Dangerous stuff making ukuleles.

[ploverwing]

Oh gosh, yeah that is definitely an occupational hazard of working with wood, especially lots of exotic hardwoods. I am so sorry that it affected you so aggressively and so hard. I'm awfully glad to hear you're on the mend. A sensor in the shop isn't a bad idea, nor is an air filter (I mean separate from the one actually attached to your machinery) that helps clear the air of the shop itself. Once you've been hit by that kind of thing, your body might be hypersensitized and react very strongly with very little trigger. Wishing you speedy recovery and full return to health very soon.

 

[Gazukes]

Don't take that microscopic Christmas spoiler lying down Ken, UP & at Em!! & a safe return to your artistic shed.

 

[mds725]

Sorry to hear that you became so ill, and glad to hear that you're feeling better. Kerneltime's suggestion about getting an air quality sensor/alarm for your workshop sounds like a great idea.

 

[bbkobabe]

What the _________?... rest easy! What a bummer...

I did a somewhat similar thing to myself but with a solvent instead... I was getting things ready for a Christmas delivery: refinishing table tops with shellac. It was November and super cold, and I had all the doors closed and the heater on.

I was feeling worse by the day... because I was poisoning myself!

Normally the doors were wide open and I never had a problem... lesson learned (the hard way).

 

[Island Jim]

Best wishes Ken, I hope your feeling better soon. This is a good lesson for all of us, we should consider wearing a proper dust mask when ever we are making a lot of dust!

 

[Brian PacNW]

I had no idea wood dust could be so toxic. Wow. Thank you for the warning.

If you drink, be sure to get a good stiff one when you're out.

 

[TBB]

That sounds incredibly scary, so glad you’re on the mend. I hope you’re fully recovered very soon and that 2023 brings only good things from now on.

 

[SweetWaterBlue]

Get well soon, Ken

 

[Jerryc41]

I'm writing this from my bed in the Hostpital , where I've been for the last 6 days ..... just before Xmas I re-sawed a load of mahogany for necks ..then I re-sawed a Victorian table top into backs tops...and then I ran them all through the thickness sander in one session. , I had the dust extractor running full belt during this operation . But ! ...unknown to me there was a small slit in the plastic bag that contains the very fine microscopic dust partials and it was invisibly filling up the workshop...within minutes I was coughing and gasping.
I switched everything off closed the shed and went indoors to recover... I slept the next two nights still breathing badly.....it was Boxing Day that I started to feel unwell when I started with Flu symptoms ...the Flu got worse and by the New Year I was getting really bad and I couldn't breathe, on the 3rd Jan almost collapsing my Son drove me to the nearest Hostpital and here I've been since with acute Pnuemonia... the good news is I'm getting better and I am now off the drip feed and Oxogen and I should be ok to go home in a couple of days....the sights I've seen while in here are scary I'm with 3 other blokes all 80 plus suffering with incontinence strokes and other ailments all 3 are bed ridden and I doubt that they will ever leave here. ... so a word of warning "keep the dust extractor well maintained. HAPPY NEW YEAR. Ken.

That's awful! I expected you were going to tell us about an incident with something sharp.

I wish I had known about masks years ago. I see them being used all the time now on YouTube, and I have a couple of good ones.

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

 

[Timbuck]

Thanks everyone for the kind messages ... I'm now off medication and back home and all is well .

 

[Moore Bettah Ukuleles]

Thanks everyone for the kind messages ... I'm now off medication and back home and all is well .

So glad you are back home and on the mend Ken!

 

[mandodiddle]

Yes Ken, so glad you are better!

 

[Timbuck]

Yes Ken, so glad you are better!

Oh! I'm feeling better, but far from cured ....the pneumonia has gone , but the Flu still lingers on.

 

[printer2]

On the dust collector leakage, had the same problem with mine. Only after cutting maple and running through a drum sander to laminate with, I found a thin layer of maple dust everywhere.

 

[sequoia]

Just as a reminder, most wood and wood dust causes sensitization to the toxin over time. In other words, you may get a free pass in the beginning, but eventually, depending on the wood, the toxin involved and your own physiology, you will become allergic. Sometimes drastically so. So the take home lesson is minimize your exposure when you first start out so you can play the sensitization game for a longer period of time.

Below is an article and chart of the various toxicities of wood by species. Interestingly, Honduras mahogany is fairly low. Cuban low too.

Wood Allergies and Toxicity | The Wood Database

www.wood-database.com

 

[kerneltime]

Dylos DC1100 Air Quality Monitor

The DC1100 Air Quality Monitor is the first monitor on the market that has been developed and tested for consumer use

allergystore.com

Measuring Woodshop Air With a Dylos DC1100 Pro Air Quality Meter | Jays Custom Creations

jayscustomcreations.com

I think every one should have an air quality sensor in their home… I use Awair and I realized how bad using a ultrasonic humidifier with tap water is…

 

[JJohansen]

Glad you’re feeling better Ken! Not sure if it would help in your situation, but I’ve been very very happy with the new powermatic air cleaners. Not cheap, but they are very quiet, and have reduced the fine dust in my shop to near zero.

 

[MarTay6]

Wow, sorry to hear of this episode, Ken- you scared me when you started talking about sawing and resawing- I could just guess what was to follow... having run a finger through a tablesaw myself while cutting some Western Cedar into blanks for Native American Flutes! Fractured one bone & chipped another in my left hand pinky... lucky to still have it- and it still works! Nerve damage in the tip of my finger, however ended up my fingerstyle guitar playing... too uncomfortable fretting/bending strings with my pinky. Breathing's a really great thing... hope you fully recover soon!

 

[printer2]

Just as a reminder, most wood and wood dust causes sensitization to the toxin over time. In other words, you may get a free pass in the beginning, but eventually, depending on the wood, the toxin involved and your own physiology, you will become allergic. Sometimes drastically so. So the take home lesson is minimize your exposure when you first start out so you can play the sensitization game for a longer period of time.

Below is an article and chart of the various toxicities of wood by species. Interestingly, Honduras mahogany is fairly low. Cuban low too.

Wood Allergies and Toxicity | The Wood Database

www.wood-database.com

No joke. And does not need to be over time, at least not wood related. Could have other things 'prime' your immune system and a well timed exposure to another allergen can push you over the edge. My nervous system dealing with a few bouts (different chemical but same type of response) has my world turned upside down and have to deal with it every day for the rest of my life.

 

[Red Cliff]

It's definitely a reminder for all of us to always wear a mask. It's really easy to fall into the pitfall of thinking that because we have lots of extractors and air filters running that we don't need to wear a mask. But we should irrespective.