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What wood do you avoid

Over the decades my allergies have gotten worse, haven't been able to deal with Zebra or Zebrano for a couple of years.
Even some local woods give me a sneezing session, funny enough about a half hour later after cleanup.
 
I saw an interesting 2"x2"x3' piece of skid wood in the waste bin at my local big box hardware store. It was a reddish gray hardwood. I asked if I could have it and they obliged for a nominal fee. When I got home and started turning, it made me gag. Took my breath away so much I had to stop turning and walk away. I don't know if it was the wood dust or more probably the chemicals they used to treat it for shipping. Last time I buy unknown wood with an unknown history from a waste bin. BTW, it turned and looked like a rosewood.
 
Hello, in 30 years of working wood for a living I never had any allergic reactions but some woods like bay laurel(Laurus nobilis) can irritate your eyes if you use them for too long. Also the dust from Ipe can make your skin itch.
I know from collegues that the Anacardiaceae (Quebracho, Urunday) can cause skin and eye rections if you work them for too long, a substance called "Cardol" is responsible.
 
... 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.
 
Gary Hack said:
... 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.
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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.
 
Lou Jacobs said:
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.
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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.
 
Tim Mehling said:
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.
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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.
 
Brian Gustin said:
Umm. I believe you have - Common "Aromatic Red Cedar" in the USA is actually a species of Juniper...
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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
 
Darryn Achall said:
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
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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)
 
Brian Gustin said:
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)
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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.
 
After a lifetime of working with wood I have found two woods that I have developed an "allergic" reaction to. The first is padauk. I have used a lot of it as both a flat woodworker and as a turner but now every time I work with it I feel like my throat is constricting and I will begin coughing. I don't use it any more.

I have used walnut all of my life having built furniture, boxes, toys and whatnot from it. I have turned many items from walnut but it is now another wood that makes me sneeze and cough. I hate to give it up but I think it is beginning to tell me something is wrong so I am going to avoid it.

I have turned several hundred species of wood and luckily walnut and padauk are the only ones that bother me.

I advise people that when they are turning a new wood for the first time it is a good idea to make sure there is someone nearby that you can contact in the event of an emergency. You just never know when a timber will be the one that causes a problem. If it happens to be a breathing problem you may need help very quickly
 
now being worked up by my dermatologist for possible wood allergy versus other rash causes—such as Grover’s disease which is basically a real bad heat rash. Got it on inside of my forearms and other places wood chips don’t hit. Itches like crazy. Biopsy next week.
 

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I avoid cocobolo as much as I can. It causes my skin to blister like poison ivy, sneezing and an overall terrible feeling for several days. So far I have not had any similar reactions to any of the other rosewoods, including African Blackwood. I try and take as many precautions as I can, sleeves, respirator, dust collector, exam gloves, whenever I turn woods that are on the irritant or sensitizer spectrum.
 
I’ve learned quickly that Black Walnut isn’t allowed in my shop. I end up with a sore throat and stuffed up for a day or so after. That’s with air filtration and mask in use. I don’t really care for oak either, just don’t like the smell.
 
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