Gorgeous yew wood

I’ve just purchased this enormous yew tree butt, which had recently been felled by a tree surgeon. With no access to it by any means (except a small garden path!) the only option was to cut it into pieces on site and then carry or wheel away.

At nearly four feet across in places, it was just what I had been looking for and perfect for natural edge designs. I knew it was going to be a challenge to cut up, but I wasn’t letting it go for firewood! After taking an initial slice off the end, I could see the colours inside - it was truly stunning, with virtually no cracks at all…

Here’s the first section removed – this was a battle, as I went through two nails with my chainsaw and this piece of slate was hiding underneath!...

The top image shows the tree being broken down further into sections. Below, an enormous natural edge blank is just about to be sliced off. This is one of the largest two, which will measure just over two feet in diameter…

Just some of the blanks removed on site. The rest will be processed back at my workshop…