the thing is, yew is notoriasly bad for splitting. have a look at all those popular mushrooms in the shops and you will see that some are starting to split even before being sold, one of the attractions of yew i'm afraid, it takes on an aged look relatively quickly, even the kiln dried type. you might get away with it as the branches are small but it will be hit or miss. another of the attractions of yew is the changing of colour as the wood ages and with beads this is particularly nice. in the past i've dried yew by waxing the ends or even painting the ends, anything to stop the moisture escaping too quickly. unfortunatly splits still have occurred, usually after the whole carving and finishing is done.
another way might be to microvave it. it was a method suggested to me by the wee woodman at the wood-craft shop in broadford, skye. i haven't tried it with yew but i have with other woods, if the pieces are thin enough i don't see why not. it isn't an exact science so be very careful. you are only microwaving for a second or two at a time and then leaving the wood for an hour or so then if you think it's still 'damp' then another very quick burst, but do be frugal with the waves man as they are mighty powerful dude!
hope i'm not too late with the advice.
