A while back a woman contacted me and asked if I was interested in some yew wood. Her father, she said, had sawed up yew trees into nine big boards over 25 years ago which had been lying in a barn ever since. She sent me some pics and it looked right to me, though I have very limited experience of yew. Either way, she wanted to get rid of them and I got the boards shipped to my doorstep for a little more than what a similar batch of pine boards would cost.
The yew I've seen that grows around here rarely grows to be over 6-7" in diameter. These boards are up to 10-12" wide at the widest. And the trees must've been really straight, which ir also rare. It's certainly a soft wood but not pine, juniper or spruce, at least not of any variety I'm familiar with. The bark is like none I've ever seen. The boards are about 80" tall and 1,6" thick.
So, what I wonder is if this really is yew, and if that is the case, is it any good? I'd be happy if I can make use of some of the heartwood and back it with WO or maybe even boo and get ELB style bows in the 30-40# region. If not, if it's no good for bows, I've been meaning to build myself a fine looking dinner table and some other furniture, so it's not that great a loss. So what's the verdict?
