# Mulberry: To turn or not to turn



## croessler (Jun 22, 2007)

My Dad needs to take down a Mulberry tree in his back yard and has asked if I wanted some of it. The sap wood is very light with purple heart wood.

Have any of you ever turned any? Or, has anyone ever used it period? I'm very interested in any examples you folks may have.


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## trifern (Feb 1, 2008)

I have turned Hackberry but not Mulberry. The Hackberry turned fine. My limited experience tells me that if it is wood, it can be turned. I will be interested in what other jocks have to say.


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## North40 (Oct 17, 2007)

I've seen a few small pieces made out of Mulberry. Very pretty.

And besides, how can you turn down free wood? Every so often someone around here cuts down a Walnut tree - you limb it, cut it, load it, haul it, mill it, dry it, and rake the twigs out of their yard and they'll let you have it for the low, low price of $400.


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## croessler (Jun 22, 2007)

Well, we don't see very many Walnut trees in Florida, I WISH.

I had no intention of turning it down, I'm not that senile! 

Does it hold it's color or does it fade with exposure to UV like many species? Just questions that rattle around my brain.


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## wheresmytools (Apr 16, 2008)

I've turned red mulberry and it was very nice to turn. I guess that it is more yellow than regular mulberry. I don't have any finished pictures handy (if I find them, I'll post them). But this is of a block that I have waiting to turn.








I turned the block square into a square edged bowl and added 4 small legs turned from red heart. I forgot to photograph it before I gave it away. But they sent me a couple prints. I'll look for them and scan/post them.


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## croessler (Jun 22, 2007)

Thanks Charlie….


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## hunter19 (Oct 4, 2009)

i have turned mulberry. soak in alcohol for 24 hours . rap in brown paper sealing rim with masking tape leaving hollowed portion open. place on open rack (anything with holes in it )so it will air for 2 weeks .out of all the mulberry ive turned none cracked or changed much in shape has a pretty gold color with purple in the rings nice soft wood to turn


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

I've turned mulberry. In my case it was also free wood. I started to turn it when it was very green (freshly cut). That was a bad idea. It was literally throwing water all over my shop. I let it dry for about 6 months and I tried it again. It was still green but it was manageable. After turning a bowl, I still got some movement but that is okay. I kind of like my bowls a little warped.

It is a soft wood and you have to be pretty careful with it. Keep the speed high and your touch light. If you try to rush it you will take a big gouge out that you didn't want to take out.


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## JohnGray (Oct 6, 2007)

I have been given some Mulberry but have not used any yet. From what I've been told it turns Brown with age, how much age they did not say.


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## RichardH (Mar 7, 2010)

I like mulberry. It's not very tight grained, but can take on a really nice finish if you are patient. Here is a 4" sphere out of a large Mulberry tree. One note is that I did have a lot of radial splits in the blanks that I cut out of this tree.


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