Pacific Yew (T. baccata pictured)

Common Name(s): Pacific Yew, Oregon Yew

Scientific Name: Taxus brevifolia

Distribution: Pacific Northwest North America

Tree Size: 30-50 ft (10-15 m) tall, 1-2 ft (.3-.6 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 46 lbs/ft³ (745 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .60

Hardness: 1,600 lb_f (7,120 N)

Rupture Strength: 15,200 lb_f/in² (104,830 kPa)

Elastic Strength: 1,350,000 lb_f/in² (9,310 MPa)

Crushing Strength: 8,100 lb_f/in² (55.9 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 4.0%, Tangential: 5.4%, Volumetric: 9.7%, T/R Ratio: 1.4

Color/Appearance: Sapwood is usually a thin band of pale yellow or tan color, while the heartwood is an orangish brown, sometimes with a darker brown or purplish hue. Color tends to darken with age.

Grain/Pore: Pacific Yew has a tight grain, a fine texture, and a natural luster. As with all softwoods, the pores are closed. Yew is not commonly available in large or wide boards, and knots and other defects are commonly present, as well as sections with wild or irregular grain.

Durability: Pacific Yew is very durable in regard to decay resistance, and is also resistant to most insect attack.

Workability: Overall, an easy wood to work, though knots and other grain irregularities can pose a challenge. Yew glues, finishes, and turns well.

Scent: There is no characteristic odor associated with this wood species.

Safety: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Yew has been reported as a irritant. Usually most common reactions simply include eye, skin, and respiratory irritation, as well as nausea. Additionally, nearly all parts of the Yew tree are considered toxic and poisonous to humans, and care should be exercised when working with this wood species. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price/Availability: Yew is relatively uncommon, and larger tree trunks are usually hollow. Selection and sizes are somewhat limited, especially since most trunks are also full of knots, resulting in a high waste factor for many projects. Though sections of wood can sometimes be obtained for moderate prices, the overall cost of usable wood tends to be high.

Comments: Perhaps among the hardest of all softwood species, Yew is certainly a unique wood species. Its density and working characteristics are more inline with a heavy hardwood than a softwood, yet its tight, fine grain and smooth texture give it a lustrous finish.

Yet perhaps Yew’s greatest claim to fame is that of its mechanical properties: despite its strength and density, Yew has an incredibly low and disproportionate modulus of elasticity at only 1,320,000 lb_f/in² (9,100 MPa). What this means is that the wood is extremely flexible, yet strong, making it ideally suited for use in archery bows. In fact, Yew was the wood of choice for English longbows in medieval warfare.

Some common uses for Yew include: bows (archery), veneer, cabinetry, furniture, carvings, musical instruments (lutes), and turned objects.

Related Species:

• European Yew (Taxus baccata)

Scans/Pictures: There are currently no pictures of this exact wood species, but a similar species within the Taxus genus is being substituted (T. baccata). If you’d like to contribute a wood sample of this specific species to be scanned, (even small pieces of veneer can be sent), please use the contact form.

European Yew (sanded)	European Yew (sealed)
European Yew (endgrain)	European Yew (turned)

Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)

Common Name(s): Ponderosa Pine

Scientific Name: Pinus ponderosa

Distribution: S

Tree Size: 100-115 ft (30-35 m) tall, 1.5-5 ft (.4-1.5 m) trunk diameter

Average Dried Weight: 29 lbs/ft³ (470 kg/m³)

Basic Specific Gravity: .38

Hardness: 460 lb_f (2,050 N)

Rupture Strength: 9,400 lb_f/in² (64,830 kPa)

Elastic Strength: 1,290,000 lb_f/in² (8,900 MPa)

Shrinkage: Radial: 3.9%, Tangential: 6.2%, Volumetric: 9.7%, T/R Ratio: 1.6

Color/Appearance: Heartwood is reddish brown, sapwood is yellowish white.

Grain/Pore: Straight grained with a fine to medium texture and closed pores.

Durability: The heartwood is rated as moderate to low in decay resistance.

Workability: Overall, Loblolly Pine works fairly well with most tools, and it glues and finishes well.

Scent: There is no characteristic odor associated with this wood species.

Safety: Working with pine has been reported to cause allergic skin reactions and/or asthma in some people. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Price/Availability: Should be widely available as construction lumber for a modest price.

Comments: Loblolly Pine is considered to be in the group of southern yellow pines, and shares many characteristics with other species of this group (Longleaf, Shortleaf, and Slash Pine) such as being: hard, dense, and possessing an excellent strength-to-weight ratio.

Loblolly Pine is commonly used for construction, such as: stringers, roof trusses, poles, joists, piles; as well as interior applications such as subflooring and sheathing. In exterior applications, it is usually pressure-treated with preservatives.

Scans/Pictures:

Ponderosa Pine (sanded)	Ponderosa Pine (sealed)
Ponderosa Pine (endgrain)