Folks here at work just cut down a mulberry tree. I was there as soon as I heard the chippers and chain saws start their shrieking. I managed to get a chunk 6 foot in length and about 18" in diamter and they set it down in my truck. Tonight I will be busy with the chain saw slabbing this thing out and painting the ends. Now does anyone have any comments on hackberry? I think I know where I can get a chunk perhaps 12 foot in length and perhaps 15 or so inches in diamter.
thanks
I've seen spalted hackberry. I liked it although I've never turned it. Had a lot of texture to it which added a lot of character. Wish I had a 12' chunk...
...Kevin
Just a couple of suggestions from here in S. Texas. We have a lot of both for turning, so many of us down here have turned out share. Remember that these comments only pertain to the local stuff, so YMMV.
Turn the mulberry green; it will get harder than hell, and then crack wildly while drying. I turn it, bag it in a couple of bags, and if I wait to turn it too long it will still crack. It can make some nice stuff, but not really too exceptional.
As far as hackberry goes, I love the stuff. It is a fairly soft wood with a high moisture content, hence the comments on spalting. A couple of guys in the club spalt this wood by simply turning the log on end in a shady part of the yard into bare dirt. Add a little water now and then and it seems to work like a champ.
It will also distort and tear out like crazy when really green, but a if you have that much at your disposal, try out some samples. I love to turn the stuff after it has been drying for about a month or so, and it is really pretty. If you don't want the spalting, dry it off the ground and it will turn almost snow white in some trees, and then kind of amber with an occasional branch or small knot for accent in some others. Like I said, I really like turning this stuff as it is a great texture under the gouge. The snow white wood looks pretty distinctive, too.
I try to use only a wax or water borne finish on the hackberry as it will pull in a lot of finish and turn a plastic looking yellow which will deepen quickly and ruin the white wood.
If it were me, I would save enough mulberry to try out, and then get all the hackberry I could.
Robert
I'm in the process of turning a stack of stuff from 2 mulberry branches... When I got them, I asked here about turning green mulberry and the general opinion was "If it's white and yellow, turn it... If it's gray and brown, burn it"..
It's yellow and white and a LOT of fun to turn... It's the only wood that I've ever turned that can be sanded and finished green.. I've been sanding it to 600 or 800, using Danish oil with the final grit and buffing them a few days later...
I'm turning everything as thin as possible and getting wonderful (to me, anyway) warping and no cracks...
I'll post a few pictures on ABPW Mac
As to the Mulberry, I have a load that I am beginning to work through. My first piece was a nice candy bowl about 8" in diameter. Turned it to a
1/4" and the soaked it in LDD for 48 hours. After getting most of the LDD off, I finished turning it and turned it thin. after several months, there has been no warping or checking.Deb
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.