Wood Species Guide
Pacific Yew
Taxus brevifolia
Also called: Western Yew, Yew
About the name “Pacific Yew”
"Yew" alone can mean this species or European yew (Taxus baccata), which has its own page. The two woods look and work much the same.
What Pacific Yew looks like
Heartwood is a rich orange to reddish brown, sometimes with purple streaks, and the narrow sapwood is creamy white. The contrast is striking in bowls and bows.
Grain and texture
Fine, tight grain with a smooth texture from very slow growth. Grain is often wavy or irregular, with plenty of knots and burls.
Working Pacific Yew: planing, cutting and gluing
Very hard and heavy for a softwood. Irregular grain can tear out, so sharp tools and light cuts help. It turns beautifully and polishes to a high luster. Gluing is normal, but trunks are often hollow or full of checks, so expect waste.
Finishing Pacific Yew: oil, film finishes and epoxy
Takes oil and friction polish well and develops a deep glow. A UV-resistant finish slows the darkening of the orange color. For epoxy fills in checks and voids, seal first; the dense wood bonds well.
Durability, stability and Florida humidity
Heartwood is very durable and resists most insects. It is fairly stable once dry, but rapid drying causes checks. In Florida, small pieces are fine indoors; seal bowls and blanks well while they dry.
Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop
Pacific yew is a small-tree, small-piece wood: bowl blanks, bows, knife scales, boxes and pens. It is also the yew that drew attention when its bark became a source of a cancer drug, and logging of the tree is now limited. Treat it as a turning and specialty wood. We don't stock it, but ask us and we can often source it.
Common uses for Pacific Yew
Archery bows, turned bowls and objects, carvings, knife handles, boxes, veneer and musical instrument parts.
Sustainability and CITES status
Not listed in the CITES Appendices. Rated Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List after heavy bark harvesting for medicine in the 1980s and 1990s.
Safety and toxicity
- Skin irritation
- Eye irritation
- Respiratory / asthma
- Nausea or headache
Yew plants contain toxic alkaloids and are poisonous if eaten. Yew dust is a known irritant, and nausea and headaches have been reported from working it.
- In the shop
- Full precautions: dust extraction, respirator, gloves; keep shavings from pets
- Food contact
- Not recommended for cutting boards, bowls and utensils
General information, not medical advice. See a doctor if you have a reaction.
Nearly every part of the yew plant is poisonous if eaten, and the wood dust is a reported irritant to skin, eyes and airways. Nausea and headache have also been reported. Use dust extraction, a respirator and gloves, and keep shavings away from pets and livestock.
Pacific Yew in stock now
Ask us. We can often source it.
We don't have Pacific Yew listed online right now, but new slabs and lumber come in all the time and not everything makes it to the website. Tell us what you're building and we'll check our racks and suppliers.
Similar woods: Other Softwoods
- European YewTaxus baccata European yew is the legendary longbow wood, with orange heartwood, cream sapwood and wild figure. It turns beautifully,...
- KauriAgathis australis Kauri is New Zealand's giant conifer, and ancient swamp kauri is wood buried in bogs for tens of...
- Norfolk Island PineAraucaria heterophylla Norfolk Island pine is a tall, symmetrical South Pacific conifer planted along Florida's coasts. Its pale wood and...
- PodocarpusPodocarpus spp. (Florida landscape trees are usually P. macrophyllus; see note) Podocarpus, or yew pine, is the familiar Florida hedge and landscape conifer. Big trees occasionally give us pale,...