# Working with English Yew



## Riot van

I'm quite new to woodworking but I'm wanting to make coffee tables, cabinets and coasters with the goal to sell at Boot sales and craft fairs etc.

Some of the wood available locally is Yew I'm concerned having read this is toxic. I plan to seal all my projects with gloss epoxy resin but should I still avoid this type of wood? I don't plan to make any cups, bowels or food related stuff just tables, shelves and coasters 

In addition what precautions should I take whilst cutting and sanding wood in general? Are basic disposable dust masks OK? I never realised before that wood dust could be dangerous. :shock: my uncles been a pro joiner for decades an I've never seen him use a mask

If I used a vacuum to collect all the wood dust from my garage how would I dispose of it? Should it be sent to specific waste centers similar to asbestos Or am overreacting?


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## MikeG.

Yew is an irritant, not a poison (but don't actually eat it, will you), and yes, you should be careful with the dust when working with it. However, the finished articles are perfectly safe...no need t o encase them in plastic which would rather spoil the beauty of the wood.


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## Trevanion

Riot van":2b8us2uf said:


> Or am overreacting?



A little.

Make every effort to cut down on dust at the source, whether that be sanding, sawing or any other operation which creates dust. Dust masks are a "last resort" piece of equipment compared with other dust reduction methods, but they still should be worn. Invest in a good quality half mask such as the Elipse P3 or the 3M 7500 rather than paper masks, they are 100x better at keeping dust out properly.

Yew is _toxic_ to a degree, some people have different reactions to it which can be sometimes severe. I've never personally had any reaction to working with it but some people will get very nasty rashes, coughing fits, sore eyes, and some other effects, there are a few other timbers that can do this also such as Iroko or some Rosewoods which the reactions can even become worse the more you're exposed to the dust, these are called "sensitiser woods". With sensitiser woods the more you're exposed to them the worse your reactions will get, this also may extend into dust from other timbers that you never had a reaction with before and it has stopped people from doing their line of work because they simply cannot do it anymore because of coughing fits or rashes when they come into contact with the dust. I don't believe Yew is a sensitiser wood, so long as you wear a good mask while working with it and you don't get rashes from it you should be OK to work with it, if you begin getting rashes it's probably best to stop working with it.

As Mike said, once the Yew is sealed it's completely fine to handle and use day-to-day.

Check with your local recycling centre if they accept wood shavings in either the wood disposal or garden waste areas.


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## Yojevol

Just a warning on the practicalities of working with yew. It can be very frustrating due to splitting but if you can accept this it can add character to the item. It can be very bitty leading to a large amount of wastage. Planing can be difficult as the grain is often all over the place. However it can be sanded to a beautiful finish with just a wax polish on completion.
Brian


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## Yojevol

PS Is the yew that is available seasoned?


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## marcros

I do like yew, but it isn't a timber that I imagine appealing to many people. If you are making things to sell rather than making things to order, I would go with something more subtle, and easier to work with. By that I mean that if you were to use oak, you don't need to deal with bark inclusions, gaps, odd shapes, trying to join boards of different coloured timber etc. With oak, beech, ash etc you can usually get nice wide boards that you can join fairly easily and that don't stand out a mile when you do so.


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## Riot van

Thanks for the advice I'm not sure if it's seasoned or not but my local supplier has lots of different slabs in so I can always ask for another wood.

My aim is to Make river tables, this is basically multiple oddly shaped bits of Wood with coloured resin filling the gaps between them. The more oddly shaped the bits the more interesting the patterns.


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## profchris

I had to give up working yew. The first few times I had mild skin itching, and then a little wheezing, and finally a trip to A&E with breathing problems. But I know others who dont suffer at all.

So keep dust down, and if you find it mildly irritating then move to another wood and give up yew. I have no problems with most other species.


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## MikeG.

You're new to woodworking, but taking on the task of making river tables for sale? Well, the very best of luck to you. I hope you don't let too many clients down.


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## woodbloke66

Yew is great stuff but will warp, split and crack at the drop of the proverbial chapeau. It needs very careful, slow seasoning and you're lucky you may find yourself with a quantity of prime timber...but you need to get lucky! Only this afternoon I was contemplating sawing up a small log in the round, (sawn about five years ago) to make a box, but then I remembered it was in an outside shed and probably had a moisture content of around 20%. Bringing it into a warm_Ish_ workshop and converting on the bandsaw would almost instantly cause it to crack - Rob


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## Riot van

MikeG.":3aqtv9x4 said:


> You're new to woodworking, but taking on the task of making river tables for sale? Well, the very best of luck to you. I hope you don't let too many clients down.



I don't have any clients I'm just going to have a go at it until my results are good and then try sell them at Boot sales and summer craft fairs. I've researched a lot into every step of the build process and have all the tools required. 

I'd love to think in a few years I could be good enough to have clients placing orders but right now I'm just starting out.


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## worn thumbs

While we have toxicity as a subject, are you really comfortable with using epoxy as a finish? It isn't hugely toxic but anything less than great care when handling it can lead to sensitisation affecting the user.It never goes away and can manifest itself in a number of ways.Once completely cured it is pretty inert.


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## Trevanion

If you go by the HSE Toxic Woods info sheet it seems most domestic timbers pose some kind of threat:


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## Riot van

worn thumbs":1p0eq8t1 said:


> While we have toxicity as a subject, are you really comfortable with using epoxy as a finish? It isn't hugely toxic but anything less than great care when handling it can lead to sensitisation affecting the user.It never goes away and can manifest itself in a number of ways.Once completely cured it is pretty inert.



I'm comfortable using it. I use my workshop as a paint stripping/prepping and spray booth quite often so I have all the usual PPE and don't mind using chemicals.

I've heard mixed opinions while looking into resin, some wear no PPE and others use gloves, mask, aprons etc. I usually lean more toward better safe than sorry when it comes to PPE I don't care if some think that's "p#ssy" as some people feel about taking precaution


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## Trainee neophyte

Trevanion":264ww4z4 said:


> If you go by the HSE Toxic Woods info sheet it seems most domestic timbers pose some kind of threat:



That's it! I'm taking up mine clearance in Angola as a hobby - much safer than this woodworking lark!


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## MikeG.

Riot van":152pfqkv said:


> ........I've researched a lot into every step of the build process and have all the tools required..........



Yet you missed any research into whether timber for furniture needs to be seasoned or not. :roll: 

Were you planning on making your own timber sub-structure, or were you going to use something made of steel?


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## Phil Pascoe

Riot van":2xa4cp2l said:


> ...I use my workshop as a paint stripping/prepping and spray booth quite often ...


So you're sanding hard woods, coloured resins etc. AND using the place as a spray both? ................. right .................. :?


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## Riot van

phil.p":2dpasu08 said:


> Riot van":2dpasu08 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...I use my workshop as a paint stripping/prepping and spray booth quite often ...
> 
> 
> 
> So you're sanding hard woods, coloured resins etc. AND using the place as a spray both? ................. right .................. :?
Click to expand...


Did I say that? No that's not what I said. I said I've sprayed stuff in the workshop before, in the past not that I'll be doing it at the same time as this project. 

Yes I only have one workshop unfortunately perhaps you own several, one for every project.


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## AndyT

Back on the question of how to work with Yew, in my limited experience the swirling grain and colours can look fantastic but are difficult to plane smooth.
I got decent results by planing with an old toothing plane, scraping with a bench scraper, then finish sanding with Abranet.
I used tru-oil to finish. On close grained woods like yew it builds to a durable glossy finish quite quickly, I think I only needed two or three coats, wiped on with a rag.


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## marcros

Manor wood on YouTube is worth watching. He does a lot of river tables, including some with yew.


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## woodbloke66

MikeG.":38gbseup said:


> Riot van":38gbseup said:
> 
> 
> 
> ........I've researched a lot into every step of the build process and have all the tools required..........
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yet you missed any research into whether timber for furniture needs to be seasoned or not. :roll:
Click to expand...

If you make this so called 'river' table stuff with unseasoned or even part seasoned yew and then take the finished piece into a warm, centrally heated house, the resin will stay put but the timber won't. You'll find it will part company with the resin as it inevitably moves when it rapidly dries out - Rob


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## Phil Pascoe

Riot van":m1r768l0 said:


> Did I say that? No that's not what I said.



You did . It is.


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## CHJ

Trainee neophyte":261bba4r said:


> …..
> 
> That's it! I'm taking up mine clearance in Angola as a hobby - much safer than this woodworking lark!



I take this as a humorous comment: but, if you have ever been in a situation and discomfort where the Doctor is deciding whether you need to be admitted to hospital because of your severe reaction to wood I can assure you it is not to be recommended.

Even with the use of High End PPE and the precautionary handling of wood debris it can remind you to walk away from the shop and it for a couple of days.

Going back to the OP's original question; Yew is one of the more obnoxious native woods as far as toxicity in use, for me anyway, it does not prevent me using it extensively but does need additional care regarding personal contact, once sealed with a sanding sealer and final finished I do not get a reaction from handling it.

Some notes from the forum on the how why wood and other substances hit you and precautions.


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## Riot van

phil.p":1yvlcwxs said:


> Riot van":1yvlcwxs said:
> 
> 
> 
> Did I say that? No that's not what I said.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You did . It is.
Click to expand...


Do you understand the concept of Time? That events can take place in the same space at different _*times*_ you understand this simple concept yes?

I didn't say I'd be making a table and spraying stuff at the same time use some common sense. You seem to have a real problem with someone simply wanting to try new stuff out.


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## Riot van

Thanks to everyone who added useful advice unfortunately seems some feel the need to tear down and sh#t on a beginner simply asking for advice.

I simply said I aim to have a go making resin tables and practice until I achieve good results No need for snooty, elitist coments. We all had to start somewhere.


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## Phil Pascoe

I use my workshop as a paint stripping/prepping and spray booth quite often ...

Use - present tense. If you don't know what a present tense is, Google is your friend.
I have no problem with your trying out anything - I just have a problem with people writing things and immediately denying they've written them. 
Go ahead, try what you wish. I really don't give a monkey's.


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## Riot van

phil.p":1quiwy3v said:


> I use my workshop as a paint stripping/prepping and spray booth quite often ...
> 
> Use - present tense. If you don't know what a present tense is, Google is your friend.
> I have no problem with your trying out anything - I just have a problem with people writing things and immediately denying they've written them.
> Go ahead, try what you wish. I really don't give a monkey's.



use my workshop as a paint stripping/prepping and spray booth *quite often*

* Use quite often* 

*Same as I use sometimes* 

*I use it quite often* as in *not* the exact same time I'll be making a table it's pretty obvious pal 

I often weld cars do I have to explain that I don't do it whilst driving them on the M1?


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## Trevanion

Is there actually any money to be made from river tables anymore? It seems like everyone and their grandmother is making the things at the moment and at prices were there can barely be any profit in it, if any. Like with many woodworking fashion fads, I think the ship to make good money with it may have sailed about a year ago, now it's just "Oh look, another river table".

I'm pretty confident in my woodworking ability and I've done a fair bit of work with epoxy resin over the years, I don't think I could confidently say that I could make a river table that won't fall apart. There's just way too many variables to go completely pear-shaped.


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## marcros

I think that is an interesting question. There are certainly plenty about and every other YouTube video seems to be about making them. 

We need a dining table making at some point, and possibly a coffee table. I may look at live edged/urban salvaged wood but I am no longer feeling the love for a river table. Each to their own though, they were cool and unusual for a while. I see plenty in woodworking YouTube's, but most of the public don't watch these so maybe the market hasn't hit saturation quite yet.


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## Riot van

Trevanion":247yqoe8 said:


> Is there actually any money to be made from river tables anymore? It seems like everyone and their grandmother is making the things at the moment and at prices were there can barely be any profit in it, if any. Like with many woodworking fashion fads, I think the ship to make good money with it may have sailed about a year ago, now it's just "Oh look, another river table".
> 
> I'm pretty confident in my woodworking ability and I've done a fair bit of work with epoxy resin over the years, I don't think I could confidently say that I could make a river table that won't fall apart. There's just way too many variables to go completely pear-shaped.



Dunno I'm just going to give it a go and see won't learn anything without trying. Plus river tables was just one idea I'm thinking of trying.

In any case I'm only aiming to attempt small coffee tables and coasters not a 12 foot conference table. If it ends as a cracked flaking mess then it's a learning experience


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## Trevanion

Riot van":27ep8lgp said:


> If it ends as a cracked flaking mess then it's a learning experience



More power to your elbow! I don't think I could stomach the cost of mess-ups with epoxy.


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## thetyreman

Yew can do this! just be wary of the dust


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## Racers

Riot van":vih8hsgp said:


> Thanks to everyone who added useful advice unfortunately seems some feel the need to tear down and sh#t on a beginner simply asking for advice.
> 
> I simply said I aim to have a go making resin tables and practice until I achieve good results No need for snooty, elitist coments. We all had to start somewhere.



I think people are trying to warn you that yew is a difficult timber to work with and point out that lots of people are making river tables. You could end up with lots of very expensive firewood.
I would try and find some well seasoned timber to practice with before trying yew. 
And don't forget to post some pictures. 

Pete


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## MikeG.

I asked previously (I guess you missed it) what sort of undercarriage you plan to make for these table tops? Are you planning on making something of timber, or perhaps something of steel?

I'm also curious as to how you plan to flatten the boards planned for the top.


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## Riot van

MikeG.":d6dcpesb said:


> I asked previously (I guess you missed it) what sort of undercarriage you plan to make for these table tops? Are you planning on making something of timber, or perhaps something of steel?
> 
> I'm also curious as to how you plan to flatten the boards planned for the top.




I have a couple of designs using steel and some using timber I plan to use a thickness planer to level the boards and will use kiln dried wood.


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## MikeG.

And attaching the top to the undercarriage?


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## Riot van

Racers":8xtg5m6b said:


> Riot van":8xtg5m6b said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who added useful advice unfortunately seems some feel the need to tear down and sh#t on a beginner simply asking for advice.
> 
> I simply said I aim to have a go making resin tables and practice until I achieve good results No need for snooty, elitist coments. We all had to start somewhere.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think people are trying to warn you that yew is a difficult timber to work with and point out that lots of people are making river tables. You could end up with lots of very expensive firewood.
> I would try and find some well seasoned timber to practice with before trying yew.
> And don't forget to post some pictures.
> 
> Pete
Click to expand...


Maybe but no one learnt anything by not trying . I've never said it was easy or that I expect perfect results immediately.

I'm just a beginner wanting to have a bash, practice and learn something new bizarrely for some reason this seems to have really annoyed some users (aren't these forms exactly for seeking advice, sharing knowledge)


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## Riot van

MikeG.":32l0zi1e said:


> And attaching the top to the undercarriage?



I don't believe it to be an insurmountable problem.

Threaded inserts, epoxy, brackets etc same way every single tutorial/Internet build log I've seen uses. I could also experiment with various methods on small scale mock ups.

_I could seek advice on a forum haha   just joking pal best not do that might anger the woodworking Gods_


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## Trevanion

You're really not helping yourself now.

Edit: The edited message looks a bit better, definitely less condescending than the previous two iterations.


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## Chris Knight

Spare a thought for all the bowyers that must have choked to death making the bows the English used at Crecy and Agincourt; no-one ever seems to mention those poor folk.


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## MikeG.

Riot, it's great that someone new is coming to woodworking. We all love that, and we're all here to help. Just please understand that you're in amongst quite a few people who are somewhere on the continuum between talented amateur and expert, and we're all cringing at the mistakes you are about to make. If you approach people with a bit of a gentler manner seeking advice then I'm sure people will give it freely. Woodworking is not just a process and a series of skills. There is underlying knowledge necessary to be successful, which is why Youtube is not the best way of learning.

You have revealed a lack of understanding of the basic construction of stuff made of wood. Wood moves more or less constantly within set and predictable patterns, and allowing for this is an absolute fundamental of the craft. Many decades ago I planned to cash in on the boom in waxed "farmhouse" pine Welsh dressers by making one out of construction grade pine from my local builders merchant. I was really proud of the result when I brought it in to the house from the workshop. Within a week it had almost fallen to pieces, with gaps appearing everywhere, doors becoming un-openable, the worktop had split open and cupped, and white strips of unfinished timber appeared alongside many of the junctions. I took it back out, re-glued everything, trimmed the newly appeared overhangs, screwed cross-battens on underneath the worktop, and re-finished it. When I brought it back in the same thing happened again, and the timbers of the top split wide open. I ended up taking it completely to bits and storing the wood for later use.......two weeks work completely wasted.

What people here are trying to do is save you going through that same disaster. You can take heed, or you can chuck away many hours work and quite a lot of money.

Let's start with flattening your boards. Conveniently, Youtube never shows people having twisted ("in wind") boards, or cupped boards, or bowed boards. They just show someone feeding their timber through a thicknesser and it popping out ready for construction. *You cannot flatten a board in a thicknesser.** There are only two ways of flattening such boards, and they are either hand planing, or the use of a long-bed surface planer.......and by "long bed" I mean the in feed table must be as long as the board you are attempting to flatten. Pouring resin onto anything which isn't flat would produce something of a disaster, so you must start your learning experience with flattening.

Fixing your yew table top directly to a steel or wood frame will produce the same sort of results that I got with my first pine Welsh dresser. It will split the top. Whether that is along the junction between the resin and the timber, or along the length of the timber, isn't easy to predict, but what is certain is that your table will be ruined. Allowance has to be made for movement, with elongated holes, or better, with the use of "buttons". Have you ever looked underneath on old table? Do yourself a favour and go to an auction showroom or antique shop, and have a good look at how tables, dressers, drawers, chests etc were put together. Note the buttons. Note the dovetails (they're not for show, you know). Note the overhang at the back of the drawer bases.

I hope you are beginning to see the issue. You've arrived here and said "I've watched Youtube and am going to make a table, just help me with the toxicity of the wood I'm planning on using"....and we've all thought, "sod the toxicity of the wood, that's the very least of your problems". A table is a complex project, and you know so little that you don't even realise it's complex. You don't know what you don't know. Have a look through the "Projects" section of the forum and read through some of the builds, and you may begin to realise there is more to this woodworking malarkey than you first thought. Ask for help and advice, and do that knowing that we know that you don't know much. There are plenty of beginners on here, and a number of them have been guided by other members through to completing quite nice projects years sooner than they would otherwise have managed. Approach us an an asset, a resource to be tapped. Don't snap at the first person who shows some incredulity at your proposals, and hopefully you'll get a helping hand towards a long and successful adventure through the world of woodworking.


*You can't, but those prepared to construct a sled might be able to. You don't have the skills for that at the moment.


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## woodbloke66

What Mike said ^^ - Rob


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## Lons

What Mike said =D> =D> 

Welcome to the Forum Riot and best wishes to you and your venture into woodworking, it's a great pastime.
All I'd suggest is keep an open mind, soak everything up and weed out the bad bits, do some reading if you can as there are many generations of hard earned knowledge in books. Be careful of youtube, there is some very good content there but also a lot of bad and some downright dangerous stuff so it's not always your best friend.

I tend to sit in a quiet corner with one of those books while my family are watching cr*p on the telly and am always surprised to read content I knew but had forgotten. #-o Maybe that's down to poor memory though. :roll: 

This forum is a great place and very friendly with the exception of a couple of heated topics, the advice you get will almost always be well intentioned but having made the effort to respond to a question I'd suggest a sarcastic reply wouldn't be well received.

Have a great Christmas btw.

cheers
Bob


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## Trevanion

I've been thinking about this but I haven't really looked into it, surely it's quite difficult to allow for expansion and contraction when you've got a completely benign material in the middle? I imagine if you do it the traditional way and both pieces of timber shrink surely it would blow the join between the epoxy and the wood, so possibly you'd need to fix the epoxy down solidly to the subframe and perhaps treat it as a part of the frame rather than the top, and then loosely fix the surrounding timber with buttons so it expands and contracts outwards from the epoxy join rather than around the edge of the table.

I should really get around to reading that book I bought which goes into great detail about wood movement.


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## johnnyb

reading through these posts makes it sound like nobody wants riot to have a go even. I'm not getting it. if you've got nothing POSITIVE to say then say NOWT.


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## Racers

johnnyb":1egiqkf1 said:


> reading through these posts makes it sound like nobody wants riot to have a go even. I'm not getting it. if you've got nothing POSITIVE to say then say NOWT.



We are trying to warn riot of the potential problems and help him avoid expensive mistakes. 
It would be wrong if us not to say something if he is planning to do something that won't work. 

There is years of experience on this forum it's a valuable tool to help people, but you would have us not answer the question. 


Pete


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## Trevanion

johnnyb":3la9wkqh said:


> reading through these posts makes it sound like nobody wants riot to have a go even. I'm not getting it. if you've got nothing POSITIVE to say then say NOWT.



You don't go from never having picked up a hand file in your life to planning to build the International Space Station.

It's the same in woodworking.


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## jeremyduncombe

johnnyb":2gh4xin9 said:


> reading through these posts makes it sound like nobody wants riot to have a go even. I'm not getting it. if you've got nothing POSITIVE to say then say NOWT.



Well there were one or two acerbic comments, but I thought the general tone has been encouraging, while pointing out some possible pitfalls. Some new forum members ( not accusing you Riot ! ) will ask for advice on a project even though they have already decided how to do it, then argue vigorously with all the expert advice they are given. It is in the nature of this forum that a simple question will often lead to a lot of ifs, buts and maybes, so the OP will receive advice that they perhaps didn’t know they needed. For me, ( on the way from complete beginner to just about competent ), that is one of its biggest benefits.


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## Andy Kev.

johnnyb":229k3hr1 said:


> reading through these posts makes it sound like nobody wants riot to have a go even. I'm not getting it. if you've got nothing POSITIVE to say then say NOWT.


Look at MikeG's post which is four above yours. He's offering firm, clear advice and is justifying it.

If you believe that somebody is set on a course which you believe will lead them to disappointment, what else can you do? It would be doing the OP a gross disservice to be positive about his ideas if their implementation leads to the production of nothing more than a heap of scrap.


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## isaac3d

I saw this thread recently and as I have just acquired some newly felled Yew from a local tree surgeon, I thought I would fish around for any useful tips and pointers.
I got two logs around a meter long from a single stem. I cut each piece in to two so I could handle them more easily. I'm going to make small decorative boxes from it, so I don't need long lengths. The widest piece is about 10 or 11 inches (sorry for swapping between units of measurement  ) in diameter and still has to be sliced up. The rest I have sliced in to boards between 1.5 and 2.5 inches thick.
I have never worked with Yew before but I think I have fallen in love! The colour and figure is amazing. Doubtless I'll be cursing when it comes to trying to plane the stuff but it looks great. I love the contrast between the heartwood and the sapwood and the colour variation in the heartwood. Cocobolo, Brazilian Rosewood; pff!
OK, I wouldn't decline a log or two of these either  But Yew is beautiful and a lot cheaper and not endangered!
Attached is a composite image of the freshly sliced boards and the piece I still have to slice up.
The boards have been end sealed and stacked (with stickers) and are now stored in a shed with my other timber. I run a dehumidifier for an hour a day to keep the place reasonably dry. I aim for 40% relative humidity but it doesn't stay there long as there is other timber in there drying. If the relative humidity gets high (70%) then I run the dehumidifier a bit longer.
I have read both that Yew splits easily when drying and also that it is easy and quick to dry; hmmm.
I know that Yew is toxic; I use dust extraction when sawing, planing (machine), sanding etc. I use a P3 dust mask.
[As an aside on the subject of wood toxicity; new texts on timber properties list most hardwood (Yes, I know Yew is a classified as a softwood as it is not an angiosperm) as being toxic or irritant to some degree. However, the reality is that the level of toxicity or irritation of most things depends a great deal on the individual. Some people develop lung cancer without ever having smoked, others smoke all their adult lives and hardly suffer from lung problems. That's just biology. Some people can die from a single bee sting, others might die from eating a single peanut. A few unfortunates are even allergic to water! (Aquagenic urticaria) However it is better to be safe than sorry, so I take appropriate precautions when dealing with the timber bad boys!]
Given that I plan to use my Yew (OMG, how can I wait 1 or 2 years to use it??) for joinery rather than turnery, are there any tips or bits of advice out there?
Thanks.






PS: I've read that the purple colouration may be as a result of contact with iron. Does anyone know if that is always the case or if Yew can gave this colour naturally? Is the red staining I have seen related to this. (Any Chemists out there that know?)


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## Mike.R

Hello RV, I hope you enjoy your adventure with Yew, it's a rather magical timber. 

Old Yew, which graspest at the stones 
that name the under-lying dead,
Thy fibres net the dreamless head,
Thy roots are wrapt about the bones.









Churches, death and resurrection: The Yew in Folklore


Yew trees are often the oldest trees found in ancient churchyards. But what do they represent, and how do they appear in British folklore?




www.icysedgwick.com


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## isaac3d

It's not surprising that Yew holds a special place in mythology. It is has some interesting properties. It's toxicity, it's slow growth, it's regenerative abilities, it's very high elasticity (great for long bows), it's gnarly shape, it's fruit are almost like angiosperms, but not quite, it's beautiful timber....


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## jonn

Riot van said:


> I'm quite new to woodworking but I'm wanting to make coffee tables, cabinets and coasters with the goal to sell at Boot sales and craft fairs etc.
> 
> Some of the wood available locally is Yew I'm concerned having read this is toxic. I plan to seal all my projects with gloss epoxy resin but should I still avoid this type of wood? I don't plan to make any cups, bowels or food related stuff just tables, shelves and coasters
> 
> In addition what precautions should I take whilst cutting and sanding wood in general? Are basic disposable dust masks OK? I never realised before that wood dust could be dangerous. :shock: my uncles been a pro joiner for decades an I've never seen him use a mask
> 
> If I used a vacuum to collect all the wood dust from my garage how would I dispose of it? Should it be sent to specific waste centers similar to asbestos Or am overreacting?


If you are planning on a 'minor industry', then to be on the safe side, for precaution, use one of the really safe masks with air filtering, like the JSP Powercap or the Trend Airshield Pro. I have the former, and when I bought it from UK it was subsidised, so I got it for a very good price compared to what they charged locally. Expensive, yes, but not when considering the hazards from wood dust, fungi and other particles. Also, mine has an impact resistant shield. Once again, somewhat paraphrased, the sting of high cost is soon forgotten when the joy of quality lingers.
Oh, and I am very envious of your supply of yew, as it is a delight to work with, giving a glorious finish.


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## Cabinetman

Can’t explain why, but I’m a bit superstitious - but only about Yew. 
Just seems that it has been growing around sacred places since the time of the Druids and should be left alone.
I know, totally irrational.


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## isaac3d

I attended a family Christening yesterday at a lovely old church. There were four Yew trees that I could see. Without wanting to be too controversial; it is always interesting to see how early Christianity assimilated pagan beliefs (no relation to the Borg, I'm sure!). The tradition of planting Yew trees around churches is one such example. I have to admit to joking with a family member that I would be along with my chainsaw later... only joking, honest guv'.


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