Wood ID?

[mike-bolton]

Hi,

I finally got round to buying a new lathe well second hand after countless problems with the first one I had, its a sip 01360 with a swivel head and I gotta say its a dream to turn with, it also came with a box of logs and bowl blanks which was a bonus and leads me to my question. After turning one of the logs into a goblet which I'm pretty proud of due to it being my second attempt at a goblet it turned out to be a beautiful piece of wood with lovely grain and i was wondering what kind of wood it is I think it may be yew but I'm not 100%

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Heart wood looks a little dark for yew, could be walnut or elm.

Regards Mick

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

It looks extremely like the Yew I'm used to turning save one small detail which is not enough knots. All the Yew I've turned has dozens of minute knots. But colour wise, that striking contrast between sap and heart wood really reminds me of yew.

 

[EnErY]

well I have turned a lot of Yew and im pretty sure that's what it is but perhaps a little more light on the pics may define a better decision
Regards
Bill

 

[KimG]

+1 for Yew

 

[mike-bolton]

Thanks for replies, I've never turned yew or elm so I dont really know what the difference's are yet. Up until now I've mainly only turned wet birch and oak as I've never had access to any dry wood

 

[Kalimna]

Just to buck the trend, and going on the assumption that the picture is a true likeness of colour, I would go with walnut. It would have the same sap/heartwood contrast, and all the yew I have seen has been a little more orange whereas this is more brown. The knots, also, remind me more of walnut than the yew that I have. I don't suppose you could post any other piccies, could you?

Adam S

P.s. The goblet looks very nice, I am still stuck trying to complete a bowl I'm pleased with!

 

[mike-bolton]

Here's one with flash so its a bit brighter, I'll try and get some of the logs tomorrow

 

[Steve Jones]

Another vote for Yew

Steve

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

I've been lucky enough to go through a vast amount of yew since I started, and the stuff I have had is all more orangey in the heartwood and yellow in the sapwood. I have just picked up a bootload of chestnut, and the colouring is very like that. What was the bark like? Yew has a very distinctive bark.

 

[jurriaan]

There seems to be a soft spot in the center of the tree, which I don't recall in yew. This pith may well be specific for the wood, but I'd also be interested in the bark, the smell of the wood and how hard it is.

I say it isn't yew.

 

[KimG]

All the yew I've turned has a small pith, sometimes it's quite a large one depending on the nature of the log. Key here though is colour which fits fine with Yew, and grain pattern which is an exact match for Yew. Other key factors would be it's texture when turning, Yew is very nice, easy to cut and leaves a smooth finish (with a sharp tool of course) I have heard it described "like turning cheese". The bark of course would be pretty much the decider, but I see nothing in these images to make me think it's anything other than Yew.

 

[Grahamshed]

I have no idea what type of wood it is, though I am learning a great deal from this discussion....... I just wanted to say thats a fine looking goblet for a second attempt and the wood is lovely whatever it is.

 

[Paul.J]

Thats a nicely proportioned goblet Mike well done for just your second attempt =D>
Would looks too brown for Yew and does look like Walnut to me ??

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I must say I'm wobbling a bit on my original assertion of Yew based on the colour too. If that colour rendition is accurate then I agree with the brown versus orange comments. All the Yew I've turned (which has come from several different trees) has really orange heartwood. That is definitely more brown. Also the sapwood is almost an ivory kind of creamy colour.....and texture, amazingly close grained and a joy to turn as Kim says.

But......agree...the bark will give it away instantly. Its a dark brown, very flaky, dusty when dry. It frequently has numerous twiggy outcrops with very supple twigs that don't want to break easily and which of course explain the numerous tiny knots. Also when viewed in section, the heartwood often resembles a spiders web as it leeches into the creamy sapwood. Its dense/heavy and just gorgeous on the lathe. Personally I absolutely love it. With a sharp skew you can get a polished finish that needs no sanding in places

 

[procell]

I got some yew logs the other day. these pics may help you identify it

Still very green so the colour is probably a little bright still and will change as it dries

As yo can see it still has green leaves on some of the logs

Very distinctive bark

 

[winemaker]

nice Yew Goblet =D>

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

Still not ruling yew out. The flash could be flattening the colour. I think the bark will be the decider.
This tiny platter is representative of the colours in the yew I have had.

 

[tobytools]

Could be laburnum, yew or walnut.
Either way is beautiful and good job for your second attempt.

TT

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

spot on (for likely culprit being yew)....notice how orange the heartwood is and how like creamy ivory the sapwood. I'll dig out a picky in a mo' of some of mine