Several years ago I purchased several 4x6,s. I took a 6" cut on one and then I had a 4" 6x6. I turned it and made sure I was wearing my breathing filter since I think it was pressure treated. Anyone know if there is a problem doing that?
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4 x 6's
- Thread starter Alex Leibowitz
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Specificly, can't answer. Just in general, any chemical that kills fungus and mold on items contacting the ground must not be meant for human skin, lungs, or insides. A human being's insides are a garden of helpful bacteria, fungus and who knows what. You do not want to kill that garden off. Folks treated with the more aggressive anti-biotics have problems re-establishing that healthy garden again. My Mrs, caught a disease/condition at her place of employment, was on some advanced intervenous anti-biotics and now has to take probiotics the rest of her life. The formulations of what they use to pressure treat wood has changed a bit over the last few decades, but still, isn't good for you.
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I avoid turning pressure treated wood. ( I did turn one ball for a post considering the one exposure minimal)
Many of the the pressure treatments contain heavy metals like arsenic.
The heavy metals accumulate in your body when the level gets high enough you get sick.
It’s like mercury in our Florida lakes every little bit from from cleaner sources raises the mercury Level in the fish
Eat enough fish you get mercury poisoning. They took lead out of gasoline because it was poisoning us.
Clean coal technologies just poison us at a slower rate than dirty coal did. The fish & wildlife service publishes not to exceed consumption by species and Lake most say no consumption by pregnant females.
Many of the the pressure treatments contain heavy metals like arsenic.
The heavy metals accumulate in your body when the level gets high enough you get sick.
It’s like mercury in our Florida lakes every little bit from from cleaner sources raises the mercury Level in the fish
Eat enough fish you get mercury poisoning. They took lead out of gasoline because it was poisoning us.
Clean coal technologies just poison us at a slower rate than dirty coal did. The fish & wildlife service publishes not to exceed consumption by species and Lake most say no consumption by pregnant females.
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There are a couple reasons why I wouldn't turn pressure treated wood. In addition to being a respiratory hazard, getting the dust and shavings on your skin is also toxic. Pressure treated wood often contains the pith which makes it not the ideal choice because of the high probability of splitting. The type of respiratory protection is important. The paper comfort masks sold in hardware stores provide essentially no protection. Dust masks rated N95 or better should be used. Pressure treated lumber is usually stamped with a label to indicate that it is treated. There also is often a tag stapled to the end. Treated wood is often green colored, but I think that some chemical treatments are brown colored.
If the nasty chemicals weren't enough, the wood will be wet and probably crack before it dries.
If it is a must to have a treated wood end product, I would turn untreated wood and then apply ( soak ) treatment and let it dry.
If it is a must to have a treated wood end product, I would turn untreated wood and then apply ( soak ) treatment and let it dry.
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
All of the above. I've turned things out of it over the years just for outside art but they always crack. If you want 4x4's to play with try cedar. A better choice is to glue up pieces of 2x4 or dry 2x6's non pressure treated.
Pressure treated woods are not a reliable/safe choice for wood turning. Laminating stable dry lumber would be a better choice or finding some old structural lumber that was salvaged from an old building would be dry and most likely stable enough to turn without splitting and cracking. You need a sharp tool to turn some of the old dry lumber depending on the wood type. Several years ago I turned some 100 year old hickory from a salvaged stair case and it was very hard wood, but stable and dry.
I had a neighbor who belt sanded his pressure treated deck, no mask.
He was a crusty SOB and I decided against a lecture.
I decided to stay indoors for the duration.
Hockenbery has a good point about lead accumulating in the body. I'm experiencing the situation where the iron in my blood is turning to lead in my pants.
Pressure treated wood, I'm told, now doesn't have the arsenic in it. My deck is very old (ancient?) and wouldn't trust turning it.
Pressure treated wood, I'm told, now doesn't have the arsenic in it. My deck is very old (ancient?) and wouldn't trust turning it.
You "think it was pressure treated"? Where did you buy it, and why?
I think the reddish colored 'pressure treated' lumber is not as nasty as the old style green stuff, but I will not turn or burn either one. I guess you are not supposed to burn plywood either. Nasties in the glue, though some are getting better now...
robo hippy
robo hippy