Yew pepper grinder?

[duncanh]

I have a nice piece of yew that would be perfect as a pepper grinder, but I was wondering - is the timber is safe to use when it'll be in contact with the pepper corns?

I've googled and found plenty of yew grinders, and yew was used for a kitchen product (can't remember what sort) in a Woodturning article.

Any comments?

Duncan

 

[TEP]

Hi Duncan.

Can't say for sure, but IMO it is OK once seasoned.

As far as I know it is the berry of the Yew which is the most dangerous. I live close to the estate of The Duke of Westminster, and they imported a herd of deer a couple of years ago, all the Yew trees in the area where they where being kept had to be felled and cleared. :twisted: (I had my share). This was in case the deer managed to get at any. Anyway during all this was when we were told the reason for it, the berries that is.

 

[Paul.J]

Hello Duncan.
I thought there was an article in WT where S n P were made from Yew. :?
I have had a quick look through but can only find some Elm ones been made.

 

[TEP]

Hi again Duncan.

I stand corrected on what I said earlier, (assuming what I have found is correct) :-k

Try this page HERE, still doesn't mention about use with food stuffs though.

But it does HERE at the bottom of the page. I read it to say it is OK.

 

[CHJ]

I think dry Yew wood is OK for a utensil that is only going to hold dry goods, personally I would coat it in a melamine lacquer finish on the inside at least to make the finish harder wearing and moisture resistant just to be sure.

The fumes from Yew can be quite Toxic if you sit under it on a hot day, just a small handful of the leaves can kill a horse.

Scroll down this page:

 

[big soft moose]

.. and the dust can be quite toxic if you breathe / ingest enough of it ( the chemical concerned is taxine which is used in chemotherapy to give some context)

Personally i wouldnt use it in contact with foodstuffs , but you can get peppergrinder inserts that isolate the wood from the food

 

[Jenx]

Wow, that document linked to by Chas is quite an eye-opener !

It may sound a bit 'over the top' .. but I think I will even be a bit more careful with the sticks I throw for my dog.. he likes to chew them up.. even if he's not swallowing the material.. there must be some toxins released by the action of him chewing.

I heard mention on here of Laburnum & yew... but didn't realise some of the other british trees were quite so hazardous.

Interesting.
Duncan - perhaps avoiding it for the intended purpose and substituting a different wood is an option ? - just in case ?

 

[duncanh]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.
I think I'll also post the question on the Woodturning magazine website. It's frequented by the magazine editor and other regular contributors so it'll be interesting to see what they say

 

[duncanh]

I've just read the article again (WT issue 192, page 30) and it says to seal the hole with melamine spray.
However, I've just looked the nutmeg grinder (WT issue 172, page 71) and there's nothing used inside the hole

 

[oddsocks]

i turned these in yew some years ago and finished the inside of each with melamine. They are in daily use and we are all still fine!