English Yew
Taxus baccata
English Yew is an extraordinary softwood prized for its unique combination of hardness, elasticity, and beauty, famous throughout history as the wood of the English longbow. With distinctive reddish-brown heartwood contrasting against pale sapwood and remarkable durability, it has been revered since ancient times, though its extreme toxicity and slow growth make it rare and precious.
Botanical Profile
Taxus baccata is a slow-growing evergreen conifer reaching 10-20 meters in height with dark green needle-like leaves and characteristic red berry-like arils. Native throughout Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia, these extremely long-lived trees can survive for over 2000 years. All parts except the red aril are highly toxic.
Physical Properties
The heartwood is striking reddish-brown with pale yellow sapwood creating dramatic contrast. With a fine, even texture and density of 670 kg/m³ dried, it has a remarkable Janka hardness of 870 lbf, harder than many true hardwoods. The wood combines exceptional strength with unusual elasticity for its density.
Workshop Notes
Blunting Effect
Moderate - hard for a softwood
Gluing Advice
Excellent gluing properties
Finishing
Excellent - takes finishes beautifully, natural color contrast is striking
Steam Bending
Exceptional steam bending characteristics, traditional bowyer's choice
Historical Context
Yew has been sacred and significant since prehistoric times, with yew longbows dominating medieval European warfare, particularly at Agincourt in 1415. The wood's unique combination of compression and tension strength made it ideal for bows. Over-exploitation for bowmaking led to severe depletion, and most timber now comes from ornamental or graveyard trees.
Technical Specs
Slow growing, limited commercial availability, often from salvaged trees