How to get the most out of these...?

[Accipiter]

As mentioned in a couple of other threads, I've been cleaning up some yew boards I've had for many years. Decided to remove the waney edges and plane the faces.

There's three boards in particular that surprised me with the figure of the grain. They're planed, both faces, ex 2½" thickness, ending up at 2⅜"... widths 9", 9⅚" and 8⅝" - 38", 42¼" and 43½" long.

The 3 boards together showing one face...

I've contacted a sawmill about 30 minutes away for possibility and price to re-saw through the lengths so having boards 1"+ a tad after planing the new sawn faces. I'm now wondering if trying to find somewhere else to cut for veneer would make more use of them? Thoughts? And possibly names to approach if veneers is feasible?

The other images are of both faces each board.. There are 'some' issues such as shakes/cracks but the figuring is nothing like I've seen before in yew.

 

[Steve Maskery]

They are spectacular and I'm not surprised that you want to get the best out of them.
I think going the veneer route is a good idea, but it would definitely be more feasible to get them resawn into veneers of 2-3mm, rather than knife-cut to 0.7mm.
I don't know who cuts veneers, presumably there is someone in the UK, but any high-end furniture maker would be able to do that on a well set-up bandsaw. I remember that David Savage used to do a lot of that. He's no longer around, of course, but I think his workshop is (certainly some of his work was still being exhibited several years after he died), and I also think he was from your part of the country. Devon, perhaps. You could approach someone like that.
Bon courage!
S

 

[Accipiter]

Thanks Steve

 

[Distinterior]

Fabulous looking wood...!

 

[Malc2098]

They could also be cut into luthier book-matched veneers.

 

[Accipiter]

The thought had gone through my mind Malcolm...

If I'd a bandsaw with enough throat I'd attempt to cut as veneers but mine limits me to 5"... bit heavy to handle by one person.

I feel I'd loose too much if I did cut them through the tablesaw by turning (⅛"/3mm) and finishing with a handsaw...

Possibly it's something the sawmill would be able to do. I'm waiting to hear back as to when I can take them over for them to see.

 

[Malc2098]

The thought had gone through my mind Malcolm...

If I'd a bandsaw with enough throat I'd attempt to cut as veneers but mine limits me to 5"... bit heavy to handle by one person.

I feel I'd loose too much if I did cut them through the tablesaw by turning (⅛"/3mm) and finishing with a handsaw...

Possibly it's something the sawmill would be able to do. I'm waiting to hear back as to when I can take them over for them to see.

If you would really like to try that, I have a Laguna 14/12 and we're roughly in the same part for the country.

If you're not going to use them yourself for instrument builds, you'd have to decide your market, whether they'd be for drop tops on soldi body electric, or back and sides for acoustic instruments, or both.