| Name | European Yew (Taxus baccata) |
| Type | Softwood. |
| Other Names | Also known as yew, common yew, and yewtree. |
| Sources | Grows throughout Europe, southern Asia, and northern Africa. |
| Appearance | Typically straight grained, sometimes curly and irregular, with an even, medium texture. Narrow, whitish sapwood, and orange brown, red brown, or purplish brown heartwood that ages to a golden brown with exposure. |
| Physical Props | Moderately heavy and hard with medium strength, relatively low stiffness and shock resistance, excellent steam bending, good stability in service, and good decay resistance. |
| Working Props | Works fairly well with hand or machine tools but irregular grain and knots can cause problems. Turns quite well. Pre-drilling required for screwing or nailing. Gluing can be tricky due to oily nature of wood. Stains satisfactorily and polishes to a nice smooth surface. |
| Uses | Valued for turnery, carving, archery bows, and other bent parts (such as Windsor chair parts). Also used for garden furniture, reproduction furniture, cabinets, joinery, doors, garden furniture, posts, paneling, and decorative veneers. |
