The pacific yew is also called the western yew or sometimes the oregon yew. Loehnertz,research general engineer forest products laboratory, madison, wisconsin eini c. Jul 04, 2012 our local species is known as pacific yew, western yew, american yew, oregon yew, bowplant, mountain mahogany. Hickory is easy, but is the most boring, poorperformance wood in the world next to selfbacked pacific yew. The database was created by eric meier, who originally began compiling specs on different types of wood for his own personal use, to use as a guide in selecting the appropriate wood for projects. Pacific northwest fiction i love living in seattle, almost as much as i love reading books about seattle. The wood database may be accessed from the wood tab of the section sets spreadsheet by clicking in the shape field and then clicking, or by clicking the shape database button on the advanced tab of the ribbon and then clicking the wood tab of the shape database dialog. Pacific yew the yew familytaxaceae taxus brevifolia nutt. Englishspanish european yew, followed extremely closely by the notalmostextinctyet pacific yew. The name is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus taxus.
Pacific yew takedown longbows maker of fine yew longbows. Most pieces have some very small knots as larger defects have been cut out. Others would argue osage, and several of the densest tropical woodssay, ipe or heartwood. The is an online wood encyclopedia database covering more than 1600 species from all around the world. Alternatively, find out whats trending across all of reddit on rpopular. Bow woods from a mathematical perspective the wood.
The wood database may be accessed from the wood tab of the section sets spreadsheet by clicking in the shape field and then clicking, or by clicking the shape database button on the risa toolbar and clicking the wood tab wood materialshape selection. Rare and valuable, pacific yew fights cancer, but makes. The greatest plenty of them, as i believe in the west of england is at nunton ewetrees. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Includes botanical, habitat,pests, and disease information as well as commercial, native american and modern uses. An encyclopedia of the worlds wood varieties wood database. The grain is straight but sometimes curly and irregular. Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. European yew the wood database lumber identification. The tree grows in the northwest united states and tends to be gnarly with fluted edges and bark inclusions, making it a very difficult tree to cut into turning blanks. It is technically a soft wood, but it is hard and tough, and can be worked very thin.
February 5, 2018 sold pacific yew classic longbow, rh, 62 52 lb. It contains the physical properties and illustrations of more than 150 commercial species, reproduced from the popular trada red books and wood information sheets. Long associated with magic, death and rebirtheternal life. Yet, yew played a much more important role in history. The wood of the yew, because of its toughness, has always been suited for abuseprone posts and furniture.
Identifying and using hundreds of woods worldwide by eric meier 20151010 by isbn. Lumber recovery from pacific yew logs an exploratory study. Explore 54 listings for yew wood for sale at best prices. It is a very slow growing and long lived tree that is highly adaptable and has superb regenerative properties. Lumber recovery from pacific yew logs an exploratory study stephen p. Read about science, photography, books, art, practice, and more all with a focus on trees. Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern europe, northwest africa, northern iran and southwest asia. Wood species database the species database will help you choose the most suitable wood species for your project. Sapwood is usually a thin band of pale yellow or tan color, while the heartwood is an orangish brown, sometimes with a darker brown or purplish hue.
Contact us for more information about hiring yew woodshop. I created and started writing this blog in may 2010, in celebration of. What this means is that the wood is extremely flexible, yet strong, making it ideally suited for use in archery bows. Unlike any other material, the design properties for wood members depends both on the material. Acacia is a very large and diverse genus, containing several hundred species, ranging from woods weighing less than black cherry prunus serotinasuch as mangium acacia mangiumto some of the heaviest and hardest woods on earthsuch as waddywood acacia peuce. It has a distinctive whitecream sapwood, an attractive contrast to the heartwood. They are considered a slow growing understory species and can live up to 400 years, although 200300 years is more common. Hand split pacific yew bow staves ravenbeak natureworks. Identifying and using hundreds of woods worldwide by.
The needles and bark of the yew also had various medicinal uses. The wood database may be accessed from the wood tab of the section sets spreadsheet by clicking in the shape field and then clicking, or by clicking the shape database button on the advanced tab of the ribbon and then clicking the wood tab of the shape database dialog wood materialshape selection. Vintage wooden book stand hand carved bookstand foldable bible cookbook india himalayan wood book. Yew trees were planted in graveyards to protect the spirits of the dead. Additionally, nearly all parts of the yew tree are considered toxic and poisonous to humans, and care should be exercised when working with this wood species. Reddit has thousands of vibrant communities with people that share your interests.
Selection of scottish hardwood boards for sale, oak, elm, yew, beech, etc. While i expect to sell furniture over the coming months i do. Because it is rare, te wood is too valuable to cut in advance of an order in most cases. Although considered a softwood because it is a conifer, yew s wood is hard and resilient.
Other uses are furniture making, fences, gates, posts, chairs, doors, tables, rustic furniture and veneering which requires careful preparation as yew is so brittle. Maker of fine yew longbows and recurve bows for the archery community. Get a constantly updating feed of breaking news, fun stories, pics, memes, and videos just for you. It is special acoustically, since it has an unusual characteristic it can resonate at many. European yew or common yew taxus baccata pacific yew or western yew taxus brevifolia canadian yew taxus canadensis chinese yew taxus chinensis japanese yew taxus cuspidata. Pacific yew the wood database lumber identification softwood. It contains the physical properties and illustrations of more than 150 commercial species, reproduced from the popular trada. They have been carefully sanded flat through the boere wide belt sander down to 150 grit and delivery is free.
Yet perhaps yews greatest claim to fame is that of its mechanical properties. Im slowly grinding my way through roughly 800 wood species that have still yet to be listed on the site. Because of this great diversity within the genus, it is nearly impossible to typify a standard wood that is. Charles thunderbird 1953 classic recurve link classics in stock. Eric meier, who ownsruns the wood database web site has now published a really good wood book, called wood. The pacific yew is a small to mediumsized evergreen tree, growing 1015 m tall and with a trunk up to 50. Additionally, nearly all parts of the yew tree are considered toxic and poisonous to. Clear cut logging, and the unchecked harvesting a decade ago for the bark to make taxol, is to blame. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford, whered you go, bernadette by maria semple, snow falling on cedars b.
Yew wood was given priority as a material for weapon making the long bow. Unlike any other material, the design properties for. Magickal properties of wood from project fey for pagans. Rare and valuable, pacific yew fights cancer, but makes toxic. Pacific yew taxus brevifolia click on each photo to enlarge image needles. Wood database and searchable library lumber for woodworking thats packed professionally, shipped right to your door, and guaranteed 100%. Amazons choice recommends highly rated, wellpriced products available to ship immediately. The formidable english military weapon of the middle agesthe longbowwas made of yew. In fact the law decreed only royal longbowman could have yew bows.
Known as the witches wood and the wood of death, it draws off the element of water. Im working my way alphabetically by botanical name, so check out the latest added wood to see where im at in the queue. We would love to help you start your woodbased project. The wood of pacific yew is exceptionally hard and strong, and indians used it for tools, canoe paddles and weapons, especially bows. Yew wood is in steep decline on the planet, but its not the bowyer that is to blame. Let me know if youve got something interesting that youd like to donate to the site. Reddit gives you the best of the internet in one place. Please fill our the form below to hold your stave we will send you an invoice with shipping. Although its grouped with the conifers because it has needlelike foliage, its fruit is not a cone. Most of the yew that ever has been harvested was for a small pile of its thin bark the rest left to rot on the forest floor. Wood database and searchable library woodworkers source. Pacific yew is actually a softer wood that has coloring ranging from pink to amber which continue to develop as the wood ages. Multidisciplinary fulltext database from over 1,600 publications.
Yew is a small genus of about eight species scattered across north america, europe, and asia. The yew tree, botanical name taxus, is well known in the myths and cultures of many areas of the world, its wood having been utilised by man for at least 150,000 years. Even though i didnt glean my information from the audubons guide book, they also suggest that the pacific yew is poisonous. European yew or common yew taxus baccatapacific yew or western yew taxus brevifoliacanadian yew taxus canadensischinese yew taxus chinensisjapanese yew taxus cuspidataflorida yew taxus. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Hand split pacific yew bow staves worlds finest yew. When tested using the industry standard janka hardness test, pacific yew receives a hardness rating of 1600, a ranking similar to that of oak or hickory. Identifying and using hundreds of woods worldwide by eric meier 20151010 by the wood database. We have added some fantastic new planks of yew wood to our timber, selection packs. Taxus brevifolia, the pacific yew or western yew, is a conifer native to the pacific northwest of. Yew is a common name given to various species of trees the name is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus taxus. I created and started writing this blog in may 2010, in celebration of 18 years working as a forest scientist or silvologist. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Often yew is associated with sorcery and dark magic.
This entry was posted in timber on october 11, 2012 by tony. The wiltshire antiquary john aubrey, who often came riding across the downs of cranborne chase was the first person to mention this yew wood, for in 1685 he wrote yew trees naturally grow in chalkie countrys. Welcome to gabriel hemerys website and blog, with news, opinions, information and tips. I have access to a good selection of yew wood pacific yew and i am wondering if it would be any good as a tone wood. Pacific yew the wood database lumber identification. Instead, its an arila large, single seed surrounded by a soft, fleshy, bright red pulp. This is a yew log suitable for woodturning 2 english yew woodturning log blanks logs are curved as shown in the photos. If you cant find a book or video in the jwcc online catalog or ishare you can consult worldcat, a worldwide catalog of books and materials. Natural resources conservation service plants database. I hope to have freshly printed books back in stock in early june. Yet perhaps yew s greatest claim to fame is that of its mechanical properties. Pacific yews are a small component of coniferous forests, usually found as single occurrences.
Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Note that short lumber pieces, even 2feet long, are worth developing into. Hello, i am a small furniture maker and wood miller based in stirling. Pacific yew is a fine turning wood that is reputed to take details well, perhaps due to the fine grain. Charles thunderbird recurve anniversary edition details link. Lowell,research forest products technologist pacific northwest research station, portland, oregon. Books on the subject of wood usage and identifica tion have all come.
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