I love turning camphor and wished I could get more of it. I'd even be willing to travel to get it.There are several in our club who won’t turn camphor.
More for me!
I love turning camphor and wished I could get more of it. I'd even be willing to travel to get it.There are several in our club who won’t turn camphor.
More for me!
Along this line -- after watching pen turning demos which used *cast* blanks, I found that I had to keep a distance due to fumes from the turning process. Not sure whether it was acrylic or some other material. Needless to say, I don't turn any.... and just a bit off topic, I'm always extra careful with uncured epoxy, both fumes and physical contact. My understanding is that it's easy to become sensitized to it; I've met people forced to give up its use entirely after what seemed to be casual use. For me always mask, gloves and good ventilation.
Everyone’s body chemistry is their own and my “ do not turn wood” is cedar. It makes my skin itch and get little red bumps. Just another excellent reason to wear your breathing protection when turning/sanding.I recently came into a neighborhood hickory tree being cut down, and was able to get about ten bowl blanks out of it. Aside from the fact that wood was killer on my gouge edge, I learned after the fact that shavings and dust from it is toxic to garden plants, containing a natural herbicide, so I have to bag it up and throw it away, rather than using it in the compost bin. I’ve cut back on turning walnut as I seem to be allergic to the dust, and I also just looked into black locust as a tree came down in the neighborhood, but just read that locust has toxic properties, though I’ve turned it in the past and not suffered any ill effects (I avoid eating the leaves and bark!).
I wonder if there are woods you avoid from a health or safety perspective? I use a PAPR when sanding most woods, and have pretty effective dust collection, but I’m at a point where I want to mitigate any risk when possible.
The same with cedar! I turn it anyway but wear protective clothing and a Versaflo system when doing so. I am allergic to juniper and can't drink gin made with it. Not tried to turn juniper wood yet.Everyone’s body chemistry is their own and my “ do not turn wood” is cedar. It makes my skin itch and get little red bumps. Just another excellent reason to wear your breathing protection when turning/sanding.
Umm. I believe you have - Common "Aromatic Red Cedar" in the USA is actually a species of Juniper...The same with cedar! I turn it anyway but wear protective clothing and a Versaflo system when doing so. I am allergic to juniper and can't drink gin made with it. Not tried to turn juniper wood yet.
I am on the West Coast of the US. The following is what the AI bot says, not sure if it is accurate:Umm. I believe you have - Common "Aromatic Red Cedar" in the USA is actually a species of Juniper...
Accurate enough it seems- Both trees (eastern & western "Cedar") are in the Cypress family , so not a true cedar (which mostly it appears grows in Mediterranean mountainous areas or the middle east) Wikipedia seems to have the most accurate info. However the symptoms you describe when turning your western cedar are quite similar to some reported for Eastern Red Cedar (dust does make me sneeze, but otherwise I don't get skin rashes from much of anything - too much exposure to industrial chemicals I guess gave me a thick skin.. so most plants and toxins that are famous for causing rashes and skin burns don't seem to bother me much at all. ) So, I suppose if your western junipers are different type of wood than what we have in the northeast, you may or may not experience similar issues.. Often find it confusing when one species of tree gets so many different names (typically regional)I am on the West Coast of the US. The following is what the AI bot says, not sure if it is accurate:
Western Red Cedar is not in the juniper family. Among the junipers there are two trees, commonly known as cedars. In the east there is Juniperus virginiana, known as the eastern red cedar. And in the mountains of the west coast, grows Juniperus occidentalis, which is usually called a western juniper or Sierra juniper, but on occasion might be labeled as a western red cedar
Yes, I find that due to the fact that different regions have different names for the same species, and sometimes the same name is used for different species, it is often difficult to be on the same page when using common names.Accurate enough it seems- Both trees (eastern & western "Cedar") are in the Cypress family , so not a true cedar (which mostly it appears grows in Mediterranean mountainous areas or the middle east) Wikipedia seems to have the most accurate info. However the symptoms you describe when turning your western cedar are quite similar to some reported for Eastern Red Cedar (dust does make me sneeze, but otherwise I don't get skin rashes from much of anything - too much exposure to industrial chemicals I guess gave me a thick skin.. so most plants and toxins that are famous for causing rashes and skin burns don't seem to bother me much at all. ) So, I suppose if your western junipers are different type of wood than what we have in the northeast, you may or may not experience similar issues.. Often find it confusing when one species of tree gets so many different names (typically regional)
Just finished a fascinating book titled The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohllesen. Fascinating how trees defend against enemies, communicate, share, and grow. Really eye-opening.Who would have thought a tree is more complex than the human body?