[Bigredcarver]

Please forgive me if posted before. I searched Tupelo and came up with lot's of other posts but I didn't see what I was looking for.

I have a freind who came into a few blocks of Tupelo. He's hesitant to carve with them because he was told by several other carvers that Tupelo is dangerous to breath, more so than other wood. I see that detail is better in Tupelo and many pro use it.
Anybody out there give me a run down on this???

[falconer]

As with any wood especially when power carving precautions must be taken. I have been using tupelo for about 28 years and never had a problem. It's not really chisel friendly and for the most part alot of bird carvers use this wood because it holds detail really well. It doesn't fuzz up like basswood does and is easy to sand. It's also alot lighter as far as weight goes, so if your doing a large piece thats to be mounted on a branch or the like, it's easier. It also burns really smooth and clean. The smoother the tupelo the better the burning. On thing to remember, the lighter the block in weight, the better to carve. If a block of tupelo is heavy, it's going to be a bear to carve cause it's going to be hard. I only use tupleo in all of my seminars and for all of my sculptors. I hope this helps if only a little.



www.sierracreekstudios.com

[Doug Ridley]

Ditto to everything Falconer said.

[susieq]

Hello Tom,
any wood dust is dangerous to breath. Nobody should power carve without a good dust mask. I don't think tupelo is any worse than any other wood. Some tropical woods are far more toxic....actually most tropical woods are.

If he takes the correct precautions, your friend will be fine. If he is still afraid of carving the tupelo, I'll take it.......
susieq

[Eddy Smiles]

Tom... I'm no expert but there are a number of versions of wood toxicity charts on the web. This particlar one is in handy PDF format.

www.dmwoodworkers.com/site/Portals/0/safety/WoodToxicity.pdf

[mark yundt]

Yes to what everyone else said.And it was pointed out,,it doesn't "carve" well at all with chisels.Those nice big blocks are tempting to go at with chisels,,but only respond well to power carving.Other than that,,it's a blast to use,,it is an amazing wood,the detail,,how thin you can take it,,no fuzzies,,very little "ghosting" of the grain. Neat stuff!

[VAwoodcarver]

Ive never heard of any native woods of the U.S being toxic to breath. Thats news to me and my family. My granddad worked in my familys cabinet shop since 1957 to 96 without any filtering systems for saw dust and no one had any problems so i would say definitely go ahead and carve..

[Eddy Smiles]

The following presented for your reading enjoyment....


U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety & Health AdministrationWood dust becomes a potential health problem when wood particles from processes such as sanding and cutting become airborne. Breathing these particles may cause allergic respiratory symptoms, mucosal and non-allergic respiratory symptoms, and cancer. The extent of these hazards and the associated wood types have not been clearly established.
Standard Interpretations

• Clarification of OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard with regards to the carcinogenicity of wood dust. (1995, October 11).
• OSHA's hazard communication requirements for the wood products you sell. (1994, December 5).
• Wood dust sampling. (1993, April 22).
• Regulating employee exposure to wood dust. (1989, June 6).
• Coverage of wood dust under the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). (1987, December 7).
• Response to request for new PEL for wood dusts. (1985, June 12).
• Search all available standard interpretations.

[mark yundt]

Well everyone responds differently.I'm not sure if one sample is representative of the majority. I've known people who smoke their whole life and don't seem to have any problem.Just from that I don't think I would recommend everyone start smoking and not worry about it.I tend to think that logic is flawed somewhere. I really can't imagine inhaling dust particles from wood is really not a problem and precautions shouldn't be taken.

Eddie,,I also think those links just might have come about for a reason,,,thanks.

[bird carver]

Please check out this website ( www.fishcarver.com ) select wood selection on menu. He will answer this question completely.

bird carver ( Rob )