Yew Tree Wood

[Stevie777]

OK, The Local Yobs have been making fire at the base of a very old and large Yew tree. The Tree is Burned to the point the central core is gone and a good wind might just bring it down. It still looks healthy enough other than it's hanging on in there for dear life. So i was wondering....?

When the tree finally falls what should i harvest from the tree and what could i go about making. Dont see a point on letting a good bit of wood go to waste when i can make stuff from it.

Any Ideas?

Also, How does the grain look on Yew. Would it make a nice Handle/Plates for a knife. Could i Fashion a Kuksa from it.

Cheers..Stevie.

 

[Toddy]

Yew is beautiful timber, but, and it's a big but; it's toxic. Do not breathe in the dust if you sand it, do not breathe in the smoke if you burn it, do not eat at the same time as you're cutting it.

It makes beautiful bows, it makes really lovely carvings, good handles, I have a quaich made from it, as when it's seasoned the timber no longer seems to be toxic…..don't let a dog or a kiddie chew on it though.

There's one down the policies here that's dropped a muckle great branch and Himself's eyeing up how best to get some of it brought home. I reckon the only way is to split it for staves.

If the tree is left alone then it can recover; old ones hollow out and it's the outer layers and the bark that are the live bits. You might have to wait a while for it to go over.

On the plus side, I hope the cretins who set fire to it get the headache and nightmares from hell from the smoke

M

 

[Kerne]

Yew has a stunning grain - one of the best you can find. Classic wood for longbows. I've made some decent bowls from it in the past. BUT - yew is one of the most toxic trees in the world. Almost all parts are toxic in some way. Handles and knife scales would be great but I'd be worried about drinking from a yew Kuksa.

 

[Stevie777]

Cheers so far Guys. Never knew about the toxicity of Yew. This tree must be well over 200 years old, possibly a good bit older., i'll keep an eye on it.

As a Archer myself i knew about the Bow making qualities of the Yew, I just dont have the skills or the tools to make myself a nice recurve from it, though i would love to.

 

[Toddy]

They make truly superb longbows

Come to think on it, there are quite a few tutorial type threads on just that topic on the forum.
Dwardo's come immediately to mind, but he's not the only.

M

 

[Stevie777]

Thanks Mary. I'll have a look see.

 

[Toddy]

You know that the Glasgow Vikings have a group that meets up in Overtown Hall ?
I know a lot of them, and there are a couple of really good bow makers among them.
Last I knew they had an Archery group too, and they field practice pretty often.

M

 

[Stevie777]

You know that the Glasgow Vikings have a group that meets up in Overtown Hall ?
I know a lot of them, and there are a couple of really good bow makers among them.
Last I knew they had an Archery group too, and they field practice pretty often.

M

Overtown Wishaw???

Happy new year BTW.

 

[Stevie777]

Eh, I'm not Joining Saxon for no-one Mary..
http://www.glasgowvikings.co.uk/profiles.htm

 

[HillBill]

Doubt it will fall, Yew is one bad bottom tree. It will replant itself most likely and still be there in a thousand years!!

 

[humdrum_hostage]

Overtown Wishaw???

Happy new year BTW.

First post of 2015. Beat me to it. Happy new year to one and all

 

[Stevie777]

First post of 2015. Beat me to it. Happy new year to one and all

What do i win..? Happy new year yerself.

 

[Stevie777]

Doubt it will fall, Yew is one bad bottom tree. It will replant itself most likely and still be there in a thousand years!!

As i said, Still looks healthy enough but you could fit a post box in the hole where the fire has been repeatedly set. Hope it does last a thousand years, Hate to see this sort of stuff going on.

 

[petrochemicals]

I did not know it was as poisonous as that. Just had a quick read about it, avoid the sap bark foleage and berries, as the seeds inside are poisonous. The dry wood remains poisonous, but not as greatly, but Plinly the elder doesn't recommend storing your wine in it.

It may send down a new root to replant itself as hill bill says, depends how damaged it is. Yew is one of thoes trees that always seems to be falling down anyway. The Irish guards use it for ceremonial duties for its beauty I believe.

Keep an eye on it as a yew can grow an arial root down, I saw it on a nature programme years ago, quite impressive.

 

[Toddy]

Overtown Wishaw???

Happy new year BTW.

Happy New Year to you too

yep, Overtown, Wishaw…….actually, come to think on it; I am inadvertantly the reason that group exists. I met a man in the Galgael nearly fifteen years ago; he was introduced to me as, "Stevie, the ex-Viking". Turns out that he used to be the Yarl for the Glasgow Vik….and one of my friends at Uni just about pleaded with me for information when he heard that I knew someone involved with the Vik….so I broke the ice, introductions were made, he brought in his pals and their pals came too, and voila, we have the Second Longship in Overtown The University friend is on this forum as Robby, and so are a few of the rest of the crew too

They're having a lot of fun; they get involved in all sorts of things; Ian (Monarch, also on the forum, Battlescar) and I got them dressed up as Highlanders and Redcoats for the film that we were making for the Culloden battlefield centre, and as Medieval shiltron troops for the Bannockburn one too
I can still hear Andy yelling at them in old Scots as he drilled them….with four metre pole arms :roll eyes:
Forget the Saxon bit; think of how much fun you could have training with swords, longbows, seax's and axes

M

 

[Stevie777]

After last months two incidents i believe i might give up sharp pointy things. Join the Vikings? I'll Take my own leg off...Maybe that could be my Viking name, Olaf the clumbsy or Bjorn the Bleeder.

 

[forrestdweller]

ii hope someone sets the ******* who burned the tree on fire as well... and that the tree survives!!! there some paints you can put on trees after tree surgery to prevent infection with funghi and to speed healing (not sure what they'd be called in UK...)- i'd suggest getting some and see if the tree survives!

if i remember correctly oetzi's axe handle was made from yew- so tool handles would be one suggestion...

 

[Stevie777]

ii hope someone sets the ******* who burned the tree on fire as well... and that the tree survives!!! there some paints you can put on trees after tree surgery to prevent infection with funghi and to speed healing (not sure what they'd be called in UK...)- i'd suggest getting some and see if the tree survives!

if i remember correctly oetzi's axe handle was made from yew- so tool handles would be one suggestion...

From what i've heard here and read up on these Trees are quite resilient. 1000+ is not uncommon for a Yew. Beautiful Trees. We should plant more.

 

[Toddy]

I have to type a warning every time I talk about this, but the berries are a seasonal treat They are sweet and juicy, best eaten when it's really cold. They ripen over a period of about three or four months, and there might still be a few on the trees just now.

The inner seeds are poisonous. Do not crack them, do not eat them. but the bright red arial, the fleshy cup, is safe to eat.
It's one of those fruits that needs you to pay attention while you're eating them !
Either push the seed out before you eat the fruit (leaves your hands in a sticky mess) or carefully press the arial against the roof of your mouth and pap the wee seed out…..they are intended to be eaten by birds, foxes, badgers and the like and they carry the seeds away from the parent tree. We don't swallow the seeds but we can spit them out somewhere they'll get a chance to grow.
Lot of Yew around

M

 

[tombear]

If you want to see some magnificent yews and your in the Abergavenny area St Mary’s Church at Llanfair Kilgeddin has some in the grave yard. i was dragged there last summer to see the scraffito inside ( which did nowt for me ) but spent more time admiring the trees and see if there was any fallen wood to use for knife scales etc.

ATB

Tom