today I have mostly turning...

[gog64]

...Yew. I had a biggish chunk left over sitting in my wood pile and an aged mother in need of a Christmas present. Turning Yew turns out to be interesting in the Chinese sense. But very characterful once I'd spent a very long time getting the tool marks out! 12.5" wide, 2.5" deep. I made matching candlesticks that need another coat of wax, no photos of those though.

 

[CHJ]

Well proportioned and a very practical gift.

 

[Dalboy]

A very nice bowl the yew will darken with age and I find is always a nice wood with plenty of character

 

[gog64]

Thanks both for the encouragement!

Here are a couple of candlesticks I made to go with the bowl, also in yew. I've decided that yew isn't a PITA, I just needed sharper tools! With the grain going in every direction, I found that if the finish wasn't as near flawless as I could get it (i.e. no tool marks, no tear out) when I finished turning, the sanding was a real chore on this wood.

 

[CHJ]

…. the sanding was a real chore on this wood.

Be careful to not generate surface heat, yew will rapidly form micro surface cracks if friction heated, particularly on the endgrain.
Abrasive should cut without any significant pressure, if you can't see a stream of dust leaving the wood with the lightest of pressures the abrasive is not optimum sharp.
Net Abrasives are a real boon with heat sensitive woods such as Yew as any heat generation is immediately felt by the fingers as the dust exits.

Always be prepared to sand with the lathe stationary, (with all wood not just Yew) aim to sand with the grain where possible* and as required in curly grain areas.

* Any micro scratches left will be disguised by the grain structure.

 

[ed-fish]

Great advice chj. Thanks