Poison Wood???

[Bruce Cohen]

I seem to remember that the dust given off from both Spalted Maple and Macassar Ebony are not the best stuff to breathe, Am I correct or not??

The wife cleaned up my book collection and it will probably take all afternoon to find my wood books.

Thanks,

Bruce

[MilDoc]

Spalted Maple is a maple tree with a fungus infection. The fungus "might" be dead but i wouldn't take the chance of inhaling it. The ebony ASAIK only is dangerous in that it produces a very fine dust. Either way, wear a good dust mask or respirator.

[Uncle Cracker]

I wouldn't recommend that you inhale dust from any variety of wood. Many of them can cause you a lot of problems. One notable type is cocobolo. Many folks are also highly sensitive to aromatic cedar. I recently read on a penturners' site of one poor fellow who discovered quite by accident that canarywood tore him up. Another thing to consider is that, by the time you get hold of a lot of the more exotic woods, they may have been exposed to any number of chemical insecticides and/or preservatives, much of which is beyond the control of established hazardous chemical oversight. So, it's not just the wood you have to worry about...

I wear a full dust/chemical respirator when I work with wood I'm not sure about or already know is nasty, and I at least wear a multi-spectrum paper/foam dust mask when working with other dusty material. I also wash up immediately after working in the shop, and launder my clothing and aprons often.

[BobSch]

I always wear a dust mask when cutting or sanding.

Here's a story about a guy in England who left a $170K job to build furniture - only to find out he's highly allergic to one of the woods he was using:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/w...st/7364354.stm

[gerti]

For reference (or search google for wood toxicity)"

http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/roche/...isc/wood.toxic

[Uncle Cracker]

Interesting list... Out of all the varieties, the dust was a source on all but three. Obviously, dust control isn't just a fashion statement. Cover up, out there... Get a good DC, with a good bag. Buck up and get that $30 HEPA filter for the Shop-Vac. Use at least a good disposable mask, if not a full respirator. Use good filters in your A/C systems if the shop is attached. And if you have shown sensitivity, don't ignore it. A good friend of mine, an allergist, says that Vaseline on the skin before working in the shop is a good way to prevent contact rashes (obviously he's not a WW'er ). Still might be good advice for the most sensitive. Rubber gloves are good if you can avoid sweating profusely in them. Long sleeves can help, also, but use tape or rubber bands to keep them clear of the work.