Mulberry??

[Titan_Bow]

While turkey hunting this week in SW Nebraska, I came across a guy cutting some trees down, and it looked like osage, but had different bark than the osage I've seen.  The guy cutting it said it was mulberry, but didnt know what type.  Does anyone know specifically what type of mulberry this is?  I am going to attempt a bow out of it, but if it is a really good bow wood, I want to plan a trip back to cut a lot of it.

[Justin Snyder]

I believe when it comes to the wood, mulberry is mulberry.  It is great wood.  Think of it as osage without the thorns.  Osage and mulberry are close enough relations that they can hybridize. Go get all you can. Justin

[Hillbilly]

I'm not familiar with Nebraska, but the only native mulberry we have here in the East is Red Mulberry (Morus rubra). Asian White Mulberry is also naturalized here and there across the country, as well as paper mulberry. I've only used red mulberry, and it's great wood. Like Justin said, osage is in the mulberry family. Mulberry is not as dense as osage, just make the bow a bit wider/thicker for the same draw weight than you would with osage.

[Titan_Bow]

 Thanks for the info.  I was aware that mulberry was related to osage, but I thought I had remembered hearing a long time ago that a certain type of mulberry was sought out for bow wood.  This stuff grows all over the place where I turkey hunt.  I guess its time to plan another trip to get a truckload of wood.

[Danny Roberts]

Got any pics of the finished product ?

[Josh B]

If its Western Nebraska then its about 90% chance that it is red mulberry.  Good stuff.  Over build it about 10% over what you would with Osage.  The berries are pretty tasty too.  They usually ripen in June.  Be forewarned, if you go picking mulberries, you will have purple stained fingers, lips and clothes. The stain on your skin will wear off eventually, but the stained cloth is permanent!  Josh

[tanner]

Mulberry is one of the most common species around my house (spreads like crazy as birds eat the berries and plant them around after). The easiest way I found to ID them is by the funny little hooks in their leaves:

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTpit6L3RAPS4pcU9sDA46PQvI3076Mnc-KVZugisHNQlzQ3tnl

Not that leaf shape helps you this time of year...   Once I got to IDing them by leaf I also began to be able to tell by how brown their trunk typically is compared to most other stuff around them. Your mileage there will vary I'm sure.

[Josh B]

Well crap!  I just noticed that this thread is six years old!  The guy that started it hasn't been on in two years.  I really need to pay more attention.  Josh

[Hrothgar]

I think 'cabin fever' is starting to effect us all

[Primitive1]

Hah, was just looking at some of the threads regarding mulberry and found this...no worries from my perspective...life tends to get in the way of bow making!  In MO, I'm surrounded by 'White Mulberry' trees, with the often, and occasional 'Red Mulberry' thrown in.  The picture here certainly looks to be of the 'Red' variety...it is a much more coarse bark profile; whereas, the white's bark is more 'gray' in tone and comparatively smooth.  I'm currently working one now from a recent tree clearing on the property...about 58" or so, 2" wide past the fades...we'll see how she does...just gotta get the flowering dogwood take-down off the tillering tree (finish rough tillering prior to shooting in a bit) and then the ELM Molly and THEN this one will be next in line.  By the way, in what research I've done, the only 'mulberry' to avoid would be the 'Paper Mulberry', though in its I.D., I have no experience...never seen one (that I'm aware of).  Anyway, only my limited knowledge set applied here, cheers - P1.

[Prarie Bowyer]

Gun Doc,  I don't think it's age reflects on the value of the information in the thread. 

My experience with Mullberry is that it is not as dense as Osage (thus easier to split and work otherwise) and I thought possibly more springy.

A quick comparison on the Wood Database of it's characteristics shows that Osage is 1/5 times as dense as mullberry.  I has a higher modulus of elasticity that compares with and may excede osage and Yew.  Where it lacks is in it's crushing strength. SO it will Chrysle. I know... did it.  

Care on backing the bow should be taken to no overpower the belly.  I'm hoping to start experimenting with Coir and Sisal as well as Vellum soon with mine.

According to TBB alot of old time bowyers love the Mullberry.

Most guys prefer the Red stuff and claim the white is worthless.  I wouldn't know. 

Mulberry is also a traditional core for asian composite bows.  That highly flexible core is great to laminate between horn and sinew.

[JonW]

With all the traffic on Mulberry lately, Ill try to describe the difference the best way I know how. The leaves are the most sure way to tell. Red Mulberry leaves are significantly larger than White. The White Mulberry leaves are kind of slick and shiny looking on top. Red Mulberry leaves are kind of fuzzy. The bark is different but you really have to know the trees to tell it apart. The Red bark is a little more "scaly" than the White. Red leaves have more of a fine jagged "tooth" on the edge. Hope this helps. Both woods a good for bows but I personally have more Osage than anything so I don't use Mulberry much.