Pacific Yew - its worth the search

[Alex Low]

I just thought I would post about the wonderful qualities of Pacific Yew.

While we have been diligently planking away in secret here - it seems that everyone who comes in the shop can't keep their hands off the Yew frames.

Our frame reject pile managed to frame, knee and trim out 2 of the boats at the boat school (http://www.boatschool.com) this year and we can't say enough about how wonderfully this wood steamed.

The more I read and talk about this wood, the more I like it... rot resistant, tough, takes the steam... and local!

Here are some pics of our curves taken by Emily:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3474/3281756203_bb4959e2d1_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3177/3282571856_971c7ee4f9_b.jpg

and one more:

http://www.alexlow.ca/cockle/cockle62.jpg

Alex

[Paul Girouard]

It is a lovely wood , I turned some once my neighbor gave me, a small piece.

Hard to find at least down here, maybe Bob Smalser could find some out his way?

Did you find your on your island / local sawyer? Or can it be had commercially up in BC?

Nice job on those frames BTW:cool:

[Alex Low]

Paul,

We got lucky and our sawyer had a few logs on the big Island (Vancouver Isle). Bob will be able to tell us, but I think they only grow in old growth stands - and because they are not considered a 'merchantable timber' they usually hit the slash pile to rot or be burned... a sick reality of commercial logging.

Luckily a few of them appear and get milled. I know that in the past many have been found floating in the chuck...

Alex

[2MeterTroll]

I have a bit for a long bow blank.

when its big its nice i think i will be building a new bow next winter.

[tapsnap]

I've made three longbows from yew as well as a couple from osage. My favorite bow right now is one made from yew. Nice wood to work. Difficult to get around here. There were three growing at the front of a house on the town green that I was eying for a long time each day I walked my dog. I kept saying to myself, I should knock on the owner's door and ask if they were thinking of getting rid of them because they were blocking light to the front of the house. But I never did. Then one day they were gone. Cut up an thrown in the wood chipper. I was kicking myself for months each time I passed that house for not asking the owner about them sooner.

[Jay Greer]

It is a lovely wood indeed! I was under the impression that it is now a protected species as it has a medicinal property in the treatment of cancer thus, making it difficult to obtain.
Jay

[dpincus]

The anti-cancer drug is called taxol. It used to be produced from the yew bark (actually from a fungus that grew in the bark) but is now made by biofermentation in cell culture, so no yew trees are killed for taxol anymore.

dp

[neilm]

That's allot of longbows.

[soba]

Do you think it would be alright for a bit of stem? I found extensive rot this week in Larkie's stem, and oak is hard to get in the size I need....

Was thinking of laminating some DF, but would prefer a single piece of ....yew?

ew.

[Three Cedars]

Do you think it would be alright for a bit of stem? I found extensive rot this week in Larkie's stem, and oak is hard to get in the size I need....

Was thinking of laminating some DF, but would prefer a single piece of ....yew?

ew.

What dimensions is the stem ?

There are many naturally curved yew trees around.

[tapsnap]

Yew is very soft. It will not stand up to much battering. You can push a mark into the surface easily with your fingernail.

[Alex Low]

Pacific Yew is very hard. You cannot dent it with a finger nail. Perhaps you are thinking of a different species of Yew?

I takes fasteners beautifully, so I would think it would be a wonderful stem. I know West Coast fish boats used to have Yew stems. Google it and see.

Alex

[tapsnap]

Alright so perhaps the fingernail test is a bit of an exaggeration. But I wouldn't describe it harder than say douglas fir. Just look at the clamp dents in the photos you posted - you wouldn't see that with white oak would you?

[2MeterTroll]

he he he umm yes i can put clamp marks in white oak. I have yet to find a wood that i dont put clamp marks in. I keep hoping however

[tapsnap]

I apologize, I just looked it up on the internet and it turns out that yew rates pretty highly for hardness. I was really surprised. My impression from working with it was that it was quite the opposite. I guess compared to Osage it was. Either way I agree with you Alex, it is a great wood if you can get it.

[Alex Low]

Tapsnap,

It really is good stuff. Those clamp dents are from the steam - we were steaming along and didn't bother with clamp caulls as all the dents will be faired off or hidden against the planking.

Alex

[CarlZog]

I've made three longbows from yew as well as a couple from osage. My favorite bow right now is one made from yew.

Photos, please!

Carl

[BETTY-B]

I have a friend who has tons of the stuff out in Queets. He knows it's value, and is a boatbuilder. I'm pretty sure he doesnt want to get rid of any, but if the right project or situation presented itself, I'm sure he would bend. Haha.... Would bend...

DAN

[Bob Smalser]

It's a relatively small, isolated understory tree fussy about temperature and moisture that's difficult to propagate. As a result, is generally only found in old-growth forests. That's why it's usually only available in BC, the only coastal region where old-growth forests are still logged on a large scale. What little is available south of the border comes from old-growth on private land along the Washington and Oregon coasts, which is becoming less and less common. I've been looking for a thousand seedlings at reasonable cost for some time with no results. Look for it in SE Oregon, where the milder climate makes yew a more common tree than elsewhere along the coast.

And if I did have a stack of native yew lumber laying about, I'd sit on it until Japan's economy improves, because they pay over 4 bucks a Scribner board foot for it in the log to use in temple carvings and such. ;)

[tapsnap]

OK, as requested, here are some photos of my bowshttp://www.danieloates.com/bows/bows1.jpghttp://www.danieloates.com/bows/bows2.jpghttp://www.danieloates.com/bows/bows4.jpg
The two bows on the left are Osage, the two on the right are Yew. Both Yew and Osage make fine bows. My preference switches back and forth.
http://www.danieloates.com/bows/draw1.jpghttp://www.danieloates.com/bows/draw2.jpghttp://www.danieloates.com/bows/draw5.jpg

[peter radclyffe]

I just thought I would post about the wonderful qualities of Pacific Yew.

While we have been diligently planking away in secret here - it seems that everyone who comes in the shop can't keep their hands off the Yew frames.

Our frame reject pile managed to frame, knee and trim out 2 of the boats at the boat school (http://www.boatschool.com) this year and we can't say enough about how wonderfully this wood steamed.

The more I read and talk about this wood, the more I like it... rot resistant, tough, takes the steam... and local!

Here are some pics of our curves taken by Emily:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3474/3281756203_bb4959e2d1_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3177/3282571856_971c7ee4f9_b.jpg

and one more:

http://www.alexlow.ca/cockle/cockle62.jpg

Alex
what a beautiful job