Yew Trees
Yew trees grow to about 60 feet (more often 30 or 40) and are probably the oldest tree species in Europe. They are native to the UK and are still found growing wild, notably in Cumbria. However, they are toxic to animals (and humans) so this could be a reason you mostly see them as ornamental trees, on estate roads and in church yards rather than on farmland or wild. This has helped the Yew to be associated with doom and death but it has some amazing properties in reality.
Yew lives forever and as well as the gloomy stuff is also associated in mythology with eternal life. The Fortingall Yew in Perthshire is 2,000 to 5,000 years old and there are 2 more (one in Wales and one in England) of a similar age and 10 UK Yew trees are thought to be from before the 10th century!
The bark is a red, brown, purple and flaky growing on branches and stems that go off in all directions even when in a forest setting. The needles are small, dark green on top and lighter underneath, Yew trees are evergreen and a really beautiful tree, especially in the Autumn when they get their berries.
You can apparently eat the berries if you discard the stone but we would not recommend it as all other parts of the Yew tree and even fungi growing below them are toxic. Birds such as the Thrush eat the berries but the toxicity of the rest of the tree means they don't support a great deal of biodiversity but the frequent holes or niches in the trees do provide a lot of winter shelter. At least two chemotherapy drugs were derived from Yew clippings and bark.
Yew trees long life, history and beauty mean the best thing to do with a Yew tree is to leave it alone. Having said that we do get Yew logs in from time to time due to storm damage or from a pruning job. We would always try to find a way to avoid felling a Yew tree if this is requested by a customer. If it is unavoidable we ensure that every last part of the tree is repurposed.
Yew timber
The famous use for Yew in British history is the English longbow of the middle ages, featuring significantly in most battles of the time. This probably had more to do with the archers and generations of training than the bows themselves. Yew wood was and is widely recognised as one of the best bow woods in the world and many countries see Yew as 'their' bow wood tree. The Yew bow was equally revered in ancient Japan for example.
These days Yew is mostly used for fine furniture making and although the Yew is relatively common and not under particular threat it is difficult to come by furniture grade planks. This is due to the length of time required for a tree to grow enough to yield such timber and also the gnarly way a Yew tree will grow when left to it. The trees in the main banner above are excellent examples with unusually straight and clear stems, thankfully they are still standing strong on the approach road to the Craigflower Estate near Dunfermline in Fife.
We go through the off cuts and section off anything that can be made into a bowl, spindle or pen blank until all that's left is small bits and pieces. We will kiln dry this and use it for kiln fuel. As it is dense and fairly fire resistant it is a great fuel to keep the kiln warm overnight but not a good firewood for any other setting really. Due to this and it's toxicity we do not sell it as firewood. We go through this process with all premium species to be honest but pay very special attention with Yew.
Yew turning blanks
We make Yew bowl, spindle, craft and pen blanks from green timber and then sell it green (probably the best way for Yew) or dry it with the end grained sealed with wax.
We try to include sapwood in our Yew turning blanks so that you get the attractive contrast between the ivory edges, purple shades and deep red brown heartwood. It is difficult to turn being quite brittle but finishes really well and is very stable.
We think it is the most beautiful wood we ever get through the gates, everybody watches when we get it on the sawmill. The timber is almost like ivory in the sapwood, moving through purple and into a deep red brown colour in the heartwood. The wood is very strong and hardwearing and it gets harder and harder as it dries. Once fully dried it has a brittle glass like quality which makes it difficult but very worthwhile to turn with an excellent finish.
When milling large Yew trees the best timber is high up on the first cut (the first 3 to 5m from the base) then the second cut and large branches get very twisty and gnarly. These sections have the most character and are often attractive enough to simply hang as wall art.
