I made a mistake

[TAIrving]

I made a mistake, part 1 (see part 2 in "General Scroll Sawing")

It involved woodworking, but not scroll sawing, thus posting in this "Other Woodworks" forum.

I was turning a small bowl of Wenge on my lathe.  I got complacent about protective gear.  I developed nose bleeding and a rash on the back of my hand.  The nose bleeding apparently is caused by breathing Wenge dust.  The rash appeared where the wood/Wenge chips hit my hand while turning the bowl.

Conclusion 1: Know the wood you are working.  Wenge is known to cause reactions.  Wenge | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood) (wood-database.com) 

Conclusion 2:  Wear protective gear when woodworking.  I have lectured myself about this and am now being diligent about protective gear while doing any woodworking.

It is never good to expose one’s self to wood dust.  Some woods may be less toxic, others more so.  But the risk varies with individual and the degree of exposure.  Be kind to yourself. 

[Wichman]

In addition, it may not be just the dust, it may be the organic vapors (what give the wood it's smell) released from the deeper wood.

That was the case when I scrolled some cherry; I could sand and crosscut the wood without issue, but when I started to cut the fancy fretwork my allergies kicked in. The neoprene mask with the charcoal filters fixed it.

Last summer I was planing some walnut and had the same reaction, same fix. With the walnut there was little dust as I had new blades in the planer.

[rhw]

I found out I'm allergic to cedar. Had the mask and glasses but no gloves. The skin peeled off the palms of my hands. That same website has a toxicity list for most woods: https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/

[meflick]

Hubby had an allergic reaction once to some wood he was turning, I don’t recall which wood it was. However, as I recall it was not any rash or contact type dermatitis. If I recall correctly, it gave him bad respiratory, cough issues. Guess I better get him to refresh my memory. 🫢

[oldhudson]

A excellent reminder of the risks in woodworking.