Humble article suggestion re: carving safety

[imakesawdust]

Hi, I am relatively new to the forum, but have been a WCI magazine subscriber for a couple of years, and have been carving for a little longer. I love the magazine, and am really impressed and thankful for the existence, content, and quality of the message board. These have served as a great source of information for me. I recently came across a thread on wood toxicity, and found a link within it to a table on the same. I haven't had any problems with this, but I have been working with some of these woods unaware of any danger.

So, I was thinking... I can't be the only one who has worked with wood before seeing this information; and it is likely that others, like me, picked up the magazine and flipped through it intheir local bookstores long before logging on to the message board.

My suggestion is to include the table or other information on toxicity in the magazine, perhaps in the Christmas issue as that would be a logical time for a lot of people with lille or no experience to pic up a knife, chisel, or rotary tool. Now, I certainly don't suggest that the magazine authors try to scare people away from carving... just give folks a "heads up."

If this has already been done, and I am just displaying how thick and non-observant I can be, then oops and those of you who read this can sympathise with what my wife has to deal with on a daily basis, and chuckle.

Other than that...Thanks and keep up the great work WCI!
James

[Eddy-Smiles]

Wood Toxicity

Self, Charlie
The top 26 most dangerous woods to work with.
Book Excerpts, Wood Reviews
Summer 2005 issue #31, Page(s):78

[Shannon]

Thanks for the suggestion James. As Eddie pointed out - we did cover the topic back in 2005 - but obviously new carvers won't have read that article. Maybe it's time to address it again...

[Eddy-Smiles]

Shannon...

In issue #31 WCI posted a nice chart but only listed the types and sources of dust protection on the market. Perhaps the article could be expanded to include photos of some of those masks and some mechanical dust collectors so as to demonstrate the wide selection available. For instance, at the low end of the cost spectrum it really makes a difference in performance between buying a paper mask with and without the air valve.

[Jammy]

I am a new carver, (since September 2008) and I had NO idea that wood dust was a carcinogen (sp?) until I started my second carving class in 2009.

Publishing another article regarding the safety aspects of wood carving (more than just this) might be a good idea. I know I'd greatly appreciate it.