Yew Traditional Tree

Traditional-style trees in yew, each with a turned trunk and pot. They’re 14cm tall and 4.5cm across at the widest, and every one shows its own mixture of pale sapwood and warm heartwood.

All three came from a yew branch I acquired from Ian Pope. It had been seasoned for many years and was perfectly dry, so it turned beautifully. I never tire of turning yew: what you find once the turning starts is always a surprise, and the colours in these are fantastic.

That contrast between sapwood and heartwood is what made yew the wood of the English longbow. Bowyers cut the stave so the springy sapwood formed the back of the bow and the harder heartwood the belly, letting the two layers work together.

Finished with chestnut friction polish, a shellac-based finish, which brought out the colours really well.