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Author Topic: Yew harvesting  (Read 5485 times)

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Offline Carson (CMB)

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Yew harvesting
« on: March 30, 2013, 02:10:48 am »
Here are a couple videos of yesterdays yew cutting.  Not my biggest haul by any means, but some good looking stuff, and located some more areas with trees, so it was a good day. 

Here is a video of when I cut two good size branch staves from an old tree hanging to the rocks at top off a cliff.  I will post some other videos when I get a chance.  nothing too exciting, but it gives someone a glimpse into a day cutting yew.   Also, A picture of the day's bounty.



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"The bow is the old first lyre,
the mono chord, the initial rune of fine art
The humanities grew out from archery as a flower from a seed
No sooner did the soft, sweet note of the bow-string charm the ear of genius than music was born, and from music came poetry and painting and..." Maurice Thompso

Offline snag

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2013, 02:29:19 am »
My legs and arms are burning just watching you Carson! haha  Look forward to seeing what you do with these.
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Is. 49:2 ....He made me a polished arrow and concealed me in His quiver.

Offline Roy

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2013, 02:39:51 am »
That water falls is awesome. I could sit there all day watching it. Nice haul on the Yew. Here is my one and only Yew Bow. This stave came from Keenan in Bend, Oregon.

http://s47.photobucket.com/user/ROY-CHRIS/media/MVI_7264.mp4.html?sort=3&o=173

« Last Edit: March 30, 2013, 02:46:37 am by Roy »
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Offline Bryce

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #3 on: March 30, 2013, 03:36:26 am »
You went without me AGAIN! :P looks like a good haul man! :)
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Clatskanie, Oregon

Offline Del the cat

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2013, 04:33:24 am »
Nice to see you cutting by hand rather than a noisy old chainsaw.
A little cut underneath would have saved that bit of splitting, but you prob' got tons of length to spare anyhow....
Jellyous? who's Jellyous? ::)
Del
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Health warning, these posts may contain traces of nut.

Offline Dean Marlow

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2013, 08:42:46 am »
Carson  that waterfall would put me asleep if I was there. Looks like you got some great Yew. Thanks for sharing. Dean
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #6 on: March 30, 2013, 08:49:51 am »
Nice haul Carson. Some are as straight as Ive seen in pics.
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Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

blackhawk

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #7 on: March 30, 2013, 08:59:17 am »
Too bad its not yellow  8).   But the Queen's OK to I guess  ;)
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Offline Badly Bent

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #8 on: March 30, 2013, 10:55:53 am »
Nice haul there Carson and thats some beautiful country you have out there. I've been collecting staves the last two weekends but the harvest area is a boring flat land commercial development site along a busy street. I guess when I'm getting some nice free
bow wood its sort of zen like anyway.  ???
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Offline osage outlaw

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #9 on: March 30, 2013, 11:04:55 am »
Nice pile of yew Carson.  Do you split those or do you saw them into staves?  I've never worked with it before so I have no clue. 
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I started out with nothin' and I still got most of it left

Offline coaster500

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #10 on: March 30, 2013, 12:15:13 pm »
Amber Booty right there!!!

What a beautiful spot, any trout in that creek :)
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Offline osagejack

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #11 on: March 30, 2013, 03:24:43 pm »
that is some good looking wood,,,don't think we have yew here in tn, >:(
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Offline Carson (CMB)

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #12 on: March 30, 2013, 07:49:22 pm »
Thanks for the comments guys. 

Snag, that was the first time I thought my legs might give out on me.   :o

Roy, that is a sweet yew bow you have there.  I have had a peak at Keenan's stash and he has some fine yew. 

Sorry Bryce, it was just me and the dogs this time.   :laugh:

Thanks Del, I did rattle the woods with the motor saw a little later in the day.  It cuts much quicker, but it is a pain to haul in and out along with the logs.  Anything over 1/2 mile in in these steep areas just eats you up when you are carrying logs and saws.  I should have made a cut on the underside, but I was a foot or two in from where I really wanted to cut...just couldn't reach, so no damage done. 

Thanks Dean, the waterfall was nice. 

Thanks Pearl. Even the straightest in the pile have a little bit of twist.  But straight as I have seen.

Blackhawk...The nice thing about yew is that sometimes one of these red staves turns into two or three of them gold ones.    :P ;)

Greg, it is beautiful indeed. Zen moments abound when you get out on foot and find that first tree, but then you start trying to haul this stuff out and you are cursing the steep ravines, the loose soil, the windfall cedars, the vine maple and rhododendron thickets.  But a cool drink from the snow melt creek, the song of a varied thrush and a look at your prize and it is all well worth it.  But if I had the option to cut yew next to a road in a boring flat development site...you bet that is where I would be cutting! ;)

Clint, I split the ones that look like they will split straight. Bandsaw the branch staves and other gnarly logs that just have one clean stave hiding in them.  This trip I had to split a few on site just to get them out of there.  I carry a backpack with a 8 lb sledge, a camp axe, and half doz. yew wood wedges. 

Kip, no trout in there.  I had to pack my fish in...good ol kipper snacks ;D ;D. 

Thanks Jack. At least you have lots of that gold stuff!


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"The bow is the old first lyre,
the mono chord, the initial rune of fine art
The humanities grew out from archery as a flower from a seed
No sooner did the soft, sweet note of the bow-string charm the ear of genius than music was born, and from music came poetry and painting and..." Maurice Thompso

Offline Carson (CMB)

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #13 on: March 30, 2013, 08:19:16 pm »
Some more videos:

What most Oregon forest really looks like: 


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"The bow is the old first lyre,
the mono chord, the initial rune of fine art
The humanities grew out from archery as a flower from a seed
No sooner did the soft, sweet note of the bow-string charm the ear of genius than music was born, and from music came poetry and painting and..." Maurice Thompso

Offline Carson (CMB)

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Re: Yew harvesting
« Reply #14 on: March 30, 2013, 08:20:32 pm »
The yew tree:

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"The bow is the old first lyre,
the mono chord, the initial rune of fine art
The humanities grew out from archery as a flower from a seed
No sooner did the soft, sweet note of the bow-string charm the ear of genius than music was born, and from music came poetry and painting and..." Maurice Thompso
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