Mulberry board Question

[Hrothgar]

I have a question. I have a red mulberry board cut and air dried 10 years ago. It was planned , stuck in a corner and forgotten about. The board is seven feet long, 3/4 x2 1/2" and quarter sawn--no run-offs and only two small knots that shouldn't be a problem. I've made bows from mulberry staves before and been quite happy with the wood, however I've never tried mulberry in a board form and I thinking it is going to need backed with either hickory or bamboo.

Have any of you guys ever used a mulberry board? 

Thanks, Eric

[JonW]

Have not used it board form but I would definately try it with a hickory backer. Be sure and let us know how it works out.

[Dances with squirrels]

I have a bunch of rough sawn mulberry boards here. I recently ground a piece as a center lam of a boo/mulberry/osage trilam and it's awaiting its turn on the tillering tree.

I would narrow your board to about 1 5/8", thin it to 1/2" from dip to dip, taper to 3/8" at the tips, and back it with bamboo, hickory, or hard maple... bending it into either a d/r or reflex shape during glue up.

[Hrothgar]

-Dances with squirrels-
What kind of thickness did you have with your mulberry lam, is it comparable to other hardwood lams?

Thanks for the info

[EdwardS]

Mulberry is related to osage, and acts much like it.  Boards are routinely used as hornbow cores

[Dances with squirrels]

Hrothgar, I don't remember it's exact thickness offhand, I'll go measure it...

I found my build notes...

Mulberry center lam is .220" for the center 12", then tapers at .00375/1" from there to the tips.

The osage belly lam is .200" parallel.

Mulberry is a little weaker than osage, so if I wanted to make the same weight, at the same length, with boo/osage/osage, I would have made them both .200" or so.

[tattoo dave]

From my experience, if its quarter sawn, there's no need for a backer.

If you want to get rid of some of the mulberry boards, I would love some if it's quarter sawn.

Tattoo Dave

[EdwardS]

I would be interested in one as well.

[Dances with squirrels]

The mulberry boards I have are rough sawn so it's hard to critique them well. But from what I've worked on so far, I'd be surprised if a single one was quartersawn and of the quality needed to make a selfbow.

[Hrothgar]

Dances with squirrels--thanks for the info, I'm encouraged to hear someone using mulberry for lams, hope you'll post some pix when done.

Dave, EdwardS--there were 4 or 5 other staves which came back from the lumber mill with drastic run-offs and were either given away or used for white meat BBQ. Sorry

[EdwardS]

Dances with Squirrels, any dimensions on your boards?  I'd be putting a pretty heavy sinew backing on it.

[George Tsoukalas]

I had a nice hickory board once. I didnot see the little knot and that is where the bow broke so be careful and consider a backing.
The problem with knots on boards is they have been cut through and the board can't be left wider which is how knots are handled on staves.
At the very east tiller it so th knotted area is slightly stiffer than the rest of the limb.
Jawge

[Dances with squirrels]

No Edward, sorry. They're still 1x6's and such.