Nasal problems

[poolcuemaster]

Just came in from rounding a few squares, first two were rosewood 1 east indian and 1 cebil with no problems. About the second pass on the third 36 inch round which was cocobolo I got a nose bleed and a headache and quit right then. I used a sinus flush bottle with warm salt water and now about twenty minutes later I feel okay, is the cloth nasal mask like people mow with not good enough for cocobolo? The way my shop is setup I was standing 4 feet from where the shavings were collecting and didn't see and airborne dust but the coco was making dust and not chips.--Leonard

 

[Mcues]

Just came in from rounding a few squares, first two were rosewood 1 east indian and 1 cebil with no problems. About the second pass on the third 36 inch round which was cocobolo I got a nose bleed and a headache and quit right then. I used a sinus flush bottle with warm salt water and now about twenty minutes later I feel okay, is the cloth nasal mask like people mow with not good enough for cocobolo? The way my shop is setup I was standing 4 feet from where the shavings were collecting and didn't see and airborne dust but the coco was making dust and not chips.--Leonard

You need a good vacuum system, air filtration, respirator, ventilation, and if you're truly allergic a different state. Because there's always a residue that settles in the shop to one degree or another. Stay well!

Mario

 

[Michael Webb]

I know of a few guys who have really bad reactions to Cocobolo dust and they pretty much refuse to work with it. Health should come first. I work with it all the time and it doesn't seem to bother me and I'm not sure that's a good thing either.

 

[Cue]

Im not sure if the cloth mask is enough but I use a chemical respirator that I use to paint with when I cut it just in case as it really bothers me.

 

[hangemhigh]

I wear a respirator almost all the time, turning, sanding, spraying, it doesn't matter. Dust collection is a must too, would love to have an outside unit but I have to settle for dedicated shop vacs for each machine.

 

[qbilder]

I can't prove it but i'm certain that cocobolo releases a vapor/gas when cut. If you can smell it, it's in the air. That gas is what gets me. It burns my nose & eyes. Almost all woods release an odor when cut but some are harmful while others are not. Cocobolo & ebony are my problem woods. And no, a cloth dust mask isn't enough. You need a filtered respirator and you'd be wise to have a vacuum system. I have a dust collector with hose that connects to the router mount on the turning lathe, the bandsaw, and the belt sander. And still I have to wear a mask.

 

[hangemhigh]

I can't prove it but i'm certain that cocobolo releases a vapor/gas when cut. If you can smell it, it's in the air. That gas is what gets me. It burns my nose & eyes. Almost all woods release an odor when cut but some are harmful while others are not. Cocobolo & ebony are my problem woods. And no, a cloth dust mask isn't enough. You need a filtered respirator and you'd be wise to have a vacuum system. I have a dust collector with hose that connects to the router mount on the turning lathe, the bandsaw, and the belt sander. And still I have to wear a mask.

Is the collector inside or outside? I want one on the outside of the shop because I know the fine dust is still circulated in the shop with an inside unit. +1 on the Ebony too.

 

[poolcuemaster]

Thanks guys I'll have to start looking for some type of respirator and make a bottle for the shop vac before cutting anymore coco.--Leonard

 

[hangemhigh]

Thanks guys I'll have to start looking for some type of respirator and make a bottle for the shop vac before cutting anymore coco.--Leonard

I have been looking for a good design in Plexiglas that will fit on my lathe while using my router. Something that would be easy to mount and dismount as needed. Anybody got any ideas or pics of their set-up?

 

[Paul Dayton]

You might have to stop working with cocobolo entirely. The allergens in cocobolo and other woods continuously build up your body burden and you become increasingly sensitive to the wood. Not only will you be more sensitive, but your reactions will become more severe.

The shop vac will be exhausting and broadcasting dust and allergens smaller than whatever size the filter is, usually 10 microns, so it must be outside.

 

[poolcuemaster]

Thanks Paul I'll stick the shop vac outside for sure, are you still using those porter cable slot cutters? All I have left is 25 or so 1/4 inch thick ones for sale and my small personal stash of 1/16th and 1/8th to make coco dust.--Leonard

 

[hangemhigh]

Short of using a dryer vent type hole to move your shop-vac outside, will it have enough power to move sawdust that far? Seems to me you would need some big power to acomplish that task.

 

[Dave38]

I won't even use coco for all the reasons stated above. I have bad year round allergies to begin with. I have a full face respirator that I got from a friend. It works well and has a full fave glass so visability is great. I have a Delta d1-1/2 hp dust collector that I finally just finished piping it around the shop for the various machines using blast gates. Here is a picture of what I just recently built for the lathe I do most of the major cutting on. It has cut the dust/chips down hardly noticable. Some small chips manage to fly out thru the side holes-therefore the tape. The sides are 1/2" clear lexan and the front and rear pieces are corian. Just stuff I had on hand. The top and bottom are pieces of the foam anti fatigue matts. It allows for a tight fit around the top of the router but is still removable. The is one 1/4" bolt holding it to the router mount, which needs to be removed in order to remove the hood to change the bit, not easy, but it works
Dave

 

[ELBeau]

Dust collection

I have been looking for a good design in Plexiglas that will fit on my lathe while using my router. Something that would be easy to mount and dismount as needed. Anybody got any ideas or pics of their set-up?

Tommy,
I think it all depends on your router setup.

I'm convinced that an enclosure used with a dust collection system is best.
Bubsbug showed his taper shaper enclosure here:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=73780&highlight=dust

Bill the Cat built an acrylic box around his router setup on his Hightower in the above thread.

Cuewould used a plastic bottle and shopvac here: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=181860

KellyGuy used a Hawaiian punch bottle and described it here: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=86289&highlight=dust

The guys are right when suggesting to exhaust the dust outside if you can. Most dust collectors have very poor filters and do nothing more than pump the fine dust all over your shop, so some vent the dust outside. It will take your heated/cooled air out with it, though. Another option would be to house the dust collector outside the shop.

Even if you buy a good dust collector with a 6'' or greater port, it won't do very good work collecting with a smaller 2'' shop vac hose. Static pressure and all. (See
http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.cfm for more information than you can digest in a day!)

The shop vac is best for small tools with small collection ports, but there will be some modifications. A shop vac has a very limited vacuum area, so you have to collect the dust as close as you safely can to the tool. Hood placement is key. Position the hood so that the chips are already flung into that direction by the router. At such a high rate of speed coming off the tool, there's no sense in trying to make the dust change direction.

As mentioned before, it is impossible to get 100% of the dust, so consider an air filtration system for what your dust collection misses. Otherwise, you're just stirring that dust back up every time you walk in your shop. Jet and JDS make some that can be found on Amazon.com, Woodcraft, Rockler, etc. Another option would be home-made. For ideas check out : http://www.woodcentral.com/shots/shot522.shtml

I'm sure there are better lists out there of Toxic Woods, but a few we work with are listed here: http://mnwoodturners.com/New_Member_Docs/Toxic_Woods_Chart.html
Phenolic's no joke either.

I make dust wearing a respirator with replaceable filters I bought from Grainger's. Home Depot has a "mold mask" kit for a fair price in the painting section that could do the job. The dust we're really worried about is the really fine stuff- similar to airborne mold spores. The cloth masks don't make a good seal. A good rule of thumb is if you can smell the wood, your mask isn't doing its job.

I hope this helps.


~Beau

Some of the photos seem to be down, so I'm attaching them.

 

[ELBeau]

Short of using a dryer vent type hole to move your shop-vac outside, will it have enough power to move sawdust that far? Seems to me you would need some big power to acomplish that task.

You've only got to have enough power to get the chips and dust to the vacuum canister. Anything blowing out the exhaust side is going to be really fine anyway.

Bill Pentz calculated that a a shop vac in the 3-4HP range would be strong enough to capture the dust and uses one that he's modified for his small tools.

 

[howiesatwork]

The really fine stuff will linger in the air for more than an hour.
I use a respirator and dust collector when cutting or sanding wood, then run the JET AFS-400 an hour or so before I think about coming into the room without a respirator.
After I leave the room, I remove the respirator filters and give the respirator a bath, else I'll get a nose full of dust when I put it on the next time...

 

[Bill the Cat]

Here's mine

I have been looking for a good design in Plexiglas that will fit on my lathe while using my router. Something that would be easy to mount and dismount as needed. Anybody got any ideas or pics of their set-up?

I cobbled this together with some scrap plywood, a sheet of plexiglas and some aluminum angle. The enclosure catches just about everything. The gap in the front generates a draft into the enclosure. In addition, I have a JET air filtration system above the machine on the ceiling.

 

[scdiveteam]

You might have to stop working with cocobolo entirely. The allergens in cocobolo and other woods continuously build up your body burden and you become increasingly sensitive to the wood. Not only will you be more sensitive, but your reactions will become more severe.

The shop vac will be exhausting and broadcasting dust and allergens smaller than whatever size the filter is, usually 10 microns, so it must be outside.

Hi,

To solve this problem I bought a 14' enclosed trailer and parked it behind my shop. My two 4 inch system pipes penetrate the two walls and I use lone ranger wireless remotes to turn on my systems.
Shop Vacs just blow the allergens around your shop.

Having an air filertration filter system is also a must if you are have occupational exposure to these dusts. There are a lot of smoker eater type systems out there for 10 cents on the dollar that are not be used because of smoking bans.

Rick G

 

[pescadoman]

Back when I thought I was invincible and employers really didn't care about my health enough to buy us reasonable protection(wait, they still don't), I subjected myself to the likes of high build epoxy dust, Imron paints, and solvents like MEK with no protection at all.

I am a bit wiser these days and wear ear, eye, and lung protection along with gloves and coveralls. Basically everything is covered.

May I suggest this. It isn't cheap, but neither is a medical bill. I have found it very comfortable and well sealing.

It is a 3M™ Ultimate FX Full Facepiece Reusable Respirator, FF-400 Series

 

[MVPCues]

I got lucky with my jug enclosure around the cutter that Elbeau posted pictures of. The router brackets I have for my Ryobi's are a perfect fit for the inside of the jug. When turning shafts, I can eat off the cross slide afterward. I have one jug for shafts, and one jug for butts. It works great, and every few months 15 minutes and I have a new enclosure as the old one gets scratched up or a little worn.

I have gotten just a little itchy from coco, but nothing bad thank goodness. Hopefully I won't ever reach a threshold. Sorry to hear about your reaction. :frown: When I started, I didn't skimp on the dust collection. I have a Grizzly cyclone. All metal 6" duct work and then short 4" flex hose running to each machine, and a JDS air filter in the shop. I am in the process of renovating the garage at my new home for my new shop, which included me building an addition onto the garage to house the dust collector. Like already said, that gets the super fine stuff that even the tight filters don't catch outside. It also will give me more room in the shop, and a lot less noise. I have heard of some guys rolling a small DC outside the door to accomplish the same thing.

I am pretty cavalier about most things. I know lots of guys skip the dust collector bit, and I suspect I could have and not had any major problems as I'm usually not phased by that sort of thing (except poison ivy...). But, I have had my share of sinus infections in my life, and having a clean shop for when family and guests are around is nice.

Kelly

Edit: I have had bad reactions from chechen burl. I was cutting some up for inlay slabs and my eyes became a little swollen and very irritated for a couple of days.