I just got off the phone with a fellow who has just cut down a few mulberry trees that were between 12"-24" diameter. He's GIVING them away to me and luckily I have first dibs on it since I was first to respond. I have looked up what mulberry looks like, and it has a beautiful color that changes to a color similiar to osage orange.
Does anyone know what the ideal air dried mc I should shoot for before throwing it in the kiln?
Nice find! I'm jealous. I keep finding people who want $500 for a 12" diameter 10' black walnut trunk that was cut down a year and a half ago and is still laying in the yard where it fell!
First I was surprised, mistook it as "blueberry" measuring 12"-24" diameter.
How straight is this mulberry tree? I'm not familiar with mulberry tree, I thought it is kind of tree like Olive that very seldom to find it grows straight. I'm not sure, maybe I'm wrong.
Mulberry trees grow vertically with draping vine-like limbs, sort of like a weeping willow. I didn't know they got that big though! I have one in the front yard my neighbor planted and it is only about 4" diameter.
They look like an upside down umbrella, but the limbs go pretty much to the ground. Most mulberry trees are actually a graft tree and you are supposed to trim any branches that start to grow vertically.
Will be interesting to see how the wood looks.
-Rich
they grow all over down here in tallahassee, I pick about two or three limbs a year that are 12" to 16" wide from one tree that is 40" to 42" wide.They can get rather big, but only if we dont cut it down!Not to mention I love mulberry's ,check out the frame I made from the same tree.Great find ,you will have fun using this wood.!http://http://lumberjocks.com/assets/pictures/projects/51622-438x.jpg?1234388970(mullberry frame)!
Eric, I checked out the frame you made from mulberry. nice frame and I believe you had fun working with this wood.
Thank you Julian for the attachment - photo by Michael Schu…surely he did not speed up, otherwise he would miss this tree. Very keen to watch the splitted logs.
You don't have to wait to put it in the kiln, it can be thrown in fresh sawn. It is easy to dry compared to many species. Good score, I am fond of mulberry lumber (I see you found my blog here about one I milled) it is a cousin to osage. Not as hard but just as rot resistant it can be used for fence posts…but is far too pretty for that. On a side note if you are a BBQ cooker, or know anyone who is, drag the scrap home from the mill too. It is one of my very favorite cooking woods, very sweet it smells like a cake baking when it is burning. "Cherry" is circled on this label because this picture was handy, but those are the only 4 woods I even mess with for BBQ, they are the best IMO. Apple, hickory, cherry and MULBERRY.
Thanks for the tips Daren. I figured you'd be the one on here with the knowledge of drying it. I will be trying some of the wood chips in the weber grill this spring for sure.
I just got back with the load of mulberry. The tree was huge! It was over 100 years old and about 36" diameter. Unfortunately the largest length log was 24". I say when served lemons, make lemonade, so I will have plenty of wood for making door panels and boxes, and turning blanks for when I get a lathe. The aroma of the wood when cutting it is very aromatic, more so than even cherry. I completely filled my ford 350 van to the top, and drove carefully home. I'd say that I have enough wood to last me a while and enough firewood for a couple weeks for next season. I could get another load, but it was an hour each way, and I am quite sore from carrying the load from the backyard, to the van, then into my yard. I don't know how you sawers do it regularly!
Here is a cross section of the tree that was 4' above the ground. It's just over 36" diameter.
Here are a few pics of the first piece I cut up. They are all about 8"x22"
have you ever tried to work with Laburnum or even turn it it's beautiful really nice.I don't believe it comes in big enough branches for major work but smaller stuff it can't be beaten.Alistair
how are you milling those logs?I have a lot of short stock, I'd like to start using a chainsaw rig.Right now I have my buddy use his woodmizer but the short stuff wont fit on the machine.thanks
I use a chainsaw to break it down to pieces that will fit on my 14" bandsawwith riser block(12" tall or less).
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