Taxus baccata
European Yew
Rare, culturally significant, and exceptionally durable. Dramatic orange-red heartwood against cream sapwood, and the wood of the English longbow.
- Coltivato e raccolto in Europa.
- Gruppo botanico. Le conifere hanno foglie aghiformi, le latifoglie hanno foglie larghe.
- La famiglia botanica a cui appartiene la specie.
Avvisami quando arrivaSpecie di riferimento. Al momento non ci sono pezzi disponibili.
È adatto al tuo progetto?
Ideale per
- Turned bowls, vessels, and spindles (a traditional turner's wood)
- Longbows and traditional archery stock
- Decorative wall panels and feature surfaces
- Cabinet accents, drawer fronts, and inlay
- Small statement furniture, side tables, stools, lamp bases
- Carved and sculptural pieces
Nessun pezzo di European Yew nel lancio attuale
Specie simili disponibili
Al momento non è disponibile European Yew. Queste specie sono adatte agli stessi progetti e hanno pezzi disponibili.
Ricevi avvisi per European Yew
Ti inviamo un’email quando arrivano nuove tavole di European Yew su KORENA. Ogni pezzo è unico, quindi conviene saperlo in anticipo.
Aspetto del legno
Che aspetto ha
Sharp two-tone contrast: warm orange-red to honey-brown heartwood beside pale cream sapwood. Grain is generally straight but often irregular around frequent pin knots and burl figure. Texture is fine and even, with a natural lustre that deepens under oil. Boards are typically narrow and full of incident, sweeping sapwood lines, knot clusters, and occasional burl pockets are the norm, not the exception.
- Heartwood: warm orange-red to honey-brown, ambering over time
- Sapwood: pale cream to near-white, sharply defined against the heart
- Frequent pin knots and burl figure, often clustered
- Natural lustre that deepens under oil and wax
- Strong two-tone contrast that softens but never disappears with age
- Generally straight, often irregular; fine even texture.
Lavorazione
Come si lavora
Turns superbly, one of the great turning woods, prized for centuries. Saws and sands cleanly. Planing is the catch: interlocked grain around knots tears easily, so take light passes with a sharp, high-angle iron or scrape. Holds detail well in carving. Glues and screws without fuss. Steam-bends well, which is why it became the longbow wood.
Finitura
Takes oil and wax beautifully, a thin oil coat ignites the orange-red heartwood without muddying the cream sapwood. Sands to a near-polished surface straight off the belt. Watch for resin pockets that can bleed under film finishes; seal first with shellac if you plan to lacquer. The colour darkens and ambers over time; UV-stable topcoats slow the shift but won't stop it.
Essiccazione
Dries slowly but with very little movement once stable, shrinkage is among the lowest of any European species. End-checks and surface checks are the main risks during initial drying; slabs from fallen trees often arrive with existing checks that should be stabilised before milling final thickness.
Quanto si muoverà?
Il legno si gonfia e si ritira in larghezza al variare dell’umidità dell’aria. Stima il movimento stagionale di un piano in European Yew prima di progettare i fissaggi.
Movimento stagionale previsto
circa 6,1 mm
Fissa il piano con nottolini o staffe asolate, non con colla o viti serrate.
Modello di ritiro lineare: larghezza × (ritiro ÷ 28 % di saturazione delle fibre) × variazione stagionale dell’umidità. Usa un ritiro tangenziale del 5,3 % per European Yew. È una stima di progetto, non una garanzia.
Quanto costa
Sicurezza e provenienza
- Coltivato e raccolto in Europa.
- Stato nella Lista rossa IUCN: la valutazione globale dello stato di conservazione di questa specie.
Yew is toxic. Taxine alkaloids are present throughout the tree, needles, bark, and seeds are dangerous, and the wood itself is a documented sensitiser. Heavy dust exposure has been linked to cardiac and CNS effects. Wear a fitted respirator, run extraction, and keep offcuts away from animals and children. NOT food-safe. Do not use for cutting boards, chopping blocks, utensils, serving boards, or any surface in contact with food or drink. Treat it as a decorative and structural wood only.
Leggi la guida completaNote approfondite su marezzatura, variazione del colore, lavorazione e stabilità.
What European Yew actually is#
Taxus baccata is a conifer that behaves like nothing else. At 6,760 N Janka it is harder than oak, ash or hard maple. At decay class 1 it is the most durable species in this catalogue alongside robinia. And it carries a colour that no other European timber approaches: vivid orange-red to purple-brown heartwood against narrow cream sapwood.
KORENA lists it as a hardwood on the basis of how it works and performs, though botanically it is a softwood. Treating it as a softwood at the bench would give you entirely the wrong expectations.
It is also poisonous, which governs a good deal of how it should be handled.
The toxicity, which is not a footnote#
Almost every part of the yew tree contains taxine alkaloids, which are cardiotoxic. The dust is a documented irritant and sensitiser, and the wood is recorded here as not food safe.
The practical rules are simple and worth following without exception. Run extraction and wear a mask when machining. Never use yew for chopping boards, food contact surfaces, drinking vessels or utensils. Keep shavings and offcuts away from animals, for which yew ingestion is frequently fatal, and never put them in bedding, mulch or compost.
None of this makes yew unsafe to own or to use in furniture. Finished, sealed yew is not a hazard. The risk is in the dust and the offcuts.
Domande degli acquirenti
Domande degli acquirenti
Is yew poisonous to work with?
Yes, and this needs taking seriously. Almost every part of the tree contains taxine alkaloids, which are cardiotoxic. The dust is a documented irritant and sensitiser, and yew is recorded here as not food safe. Run extraction, wear a mask, never use it for food contact or drinking vessels, and keep shavings away from animals, for which yew is often fatal.
Why is yew so expensive?
Slow growth, small sizes and high wastage. Yew grows very slowly, trunks are often hollow or fluted rather than round, and the proportion of clean usable timber from a log is low. Add high demand from turners and furniture makers for its colour and figure, and prices stay well above other European species.
How durable is it really?
Decay class 1, very durable, the highest rating in this catalogue alongside robinia. Yew heartwood is exceptionally resistant to rot and insect attack, which is why yew fence posts and structures survive for generations and why it was used for water pipes and boat parts.
Is it a softwood or a hardwood?
Botanically yew is a conifer and therefore a softwood, but it behaves nothing like one. At 6,760 N Janka it is harder than oak, ash or maple, and it is denser and more durable than most hardwoods here. KORENA classifies it as hardwood in the catalogue on the basis of how it works and performs rather than its botany.
Proprietà meccaniche
Dati tecnici
Valori di riferimento pubblicati. Quando le fonti non concordano, viene mostrato l’intervallo e il valore tipico è usato per le scale sopra.
| Densità (kg/m³)Massa per metro cubo con circa il 12 % di umidità. In genere, un legno più pesante è anche più duro e resistente. | 580–720 kg/m³valore tipico 675 kg/m³ |
|---|---|
| Durezza Janka (N)Forza necessaria per spingere una sfera d’acciaio fino a metà nel legno. È la misura standard della resistenza alle ammaccature. | 6,300–7,100 Nvalore tipico 6760 N |
| MOR: modulo di rottura (MPa)Resistenza alla flessione: il carico al quale una trave si rompe. | 90–115 MPa |
| MOE: modulo elastico (GPa)Rigidità alla flessione: quanto si incurva una mensola o un piano sotto carico. | 9.5–11.0 GPa |
| Ritiro radialeRitiro trasversale agli anelli di crescita, dal legno verde a quello anidro. È il movimento delle tavole a taglio radiale. | 3.0–4.0 % |
