Mulberry Wood

[-db-]

What to do with mulberry wood? I have a large mulberry tree (I know it's technically a bush but at 30-odd feet tall it's more a tree than a bush) out back that partially uprooted due to the extreme heat a couple weeks ago. I've been using the wood for smoking food for years, and it's great for that, but am wondering what to do with the large logs I now have. I haven't had much luck finding anything online about any other uses. Anyone have any other ideas this wood can be used for besides burning? It's a hardwood/fruitwood so I'm thinking gun stocks? Crafts?

 

[rburg]

Its a hardwood, and its fairly good firewood. I'm not partial to the smell. A few of my fires could have passed for trash fires a couple of years ago. Out under the deck I've got some still aging. I'll be burning it this winter, or my son will haul it away and burn it. I sure wouldn't plan on making any furniture or gun stocks with the wood. Its downright ugly in the cross section.

One of my favorite past times in the winter is to build a small fire and lay in front of it on the floor, watching it burn. Cherry and walnut fires are better for that, so those are the piles I select from if a nap is on the agenda.

 

[-db-]

Dick, thanks, that's petty much what I've found out so far. Apparently, the Japanese really like mulberry for various decorative woodcrafts and such but that's about the only thing I've found anyone using it for. Some sources claim it's similar or related to osage orange, which was what got me thinking about stocks. I see some folks use it for knife scales, too, but other than that, it doesn't appear to be very popular.

 

[GregoryJ]

If you were closer, I would come get some for wood turning projects. Might see if any local wood turning clubs are interested.

 

[DeathGrip]

All around the Mulberry Bush the Monkey Chased the Weasel. There is some meaning there.

I've also hear that the wood is used in pianos.

I have a huge TREE and find that the wood is very sappy when cut. White sappy. Sticky white sappy stuff.

It takes forever to dry and still holds some weight. I've never burned it.

 

[Rangerpat]

DeathGrip,
You may have a Paper Mulberry (native to China) that is considered a trash tree in Florida, I've been killing them for years. They really absorb a lot of water and compete with the native vegetation. I have burned the wood in a outdoor campfire but the wood does not produce a whole lot of heat like oak does. You might want to check with your county extension office to verify if the tree is paper mulberry to stop it's spread. They do make good shade trees but are more trouble than they are worth.

 

[DeathGrip]

I've been thinking about cutting it down but the kids would kill me.
The one I have is about 30 feet tall. The leaves are as big as your hand and the fruit is as big as your thumb. They're really sweet. It grows like a weed.

 

[captorquewrench]

I've also hear that the wood is used in pianos.

I've never heard this.

The soundboard is the "heart" of the piano and they are picky, picky, picky about the wood they use.

Spruce is most favorable for the soundboard; maple for the bridge.

 

[Rule3]

Hold hands and form a circle and dance around and around it, singing the song late at night.

The neighbors will think you are a lunatic and have you committed and you will no longer worry about.