Official Luthiers Forum!

HI. I was sanding without respirator a while back, well actually exactly 1 year ago now. a lot of sanding and most came up in my face haha. So 1 day later i started fainting, next day fainted twice, day after 3 times until my stubborn ass finally admitted i need to go to hospital to check it,, on my way there i got hard to breath and right outside the hospital door i fell down.. they lay me on a bed and out came people running with those defribilator stuff. I directly started to feel alot better hahaha. but it was no use, as then it said Thump and they electricuted me they did this 5 times i only remember 2 ... my heard function was at 23 % they said. my sister is a nurse she told me 20% then you need to get a new heart.. So i guess i was luckt the heartattack came right at the hospital door. was there for 2 weeks. has taken now 1 year+ for me to be able to feel normal, still have some beats that go north sometimes and sitting up fast makes it spinnm but thank God I am still here. SO long story, back to my question has any of you guys has a bad reaktion to mahogany dust ? The doctor said It was probably caused by toxins, whatever this meen ? So All i can think of was working extremely hard in 30 degree weather for 2 weeks soaking in sweat and breather mahoganyy dust ALOT. as before this I was feeling like 18. now i am back to 53+ again hahaha. Doing my best to reach 18 again...

Just wanted to bring some happy memories so you all use respirators if sanding !!!

cheers Lars

Dust collection is the least sexy but most important aspect of a shop.

NOW ! I cannot agree more haha

Most expensive tool I own is my dust collection system - an Oneida Grizzly with 6” ducting and a Jet filter mounted from the ceiling. Money well spent. Besides being good for your lungs it’s really nice not to work buried in sawdust all the time.

I worked as a carpenter in my younger years.

Lars - long time no see,good to see you back!

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Dust collection is important, but it is also advisable to use face mask protection. The shop might look reasonably tidy, but enough particles can still be in the air to affect you.

Regarding mahogany, I heard many years ago that, in England, doctors identified a permanent lung disease from long term exposure to mahogany dust in factory wood workers.

Also, I have heard that some other wood dusts have documented permanent effects. As with mahogany, a specific disease was identified in redwood processing workers. Another disease is from debarking maple, though my recollection that was from fungus that grows in the bark, rather than the maple itself.

Others have posted on OLF regarding acute allergic reactions from exposure to dust from certain woods. My recollection is that cocobolo, walnut, and pau fera were three of them.

For people inclined to develop allergies, often the first exposure caused no reaction, but subsequent exposures can be severe.

Good luck.

Another reason to use a scraper.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

It has been pointed out that trees can't run away when they're attacked. All they can do when they're bitten is bite back. Tropical trees have lots of things trying to bit them, so they have lots of defenses. Most of these are 'chemical warfare' of one sort or another. Trees can, for example, release pheromones that attract the specific species of wasp that will parasitize a grub that's tunneling in. Some trees will chemically produce silica in the wood to make it harder for the bugs to chew. Mostly, though, they rely on 'extractives' that act as insecticides, fungicides, and so on. These are what give the heart wood it's color and scent: they're not needed in the sapwood, where there is living tissue to do the job.

I've never had much trouble with mahogany (knock wood), and no allergic reactions (yet) with other things, but I do find some pieces of ebony to be very irritating. My violin making teacher eventually became allergic to both spruce and maple dust, which was a real drag. I had a student who was allergic to Pau Ferro/Morado. Western Red Cedar is, iirc, a carcinogen, and yew is toxic.

I'd venture to guess that most woods could trigger an allergic reaction in somebody, and allergies are nothing to sneeze at (so to speak), as you've found. Exposure is a key factor, and once the reaction in your immune system is triggered it can get out of hand in a hurry. Which is just a long way around to saying that, yeah, dust collection is a good idea.

Well said, Alan.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Lars that sounds like one great bit of good luck and better timing. I had never heard of someone being able to recall being thumped by a defibrillator! The only reaction to any wood I've had, and it was a mild skin irritation, is brushing my bare arm across African BLackwood dust while cutting on the bandsaw. The medical community asserts that with poison ivy exposure, a person can be immune until they reach a contact threshold (total contact throughout life) then they are super sensitized for life. Thanks for the reminer to not reach the wood dust exposure threshold.

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Measure Twice,

Karl Borum

Hi all.. thanks for your replies.. "Hi Mike.. good to see you to. . ...

Yes its really scary to see how fast things cane happen, one day one thing to be unbeatable next day your like a fried tomato on a hospitalbed. Sure makes you ponder on whats important. What has enoyed me the most is that right be fore that happend I wanted gt ocut down a hugh Mangotree in my property and quartersaw cut it. But i guess I ca ndo that now soon haha. Does anyone have any good experiance with cutting mango to back and sides ?? any good pointers ?

LArs