Yew – Yew

Names and distribution: The yew, botanically Taxus bacata, gives its family its name(Taxaceae, yew family). It is naturally distributed from Asia Minor via North Africa up to temperate Europe – to Scotland. The tree has been cultivated and systematically grown for centuries, particularly in England, due to its great importance in the manufacture of tools and longbows.

Appearance: The heartwood is yellow to golden brown, often with a violet sheen when fresh. Latewood narrow, often wavy, darkly protruding and tangentially forming distinctive flakes. Resin canals missing, fine-grained and homogeneous. often interspersed with fine dotted branches that appear in groups. Decorative.

Properties: The spec. weight is given as 0.59 ^t/m3 at a wood moisture content of 12%. The swelling and shrinkage values are given as radial 3.7% and tangential 5.3%. Drying is unproblematic. Easy to work with all tools, produces smooth surfaces, easy to polish. High bending stiffness, medium hardness, high natural durability. The high frequency of knots and the tendency to ring peeling (concentric cracks) are problematic.

Note: Wood, like the seeds of the berries, is said to be poisonous and can cause irritation. However, our own experience in processing the wood could not confirm this. However, appropriate precautions must be taken during processing.

Uses: Special wood for measuring tools, turnery, wind instrument making, production of longbows and sports bows, provided that the available lengths are free of defects.