Finally after years without a shop I am set up!
I sawed up a bunch of Western Yew last night, wow what a great looking piece of wood. Does anyone have any experience with this wood?
Drying characteristics, and general what to expect.
After sawing up one log I think I will take the rest to a bandsaw mill to get cut up. It was tough even following the grain.
Replies
Pacific Yew (taxus brevifolia) looks great when freshly cut, can be planed with a handplnae to a glossy shine, and has nice resilience - it feels a little like plastic under an edged tool, and smells a bit like tea. In the downside, the beautiful orange colour turns a dull, drab brown after a short while.
I've got a chunk of edgegrain Yew kicking around in my shop. Becasue of the colour change issue, and my dislike of sealers, polyurethanes and the like, I am keeping it to use for it's structural properties not it's aesthetic ones. It would be a great choice for wooden spring-bars, and other parts one could use in mechanisms, hidden catches, bows, etc.
Best of luck!
it is 3pm here in the philippines and i just discoverd this site. i am an engineering grad with carpentry for a hobby, my father used to run his own shop and i am preparing to revive the business.
i have been reading some taunton published magazine for 2years now. second hand mag i bought for 2dollar equivalent here in manila. it is here in this mag where i read about shellac. at first i don't know this stuff, until a friend of mine who is casting gypsum cornices introduce me to the flakes. it is worth 1000pesos per kilogram here (around 20dollars) and he mixed it with denatured alcohol.
my questions: where can we apply this solution? cabinets? handtool woodhandles? furnitures? jigs? workbench?
is it advisable to use it here in a tropical country? polyurethane is wonderful but a congressman's house here was reduce to ashes after an overheated christmas lights ignited a curtain and flooring, drywall and furniture caught fire. all finish with polyurethane.
how do shellac performed? i mean with respect to weather, abuse; in protecting wood.
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