mulberry?

[TimothyR]

Guy down the road cut this.  Its 47" long should be able to get 4 good straight staves from it. He said he thought it was pear wood but it looks like mulberry to me. What do yo all think? Sorry thats all the pics I have.

[Hrothgar]

Hard to tell, obviously a big difference between bredford pear wood versus white mulberry. The pear trees should be covered with white flowers by now in the Midwest. That would be one big indicator.

[Hamish]

Mulberry has growth rings with a prominent division of early and latewood(like osage or ash, or oak) Pear is diffuse porous, its division of growth rings is less prominent, thinner early wood(like walnut).
          Hamish

[TimothyR]

Mulberry has growth rings with a prominent division of early and latewood(like osage or ash, or oak) Pear is diffuse porous, its division of growth rings is less prominent, thinner early wood(like walnut).
          Hamish

They both make good bow woods  right?.  I've read about mulberry.  Not to familiar with pear wood. The growth rings are fairly large on this log.

[Hrothgar]

I've heard that pear fruit wood can make a good bow, bur don't know about the Bradford pear. It is some kind of decorative hybrid which tends to split pretty easily in a storm.

[Pat B]

Bradford pear is a true pear(Pyrus) and has strong, hard wood. Its weakness is in its structure, with limb angles so steep they tear off with heavy weight or high winds.

[wapiti1997]

I doesn't look like mulberry bark to me or pear, has a red elm look to me.  Most pears get hit by yellow bellied sapsuckers, little dots in rings where they peck and get sap flowing then comeback and eat the insects attracted to the wounds

[lukelawrence171]

if you leave a piece out in the sun for a couple days and it gets really dark its mulberry, if its Bradford pair i wouldn't even try to make a bow out of it because how weak the tree is and the staves are only 47 inches mulberry when freshly cut will look almost like Osage but have a thicker sapwood Bradford pair does not have a white sapwood.

[TimothyR]

I tried to split this thing today and it was a bear.  Its not wanting to spilt straight but the grain runs straight.   And it smells really bad.  If this is elm than all of you are right.  You haven't split wood till you split elm.  Im still not sure what it is but my axe didn't survive it. Will have to get a new hickory handle for it before I can Finnish.

[mwosborn]

looks like elm, smells like elm, splits like elm....must be elm!

[TimothyR]

Quacks like a duck!   

Is it worth the effort?  I've never worked with it.

[Pat B]

Elm makes a very good bow. It is well worth the effort.

[TimothyR]

Good deal Pat. I was hoping it would. I will get back on the horse tomorrow...So to speek.   

[Pat B]

You've got a little twist in that log but elm seems to manipulate well with heat.

[TimothyR]

Thanks Pat. Im hoping to get a couple bows for my two oldest kids. 4 and 6.  And maybe a short bow. For my wife. We'll see. Thanks again for 'll the impute.