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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: White Oak on June 13, 2009, 11:05:00 PM

Title: Honey Locust & Mulberry
Post by: White Oak on June 13, 2009, 11:05:00 PM

Is honey locust of any value as bow wood? If so, how should it be handled after cutting?
I have several good size trees in my pasture that will be coming down. How about mulberry?

                  Thanks,
                         Ed

Title: Re: Honey Locust & Mulberry
Post by: dobermann on June 14, 2009, 12:45:00 AM

Mulberry is very good, you'll have to use the heart wood, like you would with osage. Mulberry has much thicker sap wood than osage, so you'll need a log of at least 10'' diameter, if you are planing to split it, anything less than 10'' and there just won't be enough heart wood for 2 decent bows.
 Another option, if you find a log thiner than 10'' is not to split it down the middle, so you don't halve the heart wood, but just take a small wedge off of it, this should leave you with a workable size pice of heart wood.
Good luck

Sorry for the double post   :knothead:

Title: Re: Honey Locust & Mulberry
Post by: dobermann on June 14, 2009, 12:46:00 AM

Mulberry is very good, you'll have to use the heart wood, like you would with osage. Mulberry has much thicker sap wood than osage, so you'll need a log of at least 10'' diameter, if you are planing to split it, anything less than 10'' and there just won't be enough heart wood for 2 decent bows.
 Another option, if you find a log thiner than 10'' is not to split it down the middle, so you don't halve the heart wood, but just take a small wedge off of it, this should leave you with a workable size pice of heart wood.
Good luck.

Title: Re: Honey Locust & Mulberry
Post by: Pat B on June 14, 2009, 10:19:00 AM

Honey locust will make a good bow. I have not use it yet but have seen very nice honey locust bows. Treat them like whitewood. No matter the wood, the basic drying and curing is the same. The wood has to breath for the moisture to escape so at least split a log in half and seal the ends. If the bark is removed, seal the back.
   Mulberry is an excellent bow wood. For a bow of the same weight as osage add 10% to the length and/or width. Because it is much lighter in physical weight than osage, mulberry can make a faster bow than osage, if designed and executed correctly.
  Mulberry sapwood can be used in a bow. I have made good bows that are all heartwood, with some sapwood left on, 50/50 heart/sap and all sapwood. If the wood is handled and cured correctly it will make a good bow. Although, the more sapwood left in a bow will result in thicker limbs.

Title: Re: Honey Locust & Mulberry
Post by: White Oak on June 14, 2009, 09:59:00 PM

Thanks folks. The locusts are are straight and limb free 6' to 8' up. Have alot of mulberry. I'll save some of both.

                     Ed