Protecting Your Lungs

[Travis]

Sue brought up a good point in this thread.

 

...If you plan to do any intarsia you need to get a good mask. Some of the dust from the exotic woods can be dangerous to your health.

Sue

 

So in the interest of preserving your lungs, what do you do? Do you use a mask? What kind of mask? Do you have any other dust control methods?

[blame]

when i had my shop i hooked up a Central DC system, but never to my scroll saw.

[shadylady0447]

I wear a woodworker's respirator while using my sanders. I don't have a dust collection system so I hook up a shop vac to my various sanders while operating them. When I'm working with purpleheart I wear long sleves and try to avoid toucing my face as it makes me break out in a rash for a while. Here are two sites you can go to for more info on toxic woods.

http://www.mimf.com/archives/toxic.htm

http://www.mnwoodturners.com/New_Member ... Chart.html

[Travis]

Thanks for the list! That's a really good chart to have tacked to your wall. Its nice to know what the potential risks are, whether you react to them or not.

 

I don't do this for scroll sawing, but when I'm sanding a lot (walls, floors,etc), I'll take a box fan and duct tape a furnace filter to it. It does a pretty good job at scrubbing the air. When it gets clogged, I take it outside and blow it out with an air compressor. 'Course I alway wear a dust mask when I'm working. It isn't great, but at least its something. I just recently got a fine dust respirator. So that will be nice when I sand down my hardwood floors in a few weeks. Plus I can use it for the intarsia dust!

[ljfrompa]

interesting links! thanks

 

i don't use any mask at home...and even at work...i only put a mask on if i'm going to be chopping a lot padauk on the double mitre saw.

that sicky sweet smelling wood really irritates the sinuses!

 

i absolutely LOVE the smell of ash when sawing or sanding if you use your imagination, it smells like bbq chicken

[Fran]

With the sanding drums I built a small box that I clamp to the drill press table and hook a vacuume to it. When using the dremel tool, I have a small mainframe computer fan with a filter or it, also have one for use with the palm sander. Also have a portable dust collector. Nothing for the scroll saw though.

Fran

[amazingkevin]

air conditioning squril cage motor fans really pull the dust out of a room fast.Finding a 110 volt one is a problem but there out there.