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Turning Mulberry ?

PhillH

Little Grandad
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Well my Mulberry arrived today and I'm pleased to say the least. Seeing Jim's result inspired me to get some.

So, any advice on how to turn it, is it particularly tricky ?

Here are the blanks, crosscut, waxed, sent quickly by the seller on ebay, well packed.
 

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Jim

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Take your time Phill, and make extra trips to the sharpener .. It comes up very nice and will need very little sanding when you have finished turning it ... :thumbs:
 

Penpal

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Peter
Phill,

Mulberry is a no brainer for choice rare to see it with cross cut for sale for my experiences it turns like a dream finishes to exciting results that sapwood looks inviting too. Any timber cut against the grain is prone to chipping some of my mates resort to turning near to size and sandpaper to close with rough then smooth to size. I look forward as well to the finished pens, well seen and top result on the net always a gamble.

Kind regards Peter.:thumbs:
 

PhillH

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Thanks Peter, as you say always a gamble, but this one seems to have paid off.

The seller included a list of other timbers he has also, he may well be seeing some more of my money :sob:

Thanks for the tips, it will be going on the lathe on Saturday morning all being well.
 

sbwertz

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Jul 3, 2013
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Phoenix, AZ, USA
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Sharon
Phill,
resort to turning near to size and sandpaper to close with rough then smooth to size. .:thumbs:

The mulberry I sent Jim is very fragile and I make frequent use of the "80 grit gouge" when turning it. The blanks I sent him are from the scar tissue formed when mulberry trees are "pollarded" every year. In order to keep the trees compact, many people cut off all the branches back to three or four main limbs every winter. Big knobs of scar tissue form on the ends of the limbs. The wood inside these knobs is beautiful, but fragile. There is no "grain" to speak of because the knobs are made up of dozens of cut off branches. These knobs are called "mulberry crowns." The crowns I have at the moment are from 50 year old trees that were taken out because of heart rot, so most of the crowns are hollow inside, or filled with pith. As a result, most of the blanks are cut from small irregularly shaped pieces of wood. Here are some of the blanks

IMG_2805.JPG

As you can see, the color ranges from almost pure white through gold and brown to almost black. If any of you would like some, the international postage for a small flat rate box is $25.

Sharon
 

PhillH

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Thanks for the info Sharon I appreciate it.

Sounds like that may be above my skill level but I might still grab some to put by.

Let's see how I get on this weekend.
 

bluntchisel

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Bob
Hi Phill,
Mulberry is one of the loveliest of woods, and takes a classy shine. Suggestion - save these blanks for the "special" pens, not the slimline or Euros.
Hope you be pleased with the result, matey!
Bob.
 
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