Tom: I too turn wood (mostly bowls), and have heard that... Eastern Cedar gets my allergies going.. But not to the extent you are talking about, Chuck
----- Original Message ----- From: Tom Davenport To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, January 17, 2007 9:47 PM Subject: [VFB] Trial by Cocobolo As many of you know, I turn reel seats as a hobby (I have one customer who buys a couple of dozen a month which is about right to keep it a hobby). I take any money I make and use it to buy more wood. I bought some Cocobolo lumber and decided to rip off a couple 1"x1" strips to covert into 1"x1"x4" blanks and see how it looked turned. I have no dust collection for my little bench saw, I just take it outdoors when I need to do some ripping. I also didn't bother to wear a dust mask. After all, it was going to just be two quick cuts. I managed to turned one reel seat, an interesting piece that has both Cocobolo heartwood and sapwood. Why only one? Well, all hell has broken out. I feel like I have been rolling naked in poison ivy. My face is swollen, red and puffy, I have-flu like symptoms and it hurts a bit to breathe. Cocobolo is a perfect wood for reel seats because it is naturally water proof and rot resistant. But it is a known to have oils in the wood that can cause allergic reactions in some individuals. I have had itchy skin before but nothing like this. Here is a link http://www.danshapiro.com/blog/archives/000096dont_inhale_the_coco.html which has some interesting information about Cocobolo. You might want to avoid Cocobolo if you ever decide to start turning your own reel seats. Tom Home Page: http://homepage.mac.com/tsmd Webshots Albums: http://community.webshots.com/user/tsmdav
