I'm Legal!!!

[Mark Mandell]

Download the form, don't fill it out, loose it, download it again . . .

Cycle's been going on for months with the AAW membership application. Finally did it, got it done, and got my get-out-of-jail-free card to carry. SWMBO opened the mail, however, and WAS SO VERY PLEASED TO SEE THE CARD WARNING ABOUT WOODTURNING BEING VERY DANGEROUS FOR TOXIC DUST, RESPORATORS, MOLD, ETC. ETC.!!!!!

[Thanks, guys. As an attorney, I appreciated the nifty bit of good info coupled with some truly fine CYA. Her next question was about all these finishes being "food safe." That's pretty close to all I needed ]

 

[-e-]

passing on sam davis' further warnings!

AAW Discussion 05/17/04:
Some of you have followed the long string concerning my lung disease which led me to consider giving up turning...well as the result of a very unpleasant procedure which was like the movie "Fantastic Voyage" through my lungs, we now know the cause of the problem and surprise, its not wood dust but aluminum oxide...so its either the sandpaper ( and I did a lot of power sanding) or its the dust that comes off the aluminum oxide white wheels while grinding or more likely, while squaring off the wheel with a diamond or carbide dresser.

So now we have a piece of info for woodturners that's important. As for me, I need to think about options now that I have the good news that the disease can be arrested simply by avoiding inhalation of aluminum oxide. My choices are many, if you have opinions I'd love to hear from you back channel...thanks..sam d.

 

[Mark Mandell]

Sam, Check your back channel

 

[Andrew]

... we now know the cause of the problem and surprise, its not wood dust but aluminum oxide...

And how, exactly, was this determined? Can you tell us what test(s) were performed? Which reports lead the doctor to this conclusion? Would you tell us (either publicly or privately) the doctors' name that made this diagnosis?

I'm very very interested in how your doctor found this exact cause.

- Andrew

 

[pfduffy]

Lungs!

Just last week I got a "clear" signal from the doc on my lungs- - after a 6 month fight. Started out with a cold, then pneumonia that would not go away, a couple different doc's and meds, then a guy who really put his talent to work on the problem. What a relief@ last. Not to fool around with Mother Nature, guys and gals, the dust mask/system is a MUST Do! Phil

AAW Discussion 05/17/04:
Some of you have followed the long string concerning my lung disease which led me to consider giving up turning...well as the result of a very unpleasant procedure which was like the movie "Fantastic Voyage" through my lungs, we now know the cause of the problem and surprise, its not wood dust but aluminum oxide...so its either the sandpaper ( and I did a lot of power sanding) or its the dust that comes off the aluminum oxide white wheels while grinding or more likely, while squaring off the wheel with a diamond or carbide dresser.

So now we have a piece of info for woodturners that's important. As for me, I need to think about options now that I have the good news that the disease can be arrested simply by avoiding inhalation of aluminum oxide. My choices are many, if you have opinions I'd love to hear from you back channel...thanks..sam d.

 

[-e-]

Sam Davis' important lung health information

I've emailed Sam Davis, who made the original post on the AAW email list, about posting his important information on this forum as well. Hopefully, he'll be able to respond.

Although I take precautions during operation, I had no idea the impact from the grinder and sanding materials. Furthermore, i will use my old shopvac to clean up the grinding residue, which i now realize just re-suspends the particulates and thus, further contaminates my studio-space, as well as living space.

Sam's information has certainly given me much to re-think.

Here's sam's posted email address: sd.a@att.net

-e-

 

[EMM]

I need a good, affordable, respirator f/u/w a beard.

I've looked at everything I can find in the catalogs and at woodworking shows and could use some first hand advice. I have a full beard so I need a full face respirator. The ones I like are out of my reach ($$) and the ones that are in my reach don't look all that effective. I've been using a ceiling mounted dust filter and backing that up with a four inch dust collector port during sanding operations and I know that's not good enough, I need something for my face. Any suggestions, first hand info, etc. would be appreciated.

Cheers

P.S. Is there a spell check available with the new forum??

 

[Mark Mandell]

I use the Resp-O-Rator which at $50 works quite well and can be used with a beard. I'm sure the powered helmut filter syatems are very good, but they alone won't do the job. Why? Because if the air in your shop is dusty, you'll breath it every time you lift the face plate or take the helmut off when done etc. You'll still need that DC and air cleaner going. I'm in the process of designing and building a recirculating system based on a whole-house blower and 3.5 x 10" square ductwork. I have 2 returns planned for the lathe area, and the system will run on a 2 hour delay shut-off after I leave the shop.

You can also set up a spot air cleaner near your lathe using a 20" box fan and a couple of 20x20 microparticle filters taped to the intake side. Those $15 box fans (Lasko, etc.) will actually move about 900-1000 CFM even through 2 filters.

Mark