Strange Wood

[Frankk]

Hi All,

First thanks for the warm welcome I got when I first joined the forum. I enjoy reading a lot, but seldom have anything to add.

I wanted to share an interesting experience I had recently with some wood I was given. It was from South America and the fellow that gave it to me had forgotten the name. It looked good and resembled mahogany as it had a redish brown color. I started cutting out a blank to make an inlay for a box top when I had to sneeze. I couldn't stop sneezing for a while and had to give up because of it. I called the fellow (a member of our church) and asked about the wood and told him it made me sneeze. He said "oh now I remember why I didn't use that wood! when I sanded it the dust is like red pepper." Now I think I will save it for carving and "IF" I cut or sand it I will do so outdoors. Also if anyone knows the name of this kind of wood I would love to know what it is?

Thanks and best regards,
Frank

[ozarkhillbilly]

Hello Frank, I can't for sure say what type of wood you have there, perhaps you could post a picture of it? But in the mean time here is a wonderful link with good pictures and descriptions of wood types from all over the world.
http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/

Perhaps one of the other members here will have an idea for you, try looking under Bubinga and also Cocobolo, if you visit the above site.

[Neal Moore]

That sounds as if it might be Paduak that has been exposed to the air for a long time. It will darken from a very rich red to a Mahogany brown over time. The sawdust from Paduak can be very irritating to both your nose and lungs so you might want to consider picking up a few disposable dust masks before working with it further.

[MacS]

Dangers In The Woods

You might want to read this article about the "dangers in the woods".

http://www.iswonline.com/cwb/200208/woods.htm

Mac

[Marsha]

Hi Frank,
I tend to agree with Neal about your wood being Paduak. I had a terrible reaction to Paduak the one time I tried it. Sneezed and coughed for hours, it also gave me a rash on my hands and forearms, the only thing that relieved the itching was Gold Bond.
Be very careful with woods you're not sure of, I learned my lesson and now I check the wood experts when I'm unsure of the wood properties.
Just my .02 worth
Marsha

[Scrollergirl]

Hi Frank, That could be "rose" wood. I've used it once but never again. It's very toxic. With all the other, safer woods to use I decided this one did not need to be in my shop.

[will8989]

My hubby used cocobolo to turn pens ONE TIME. First my house smelled liked burnt chocolate then I sneezed and coughed all day. And I wasn't even in the area when he was turning the pen!! Needless to say, the rest got tossed at the land fill with "toxic" materials!! Always always always wear some sort of dust mask or respirator if necessary when cutting. I figure if I need a respirator I really don't need to be using that wood anyway! I stick with cherry, oak, walnut, mahogany mostly.

[BJHolm]

Reading the information in Mac's article " Dangers In The Woods" you might learn how best to be protected from the toxins we all breathe and get on our skin when scrolling, sanding and finishing.

BJ

[lucky788scroller]

YOU THREW COCOBOLO IN THE LANDFILL????? How dare you!!!!!!! Dale

[bearfretworks]

YOU THREW COCOBOLO IN THE LANDFILL?????!!