Green Mulberry for Turning

I have turned alot of Mulberry. Great stuff, but it tend to crack more than most other woods I have used. That shouldn't disuade you from trying it out, though. Keep in mind that the wood will darken to a russet brown with exposure to direct sunlight.

Peter Teubel Milford, MA

Great wood for turning, easy and pretty. Get some end sealer today nad use it liberally. You may need to cut back the ends so the cracks are gone before you seal it. Green woods need to be sealed immediately after cutting to let them dry properly, Don't waste any time protecting the wood that you can get. Grab the Rosewood and the Mahogany as well as the Norfolk Island Pine. ANY free wood is good wood.

Dave in Fairfax

Absolutely! Mulberry is very nice, and so is oak. Both can be turned green ( I do it all the time). Mulberry requires a clean cut with a sharp tool or it will get fuzzy. A clean cut in the right direction (small diameter to large diameter on the outside, the opposite on the inside) by sharp tools will yield good results. Mulberry will move after you turn it. If you turn it thin (1/4" or less) and have even thickness throughout the piece it should not crack, but will move instead. The bark may or may not stay on with mulberry, but will probably stay on with oak, if you're doing natural edge stuff. Oak can be easily ebonized by painting on a vinegar and steel wool mixture. Let the steel wool soak in the vinegar until it looks like a murky mess. Paint it on the wood and let it dry. The iron in the steel wool will react with the tannins in the oak and turn it black--a neat effect. Make sure to leave the pith out of the piece. If you do leave the pith in, soak it with thin CA glue as soon as you're down to final thickness and you may stop cracking from developing or continuing. If you get whole logs, halve them lengthwise and seal them with Anchorseal ASAP. Cut them at least 6" longer than they are wide so if the ends check you can cut back to fresh wood for turning.

-Jim Gott- San Jose, CA