter, anyone had any experience with this timber.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Ends painted with something? They should be. It's a stunning wood, beautiful to turn. Any burrs?

 

[marcros]

nice find there. as Phil says, stunning wood. I am yet to turn any.

 

[Johnny65]

Phil,

Painted with what, I'm new to this, mainly straight trunk but some pieces are where branches have been cut off, I got some spalted beech as well, it was advertised as free firewood !
Here's a photo, the top one is Mulberry.

 

[Johnny65]

This is one of two boot fulls.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Paint it with anything you can lay your hands on - old undercoat, gloss, varnish, PVA glue, candle wax ...... anything that will stop it drying out too quickly through the end grain, it'll help stop its cracking.

 

[Droogs]

any paint will do - to stop it drying out too fast

 

[Orraloon]

It is a nice wood to work and polishes up well. Turners like it but it is also good for tool handles. Makes OK longbows too. I have only ever got small spindly stuff so 20'' is great.
Regards
John

 

[Phil Pascoe]

John, Australian mulberry is a different genus to the British stuff.

 

[Tris]

Has anyone found a solution to it darkening once it has been worked? Years back I turned a bowl from mulberry and whilst it started out a lovely golden colour it is now a muddy brown.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Welcome to the world of wood.

 

[Johnny65]

The majority is a yellow colour, the ends that were previously cut have a reddish tinge to it.

Has anyone found a solution to it darkening once it has been worked? Years back I turned a bowl from mulberry and whilst it started out a lovely golden colour it is now a muddy brown.

 

[BEE13]

Has anyone found a solution to it darkening once it has been worked? Years back I turned a bowl from mulberry and whilst it started out a lovely golden colour it is now a muddy brown.

It darkens on exposure to the light. Keep it away from the sun and it'll stay light in colour longer although, IMHO, if you keep sapwood and the darkened heartwood, the contrast is attractive.

The logs in the pic don't look very long. If so, any cracks will make it difficult to use. If, so, use it quickly. It's best if you can keep logs (for turning) over 60cm long. Preferably more.

B

 

[Johnny65]

Bee13

They were that big and heavy I just cut the logs into what I thought were usable lengths, my lathe will swing 12 inch so I'll get some decent size bowls from it.

 

[Orraloon]

John, Australian mulberry is a different genus to the British stuff.

I was not aware of that. The stuff I have used has a black fruit like a longish blackberry. It is an introduced plant that has gone wild and would be classed as a weed here. There is one just over my back fence and the fruit is just passed being ripe. The birds by day and possums by night have been having a great time.
Regards
John

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Ah, you're using the one that grows here. I didn't think it looked the same so googled Australian mulberry -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedycarya_angustifolia

 

[Orraloon]

Phil,
Well some big gaps in my tree knowledge as I did not know we had a native mulberry. As I live in the Blue Mountains I will keep an eye out for it. Must be nice and hard if it got used for spear points as most of our woods are very hard.
Regards
John

 

[BEE13]

Bee13

They were that big and heavy I just cut the logs into what I thought were usable lengths, my lathe will swing 12 inch so I'll get some decent size bowls from it.

Yes, if you keep it for a while and do get shakes in the ends, you might lose 4" to 6" each end hence my 60 cm / 2'.

If you can't turn it before that happens, I suggest you split the shorter logs to exclude the pith. That way, you'll significantly reduce the risk of shakes.

B

 

[IanB]

I was not aware of that. The stuff I have used has a black fruit like a longish blackberry. It is an introduced plant that has gone wild and would be classed as a weed here. There is one just over my back fence and the fruit is just passed being ripe. The birds by day and possums by night have been having a great time.
Regards
John

Lucky you, they are delicious, but rare to find here in the UK. There used to be 2 old mulberries in a public park in the City of London - no one knew what they were so there were always berries for the picking. Sadly though they were felled a few years ago for an adjacent office redevelopment.

 

[Mark Karacsonyi]

Over here we call Mulberry, Eperfa which translates too Strawberry tree.

The fruit makes an excellent palinka, which is similar to schnapps.

The wood makes excellent barrels. These are very small holding 3-5 litres. This is called a eperfa hordó.