Purple Yew

[Soylent1]

As promised, a friend of mine delivered a sack full of various wood that had been seasoned for 3 - 5 years. And to my delight in the sack were a few bits of yew that had been felled from the village church yard 4 - 5 years ago, most of the yew was pretty standard, but then I spotted this bit.....it's really vivid bright purple going to almost black in places (pictures don't do justice). I did a quick google search and I think it's something to do with iron rich soil or someone putting a few nails in! as it's the same on both sides does this mean the middle will be the same colour when sawn into a blank? Anyway I'm really excited to open this bit up, hopefully I wont make a disaster of it!

Tony

 

[Bodrighy]

Iron reacts with yew to create a purple stain. Usually it is seen where ails have been driven into the wood so the idea of an iron rich soil would probably be accurate. If it is on both sides of the blank as in the photo then it''s reasonable to assume it will be running down the wood.

Pete

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

That looks a beaut Tony. Make sure when you cut it you have a clear plan as to how thick you want the bowl to be or the spindle blanks depending on your goal for it. With a log like that which I really prize I measure and mark with a sharpie directly on the wood before I bandsaw it to ensure I maximise the yield.

 

[Woodmonkey]

I've found that the ends tend to turn very red or people when it's cut but it's normally not as pronounced when you split it open.

 

[Neil Farrer]

Sadly wood monkey is spot on, the purple on both ends has been caused by the ferrous content on the chainsaw or other saw. It is not likely to extend below the surface.

 

[NickWelford]

Given that, can you soak the almost finished article in a ferrous solution to achieve the same result?

 

[Grahamshed]

This is going to be interesting to watch. Please keep the pictures coming when you decide to work on it.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Unfortunately the beautiful colour will fade once the wood is exposed to air or uv light - I've heard arguments for both, but tend towards air.

 

[Soylent1]

Ohh interesting, I've had a few lumps of yew in the past that have been blood red and sometimes orange in the middle, and yes the colours have faded when they have been worked, but I have never seen purple before. Anyway I'm looking forward to see what happens when it's turned. Unfortunately Graham you will have to wait until the competition at the end of the month to see how it turns out

Tony

 

[Grahamshed]

Unfortunately Graham you will have to wait until the competition at the end of the month to see how it turns out

Tony

Thats ok, I thought it might be a couple of years

 

[winemaker]

nice. please show pictures when you finish it

 

[Soylent1]

It is purple !!! all the way through and purple through to orange and then cream white in places.

 

[Grahamshed]

Big Grin

 

[Bodrighy]

Usually the purple in yew is as I said caused by contact with iron. In oak it goes black. If the yew has been in long term contact then the reaction can seep through the wood as it seems to have with yours. Many of us colour oak this way but I was given some that had been lying in a skip for years and it is black or dark grey right through to the centre and I would assume that is what has happened here. Chances are the colouring may fade in contact with sunlight as it dose with yew but time will tell.

Pete

 

[chipmunk]

I've turned quite a bit of red yew and I agree that the colours do eventually fade but it's more a case of being lost in the darkening of the heartwood which all goes dark brown eventually.

I am pretty sure it's contact with rusty iron over a long period - not just the short exposure to a clean steel blade of a chainsaw.

Jon