Yew Project

[Dokkodo]

Hi Yew Guys

Im just embarking on a personal project, I spotted a few big slices of yew at my friends house, about 5/600mm across in places, one maybe 5 inches deep and one 4, with nice contours. Only reason they hadn't been burnt yet was that noone could be bothered to try and split them.

So i nabbed them and now i'm going to mill them flat with router mill and set up a couple of extractors to try and get all of the dust so I dont die. One was used as a chainsaw block and im not sure how much ill have to mill off to get it flat, might not end up with very much left! But thats ok...

I was hoping to have one as a flat table top, the thinner one, and then carve the wider one into a wide shallow bowl. Then I was going to make some free standing leg structures for them to sit on loose, or maybe with locators, out of ancient reclaimed roofing timbers i have, joined by hand as an chance to practice my skills.

Does anyone have any advice on carving the bowl? Once its milled flat and the edges sanded I was hoping to use a half inch or so gouge and leave the marks in to get that effect, but that might be madness to try and carve into endgrain in Yew? Ive done a bit of Yew before and it seemed to respond better power tools than hand tools, but maybe ive improved since then. Its also an excuse to learn how to properly sharpen my gouges and do a bit of carving, something ive often wanted to try.

Also, just how poisonous is yew? I wont take any chances but itll be impossible to catch everything, hopefully my mask will get the rest but be good to know exactly what im dealing with. I do quite like the smell.

Will get some pictures this afternoon.

Thanks!

 

[Racers]

Bowl carving, start with green wood! it makes it much easier.

Its the leaves, seeds and sap that are poisonous if I remember correctly, so don't worry to much.

Pete

 

[AndyT]

You won't kill yourself by making or using a bowl from yew.

Maybe, if you boiled up a few trees worth, with the berries and bark on, then distilled the result and drank it, you'd feel ill, but just having the wood around is ok.

In my limited experience, the prettiest bits of yew are where the colour and grain go wild, so you will need to pay very close attention to cutting the right way of the grain, but the density and smoothness that can be achieved should make it well worth the effort. For flat surfaces, I got best results by using a toothing plane, then a scraper.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It's all poisous except the aril (the red part of the "berry").

 

[CHJ]

As these pieces sound like slices across the trunk then be prepared for a lot of splits and cracks radiating from the core, not a show stopper, just be prepared for them and fill if necessary.

Using a fine dark sanding dust or dried Coffee grounds with thin CA glue can look quite natural as it matches or compliments existing tones.

If you've never handled Yew before be aware when sanding not to create excessive surface heat else you will end up with unsightly micro crack crazing on the surface.

 

[Alexfn]

interested to hear peoples opinions on yew chopping boards. yea or nay"?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

For use, probably no problem at all although maybe unwise - for sale, no.

 

[Dokkodo]

So has anyone much to say on whether its optomistic to be carving a bowl into end grain, probably with a curved adze and then gouges? They are deeper than i remembered actually, the bowl piece, is maybe 8 inches deep, and the other only slightly less though it will need more milling

thanks for the responses though!

As these pieces sound like slices across the trunk then be prepared for a lot of splits and cracks radiating from the core, not a show stopper, just be prepared for them and fill if necessary.

Yep these are already present and I imagine will probably evolve... Not really a problem though, the beauty of these things is in their impressive size and irregular circumference. Was just going to wax the hell out of it i think, its not going to be a glass perfect finishes, but still beautiful i have no doubt, even if in a rustic way... apologies for the R word

You won't kill yourself by making or using a bowl from yew.
Maybe, if you boiled up a few trees worth, with the berries and bark on, then distilled the result and drank it, you'd feel ill, but just having the wood around is ok.

In my limited experience, the prettiest bits of yew are where the colour and grain go wild, so you will need to pay very close attention to cutting the right way of the grain, but the density and smoothness that can be achieved should make it well worth the effort. For flat surfaces, I got best results by using a toothing plane, then a scraper.

Great to know its not as dangerous as I had been led to believe! Although I was told by a professional gardener I work near that there has been one recorded case of death by Yew in modern times (at least in the UK), a suicide, which took a small handful of berries.

As its basically all end grain, i was going to router mill flat (hence main worry was dust) and then just go at it with an orbital sander and some fine grit, not exactly exquisite woodworking but ill definitely do some experiments with scrapers first. Its the bowl where there might be some interesting grain sections...

Bowl carving, start with green wood! it makes it much easier.
Pete

Too late for that pete! Already a year seasoned at least...

 

[CHJ]

Use barrier creams or at least wash thoroughly after a lot of debris handling, it can cause irritation, don't touch your face until hands washed.

 

[Dokkodo]

Thanks for the advice, will do!