spoon making

Are there any woods that I should not use to make spoons for kitchen use? I have some Rosewood and was wondering about it, hear the dust is pretty bad. Steve

Do a Google search for 'wood toxicity' and you'll get what you need. Too much to enter here.

[mdallensr]

If Captain Bandaid notices your post, he'll tell you his story about rosewood. BE CAREFUL! The dust can be very toxic. Other woods may not be quite so bad, but you need to be carful anyway. I do a lot of love spoons in mahogany, butternut, cherry and basswood. They're meant to be decorative, but some could be food-safe. I've had a couple of headaches and coughing spells from casual exposure to those dusts, so I always wear my respirator now.

[lorax]

It isn't as pretty, but Beech works good for spoons. This wood may be better for a more detailed spoon, where the focus isnt on the grain so much.

be careful with what finish you use on the wood too.

[dart]

cedar can be very irritating to most folks. It's used on decks. Sometimes I can get cedar for free when someone is building a deck. But it's soft wood and kind of dark and I don't like to carve it. I am also allergic to it.