# Slabbing mulberry with bandsaw



## qbilder (Aug 23, 2010)

Here's some slabs I recently milled from some old dead mulberry trees I took from an abandoned trailer park. I included a Big Red wagon to give size estimate. These will be live edge rustic tables & benches.












I'm actually really surprised that the little mill would cut the wide slabs so nicely. It was maxed out in the throat on a couple of the wide ones. The trees were dead & dry and anybody that knows mulberry knows how hard it is, similar to hickory. So getting through these with clean cuts made me happy. It sure was tough on the blade, though. It's about ready for sharpening after these & this was the only stuff it cut. Cutting dry hardwood is no picnic. The last pic is of my favorite hired hand. He's a beast of a worker & never complains, always pushes on with a grin.


----------



## discounthunter (Aug 23, 2010)

nice score! mulberry gets over looked sometimes as hobby wood,probably because of cutting it when its dry,lol.

nice looking hired help,looks like hes a Dolmer guy!


----------



## smokinj (Aug 23, 2010)

Thats pretty cool I will slab the next one I run across!


----------



## pwoller (Aug 23, 2010)

How did you get the bark off?


----------



## qbilder (Aug 23, 2010)

pwoller said:


> How did you get the bark off?



The trees were standing dead. Most of the bark was already gone, or fell off easily when brushed with a hand.


----------



## qbilder (Aug 23, 2010)

discounthunter said:


> nice score! mulberry gets over looked sometimes as hobby wood,probably because of cutting it when its dry,lol.
> 
> nice looking hired help,looks like hes a Dolmer guy!



I'm not sure why it's often overlooked. It's beautiful stuff. When fresh cut, it's brilliant yellow with a deep chatoyance. It oxidizes pretty quick to a dull brown so you gotta finish it right away after surfacing. But a little sanding brings the color right back.


----------



## pwoller (Aug 23, 2010)

Is it mullberry that throws yellow sawdust when your cutting it? I cut a standing dead tree that turned me and all my gear yellow by the time I was done with it, was harder then hell too.


----------



## super3 (Aug 23, 2010)

pwoller said:


> Is it mullberry that throws yellow sawdust when your cutting it? I cut a standing dead tree that turned me and all my gear yellow by the time I was done with it, was harder then hell too.




I'd say that was Osage...hedge apple


----------



## smokinj (Aug 23, 2010)

super3 said:


> I'd say that was Osage...hedge apple



The two woods are cousins but never seen a hedge that you could get slabs like that out of.


----------



## betterbuilt (Aug 23, 2010)

qbilder said:


> I'm not sure why it's often overlooked. It's beautiful stuff. When fresh cut, it's brilliant yellow with a deep chatoyance. It oxidizes pretty quick to a dull brown so you gotta finish it right away after surfacing. But a little sanding brings the color right back.



You know a wood you should try is sumac. We have it everywhere here. Its pretty cool looking. It is actually glows under a black light. I've been milling everyone I find that has any size to it. 

here's one of my favorite links for looking up wood.
http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/sumac.htm


----------



## qbilder (Aug 23, 2010)

smokinj said:


> The two woods are cousins but never seen a hedge that you could get slabs like that out of.



Yes, very similar woods. In lumber form it's next to impossible to tell the difference. I have never seen hedge this wide & uniform, either. I have heard of giant hedge trees but all I ever see are scrubby little trees.


----------



## qbilder (Aug 23, 2010)

betterbuilt said:


> You know a wood you should try is sumac. We have it everywhere here. Its pretty cool looking. It is actually glows under a black light. I've been milling everyone I find that has any size to it.
> 
> here's one of my favorite links for looking up wood.
> http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/sumac.htm



Cool!!! Thanks for the link. Here's a slab from a tree the old timers told me is tame sumac. It's got milky sap like poison sumac & the leaves look nearly identical, but this was a tall deep forest tree. Could it be what you are referring to?


----------



## smokinj (Aug 23, 2010)

qbilder said:


> Yes, very similar woods. In lumber form it's next to impossible to tell the difference. I have never seen hedge this wide & uniform, either. I have heard of giant hedge trees but all I ever see are scrubby little trees.



We still have many fields line with it but the biggest trunk I have seen is less than 20 inchs and no more than 3-5 feet before it bushs out.


----------



## pwoller (Aug 23, 2010)

The one I cut was really a pretty large tree, not very tall but the stump was Eating up a 4 foot bar, the branches started only about 6 feet off the ground. Hard to cut too.


----------



## smokinj (Aug 23, 2010)

pwoller said:


> The one I cut was really a pretty large tree, not very tall but the stump was Eating up a 4 foot bar, the branches started only about 6 feet off the ground. Hard to cut too.



Where abouts in IN. That would be very impressive and could be worth some money in the bow business.


----------



## qbilder (Aug 23, 2010)

That sounds about like the hedge I always see. Never anything large for any length. Cabbage fever.....all head no stem LOL


----------



## betterbuilt (Aug 23, 2010)

qbilder said:


> Cool!!! Thanks for the link. Here's a slab from a tree the old timers told me is tame sumac. It's got milky sap like poison sumac & the leaves look nearly identical, but this was a tall deep forest tree. Could it be what you are referring to?



The stuff I'm thinking of is usually really small and smooth barked and kinda looks like it belongs in the African Savannah. It doesn't usually have a very thick bark more like a white birch. I've found a few that have gotten as big as the one in your picture. Its really light and green like pressure treated.


----------



## qbilder (Aug 23, 2010)

betterbuilt said:


> The stuff I'm thinking of is usually really small and smooth barked and kinda looks like it belongs in the African Savannah. It doesn't usually have a very thick bark more like a white birch. I've found a few that have gotten as big as the one in your picture. Its really light and green like pressure treated.



Hmmm, probably not the same as this, then. This was the smallest tree of the grove. The others were closer to 18" diameter & were 40-60ft before branching. The bark is actually pretty smooth for a deep woods tree but this particular tree was smothered in cluster burls which give the impression of jagged bark. I cut one of the larger trees as it had a large burl on it but I haven't milled the log or burl yet. The color in the wood does have a light green tint, mostly a soft yellow/green color with white sapwood. 

I'm sure it's a type of sumac but i'm having fits trying to find out exactly what type. The old lumber jacks know the tree well & say it used to be milled along with everything else back in the day, but the forestry guys don't seem to have any clue. One guy tried telling me it was probably some sort of foreign transport that went wild, until he seen the growth rate showed it was around 170 yrs old. Very tight grain. So it's no doubt native to the Appalachians, but exactly what it is seems to be a mystery.


----------



## ChainsawmanXX (Aug 24, 2010)

qbilder said:


> That sounds about like the hedge I always see. Never anything large for any length. Cabbage fever.....all head no stem LOL




I know where some hedge are here in Missouri straight as arrow! (Big too, id say 28 dbh) there probably a mile from the Laura Ingells Wilder farm.. :monkey:


----------



## betterbuilt (Aug 24, 2010)

qbilder said:


> Hmmm, probably not the same as this, then. This was the smallest tree of the grove. The others were closer to 18" diameter & were 40-60ft before branching. The bark is actually pretty smooth for a deep woods tree but this particular tree was smothered in cluster burls which give the impression of jagged bark. I cut one of the larger trees as it had a large burl on it but I haven't milled the log or burl yet. The color in the wood does have a light green tint, mostly a soft yellow/green color with white sapwood.
> 
> I'm sure it's a type of sumac but i'm having fits trying to find out exactly what type. The old lumber jacks know the tree well & say it used to be milled along with everything else back in the day, but the forestry guys don't seem to have any clue. One guy tried telling me it was probably some sort of foreign transport that went wild, until he seen the growth rate showed it was around 170 yrs old. Very tight grain. So it's no doubt native to the Appalachians, but exactly what it is seems to be a mystery.




If I'm right the stuff I have is staghorn sumac. some people make a lemonade from the red pods that grow from it. I have a few that are like 8-16 inches. It dies and falls over and never seems to rot. I've never counted the rings but I'd say mine aren't 170. The stuff I have doesn't have any sapwood but a little by the bark. Mine looks exactly like the stuff in the link I posted.


----------



## qbilder (Aug 24, 2010)

Yeah, I know the stuff you are talking about. It's not the same. The tree I cut was the smallest & the bottom log was 15-16". I really like the way that staghorn sumac looks. I'd love to find a bigger one at least 12" diameter. I know thats a long shot, but it'd be nice.


----------



## qbilder (Aug 24, 2010)

ChainsawmanXX said:


> I know where some hedge are here in Missouri straight as arrow! (Big too, id say 28 dbh) there probably a mile from the Laura Ingells Wilder farm.. :monkey:



That sounds like great lumber wood. I'd like to get a good hedge, especially a burled & wrinkled one that is 15"+ diameter x 6-8'+ long.


----------



## ChainsawmanXX (Aug 24, 2010)

qbilder said:


> That sounds like great lumber wood. I'd like to get a good hedge, especially a burled & wrinkled one that is 15"+ diameter x 6-8'+ long.



How much would you be willing to pay?  haha


----------



## qbilder (Aug 24, 2010)

ChainsawmanXX said:


> How much would you be willing to pay?  haha



LOL I'll take it off your hands for free, won't even charge you for the service:chainsawguy:


----------



## ChainsawmanXX (Aug 24, 2010)

qbilder said:


> LOL I'll take it off your hands for free, won't even charge you for the service:chainsawguy:



:greenchainsaw:


----------

