Venture from old wood (5)
I believe the answer is:
opine
'venture' is the definition.
(to opine is to venture an opinion)
'old wood' is the wordplay.
'old' becomes 'o' (common abbreviation eg in OE for Old English).
'wood' becomes 'pine' (pine is a kind of wood).
'o'+'pine'='OPINE'
'from' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for opine that I've seen before include "Consider" , "Express one's view" , "judge" , "State as one's opinion" , "Proffer a view" .)