Newbie Question

[Dan Landis]

This is first attempt at chasing a ring on a stave.  I have a mulberry stave, do I want to end up with the dark wood or the lighter wood as the back?  The dark wood layer seems very thin on this stave.  The stave is fairly tight ringed though.  Any help would be very much appreciated.

[George Tsoukalas]

Take off the sapwood an go to the best or thickest heartwood ring. The heartwood rings are darker than the sapwood. Jawge

[Pat B]

Generally you would use only the heartwood(darker) for bows when working with mulberry but I have built bows with a ring or two of sapwood left on. If you are not sure how sound the sapwood is, I would stick with the heartwood.
 Mulberry makes an excellent self bow. Make it slightly longer and wider that an osage bow.     Pat

[Dan Landis]

George, Pat  I have the sap wood removed and am down to the 3rd ring on the heart wood.  The question I have is do I let want the dark part of the ring or the lighter part left as the back?

[Pat B]

You want the hard part as the back not the honeycomb stuff. Pat

[Dan Landis]

Thanks Pat, I plan to get it roughed out, seal the back and ends and let it dry for a few months, then start the tillering process.

[snapper1d]

That honeycomb stuff is the only thing I dont like about hickory.Other than that it is my #2 wood I like to use in primitive bows.

[razorback]

Lets see some pictures  

[snapper1d]

I was just looking at this and I dont know what I had on my mind when I said hickory instead of mulberry in my last post above.Dang,I know I am getting old now!!!

[snapper1d]

Dont it make you feel stupid when you catch something stupid in your own post!!!

[Roy Steele]

I've made a few mallberry bows they were all shooters.I say this wood right up there being #2 to O'sage,hickory at#3.
  You must use the dark wood.Try getting a mist bottle it will make chasing that ring a liitle easer.The soft punky ring will soak up water.Just remember when you see the punky ring dispear the next dark coler you want to save.