Toxic-allergic woods used by archery people

[bambam]

I'm new here but my experience in wood carving has taught me some of the woods we use have dangers.Check this website. www.wood-database.com

[Eric Krewson]

Most of us started out with little or none in the allergic reaction department to the woods we work with. Over time, most of us develop an increasing problem with various wood dusts. I don't know if I can stand to build another walnut gun stock, the dust gives me flu like symptoms.

[Marc St Louis]

I have come to develop a bit of an allergic reaction to HHB over the last few years, a bit of a pain since I like working with it.

[Crogacht]

Do you guys use any sort of mask to stop the dust? I tried one of those cheap ones but it was just annoying.

[DavidV]

I get pretty bad reactions to osage, my lungs feel like I just ran a marathon if it's green and my eyes get red. Ipe, cocabolo, and bocote do  same.

[Eric Krewson]

I have a dust collection system, wear a better than average dust mask and still get hay fever from almost any wood I work on. I have found that rinsing my sinuses out with saline mist(aerosol can) when I come in from the shop alleviates most of my hay fever problems from dust.   

[dwardo]

If I do any bandsaw work I try to plan to do it all in one day, I wear a mask and have all the doors and windows open. Once finish I clean with an old hoover. Most of the other tools like a draw knife and scraper produce shavings rather than dust so its not too bad. Any final sanding work or belt sander I do outside and wear a mask.

Keeping a relatively clean shop and space helps. If you cant afford a proer dust extraction system like me then an old Dyson can be bought very cheap and adapted. Most Old "broken" dysons are just problems with seals which half the time you dont need anyway.

Cherry is my worst reaction so I am extra careful.

[Badger]

  I won't touch walnut anymore, I work with ipe less often for the allergic reasons. I am convinced that bloodwood would eventually kill me. Osage gives me sneezing attacks that last about 24 hours. Working mostly with hand tools alleviates a lot of these problems.

[bushboy]

I do have a small shop but chose to build outside.i try to sand up wind and hold my breath a bit and turn my head away to breath. Sometimes I wear a dust mask when I can find one!lol.i don't like the smell of cherry,but I like elm.canary wood is a killer for me!

[JW_Halverson]

  I won't touch walnut anymore, I work with ipe less often for the allergic reasons. I am convinced that bloodwood would eventually kill me. Osage gives me sneezing attacks that last about 24 hours. Working mostly with hand tools alleviates a lot of these problems.

Switching to hand tools, like Badger did, may do a lot to alleviate symptoms.  From what I gather, fine particulate is the major problem.  Sawing and sanding would be the worse offenders.  I sand very little anymore since I got a high grade cabinet scraper.  Never did saw much when I learned how fast I could ruin a good stave on a bandsaw! 

[osage outlaw]

HHB dust really bothers my throat and lungs.  I wear a mask and try to work on it outside with fans blowing.

[missilemaster]

I dont get  any flu like symptoms or difficulty  breathing working with osage  or the tropicals, but I get sneezing attacks and bad runny nose and itchy eyes.  I wear a 3M double cartraige half face mask.  Works very well and is quite comfortable.  I wont remove wood without it on.  Forget about those paper masks keeping anything but large particles out, your lungs deserve better than that!
                                                                                                                                                   -Cody

[WillS]

I don't get any reactions, but the idea that a build up of toxic dust in my lungs is enough to make me wear a mask when sanding or using a fine file.  Not worth getting some bad news later down the line just to avoid the annoyance of a mask!  I work mainly with yew and ash, and the yew dust is nasty stuff in the long run.

[bow101]

I work in small area so therefore I will not work with Exotics, to much dust in my area.  Having said that I just use the locals like Oak, Maple, Cherry, Poplar,  fir and others.  Black walnut is a big time lung irritant.

[Buckeye Guy]

Walnut just plan stinks!
I am not aware of alurgic reactions that I have from wood dust but my lungs may be filling up with all the dust . Seams to be getting harder to breath but what do I expect over 25 yrs in a cabinet shop before that was asbestos before that fiberglass, and paint fumes all the way thru all them years.
The human body is an amazing creation!
life is good