Yew

Yew is a wood which has a deep history and is associated with much folklore. Yew's evergreen leaves are said to be symbolic of everlasting life.

Once upon a time, yew wood was the wood of choice for making longbows. Often called English longbows, Spanish yew trees were better suited to making the bows. The English variety grew curvy and gnarled, while the Spanish yew grew straighter.

Yew trees are some of the oldest trees in the world. European yews routinely live hundreds of years, with the oldest of the trees being 2,000 years old.

Yew's heartwood ranges in color from an orange brown to a golden orange often streaked with purple, mauve and brown. Yew grows in many places around the world and is one of the few evergreens that is native to Great Britain.

Western yew, also called Pacific yew and mountain mahogany, can grow as tall as 75 feet. These yews have gained notoriety because bark from the tree has proven to be a very potent cancer drug. Testing began years ago. Taxol, as the drug is called, has been used successfully to treat ovarian cancer.

Yew may be classified as a softwood, but it is harder and heavier than several of the "hardwoods." It is tough, strong and resilient, and is suitable for use in bent wood applications. Yew wood was the wood of choice for the bent parts of Windsor chairs.

Yew continues to have many uses today, although European yew and Pacific yew are in limited supply. European yew is used for reproduction furniture, interior and exterior joinery, outdoor furniture and fence posts. It remains a popular choice for Windsor chair parts.

The wood's grain can be unpredictable and volatile to work because of the irregular growth pattern of the tree's trunk. This makes it a desirable wood for the creation of smaller objects such as snuff and pill boxes, plates and spoons, and even the working parts of woodmills. Veneers cut from yew are sometimes used for furniture and high-end uses, especially for reproduction work. It is also used for carving.

This wood dries fairly rapidly and well, with little degradation, although care is needed in drying or shakes may develop. Wood is hard and elastic. Medium bending and crushing strength. Low stiffness and resistance to shock loads.