Mullberry and Tree of Heaven

[kielyjw]

1) I have an old Mullberry tree that must come down due to storm damage. Have any of you used this fruitwood for carving? does it work like apple or pear?

2) Tree of Heaven. This trash tree grows profusely in the city. Does anyone have experience with carving this wood. I can imagine that it would be difficult due to it's fast growth rate and brittleness when mature. I had considered cutting some young trees for walking sticks. At three years old the tree is 10-12 feet tall and ram-rod straight. Does anyone have experience with this or would it be a waste of time?

[carver33]

I don't know about the Mulberry, but I'd sure dry some and give it a try.

According to Wikipedia, the Tree of Heaven wood has a close grain and is used in cabinetry and kitchen steamers, so I'd give that a try also. It sounds like it would make fine walking sticks.

[kielyjw]

Thanks for the reply. I figured the mullberry would be worth a try. I am rather suprised about the tree of heaven. I never looked closely at the growth rings on any mature trees I had removed in the past. It is the only tree that is illegal to plant in the city. Due to it's propensity to snap and bring down power lines in storms.

[WhittleBurner]

While I haven't tried to carve Mulberry, I do know it takes forever (about 3 years) to dry and is great in the smoker or to cook on in the grill.

[PappyH]

Mulberry is neat in that it is different colored on the same piece. Whiteish, yellow,brown and shades of each. Wasn't too bad to carve when green but gets harder as it dried. I probably wouldn't use it often. And it does make great cooking wood but watch for the sparks.