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Beech Boy

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2 Aug 2007
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North Wales
Hi, I have just obtained 30 or so pieces of yew, they are between 30 and 100mm in dia. and 200 to 500mm long. They were still a tree on Saturday so I need to dry them ready for turning and the last time I tried this I ended up with some very high class firewood as it became split through to the centre. Can anyone give me some advice on how to dry this yew and without the problems I had before.
Regards,
Beech Boy.
 
Cut it into 1 to 2 ft lengths,and seal both ends with wax,paint or similar.
Then leave them somewhere reasonably sheltered but open to air circulation for a year or two,and enjoy :D

Andrew
 
First things first - well done! Sounds like you've worked with yew before so you know the turning pleasure hopefully ahead!

Second - according to my rough calcs some of them are a bit over an inch diameter? (30mm). If you know what you want to do with these pieces I'd suggest you rough-turn them now and then seal the ends as Andrew advises - they'll dry a lot quicker and they are so small that I suspect that the more traditional 'seal ends and wait' wouldn't help matters much.

Thirdly - I'd suggest that the larger logs are cut closer to eventual length. The rough guide there is to cut the logs a bit longer than the diameter unless you're envisaging perhaps a tall goblet, so e.g. with a 100mm diameter cut a 120/130mm log length for the non-goblet logs.

Mind you, with 30 odd logs to play with you could try a whole number of different strategies!

Sadly - yup, personal experience! - with what is really small branch stuff, you may be very lucky, or very unlucky regarding splits, whatever your strategy. Some 'finds' have given me +90% split-free, others treated exactly the same way have been very disappointing, giving less than 25%.

Good luck!
 
Yep, wet timber also turns so much more pleasantly than dry, all those lovely curly shavings!

Roy.
 
Thanks greybeard,
Your advice is very welcome. I have got a good variety of sizes and it was my intention to experiment to a certain extent. Your past experiences do suggest that there may be no simple answer and that luck may play a part, we shall see.
Regards,
Beech Boy
 
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