Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: osage outlaw on December 02, 2014, 11:07:31 pm
-
I cut an osage tree that fell in a guys yard by work last week. I noticed a log laying by his firewood pile. He said it was an osage he had cut a year or two ago. He told me to take that one to. I noticed it has very thick rings and is kind of pale yellow for osage. I'm starting to wonder if it might be mulberry. I have never cut any mulberry and it doesn't grow on our property so I'm not very familiar with what it looks like. I do know that I've never seen osage rings that thick before :o Any guesses?
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC17053.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC17045.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC17049.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC17054.jpg)
-
I'm by far an expert on Osage or any wood as far as that goes. But the stave I built my first bow from looked a lot like that. It had a lighter yellow color and huge rings. Patrick
(http://i1335.photobucket.com/albums/w668/lebhuntfish1/Mobile%20Uploads/2013-10/IMAG0874_zpsam1cbmsc.jpg) (http://s1335.photobucket.com/user/lebhuntfish1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2013-10/IMAG0874_zpsam1cbmsc.jpg.html) (http://i1335.photobucket.com/albums/w668/lebhuntfish1/Mobile%20Uploads/2013-10/IMAG0871_zpspg0dihgv.jpg) (http://s1335.photobucket.com/user/lebhuntfish1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2013-10/IMAG0871_zpspg0dihgv.jpg.html)
-
I have some of that. Keep changing my mind on what it is. :-\. Pretty sure it is mullberry even though it is right next to a known red mullberry tree and looks different, and oozes white milk when cut green, and smells insecticidal.
It smells a little like mustard when sanded or heated.
Makes bows but will chrysal
-
I vote Mulberry. Bob
-
Looks like Osage to me, Mullberry is very light in physical weight compaired to Osage. :)
Pappy
-
It's osage, mulberry doesn't have bark like that. Ring thickness has more to do with a tree having full sun and a big crown allowing it to grow fast.
-
One helpful characteristic that can help separate [osage] from lookalikes such as Mulberry or Black Locust (besides being heavier) is that Osage Orange contains a water-soluble yellow dye, so putting shavings into water will turn the water yellow.
(Source (http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/osage-orange/))
-
Looks like Osage to me, Mullberry is very light in physical weight compaired to Osage. :)
Pappy
This stuff sure isn't light Pappy. We loaded that log in one piece and it was a job.
I'll try the shavings in water and see what happens. Thanks for the input guys.
-
That looks like osage bark to me Clint. Like Pappy said, you will be able to tell just by the physical weight if its mulberry. Ive cut quite a bit of mulberry for firewood and for bowmaking and as far as I can tell the only thing it has in common with osage is the color.
-
I agree Okie,I haven't worked a lot but been involved with several and they don't remind me of Osage at all except color, working it is nothing like the same and is way lighter but I say the same about BL, some say it is like Osage but not to me. :)
Pappy
-
Throw a sliver in some water, hell, you could even run a wet cloth over it. No yellow rag, no osage.
-
No question in my mind. Osage.
-
Outlaw,
As a matter of interest, on your Monster tree, did you ever count up the annual rings to figure out how old it was?
Best regards,
Russ
-
Looks like yeller wood to me Clint. Those are some crazy rings!
-
Russ, I never counted the rings. Someone did in that post and came up with something around 100.
As soon as I get some deer heads cooking I'm going to split it down into staves. I'll try the water test then.
-
I say osage, mulberry reminds me of an osage / black licust color. Real dull.
-
ive only worked mullberry once but there was a noticable difference in texture compared to osage. thats just my one cent
-
Mulberry Outlaw don't sound so good to me Clint ::)
-
Mulberry Outlaw don't sound so good to me Clint ::)
;D ;D
-
Looks like osage to me Clint. However, since they are in the same family I wonder if osage like that is a cross-breed?
-
Clint, not sure if you remember the short knot filled Osage bow I was working on at Marshall but, it was really light colored. That was really tough stuff.
-
ive only worked mullberry once but there was a noticable difference in texture compared to osage. thats just my one cent
I sent jordo that mulberry, I remember him whining about how hard it was >:D
-
Hey Clint,
Drop it off at my place and I'll check it out for ya... >:D :) ;)
DBar
-
Mulberry Outlaw doesn't sound good to me neither Jon ;D I think I'll stick with the double O
Cody, I don't know if they could crossbreed either. That is an interesting thought.
Ryan, I remember that bow. Looked like a challenging project.
Bill, I might just do that one of these days ;)
I never got time to split it and test it today. Other more important jobs kept popping up.
-
They can't cross, although they are the same family, moracea, hedge is from the genus Maclura, mulberry is Morus
-
ive only worked mullberry once but there was a noticable difference in texture compared to osage. thats just my one cent
I sent jordo that mulberry, I remember him whining about how hard it was >:D
thats why you sent it to me, your old arms couldnt work wood that hard.
-
Just keep telling yourself that jordo :laugh:
-
Looks like Mulberry to me with those kind of growth rings and the lighter color. Made a few bows out of Mulberry. Great bow wood. Make it a little wider. Beautiful wood when finished.
-
I say its Hedge
but I can see why it would make a fellow wonder
Bark looks wrong for Mulberry and the color is off for it being cut a year ago
-
Osage.
-
Looks like hedge to me, also looking at the bark. Like others have already said, mulberry will be lighter. That said the 3 mulberry bows I've tried 2 broke during final tiller and 1 before I made arrows for it.
-
It's osage, mulberry doesn't have bark like that. Ring thickness has more to do with a tree having full sun and a big crown allowing it to grow fast.
And water. Mulberry does ooze milky sap, though. The wood does look very much like mulberry, but the bark doesn't at all. Dry it, weigh a chunk compared to the osage, and treat it accordingly.
EDIT: Whoops. Brain fart! It very well might be WHITE mulberry, rather than red. I just trimmed a tree, and the bark on the branches was smoother, but the trunk and secondaries had craggy bark like that. If so, white mulberry is great bow wood, too. I have made branch bows from the long suckers that pop out when people "top" their trees. They make for tough, stringy lumpy staves that are hard to break, and you can either make a sapling-sized bow with a crown from a 4" dia sapling/branch, or chase a ring out and treat it like low end osage.
-
Yeah, mulberry is very light compared to osage. I think is has more sapwood sometimes too.
-
Its osage. I soaked some shavings and it turned the water yellow
-
From the mulberry I've worked, I know it's heartwood is a lot more pale than Osage. It's also super light but does resemble Osage.