I have about a ton of mulberry around after Charlie and Frances

I am new to turning. THought this might be free wood. Also alot of oak
mostly for turning. Can it be turned green. I would like to get me a
supply before it is removed from the roadsides.
BRBR

Absolutely! Mulberry is very nice, and so is oak. Both can be turned green ( I
do it all the time). Mulberry requires a clean cut with a sharp tool or it will
get fuzzy. A clean cut in the right direction (small diameter to large diameter
on the outside, the opposite on the inside) by sharp tools will yield good
results. Mulberry will move after you turn it. If you turn it thin (1/4" or
less) and have even thickness throughout the piece it should not crack, but
will move instead. The bark may or may not stay on with mulberry, but will
probably stay on with oak, if you're doing natural edge stuff.
Oak can be easily ebonized by painting on a vinegar and steel wool mixture. Let
the steel wool soak in the vinegar until it looks like a murky mess. Paint it
on the wood and let it dry. The iron in the steel wool will react with the
tannins in the oak and turn it black--a neat effect. Make sure to leave the
pith out of the piece. If you do leave the pith in, soak it with thin CA glue
as soon as you're down to final thickness and you may stop cracking from
developing or continuing.
If you get whole logs, halve them lengthwise and seal them with Anchorseal
ASAP. Cut them at least 6" longer than they are wide so if the ends check you
can cut back to fresh wood for turning.
-Jim Gott-
San Jose, CA