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this week something happened and I want to share . Cocobolo never seemed to give me any problems but this week I am suffering from a reaction . My sinuses are bothering me. Be careful when working with this stuff . You can may handle this stuff for a long time and never know when you will have a reaction.
Wear a mask and ventilate your area.

I sawed a slice of cocobolo last night (against my better judgement).

It doesn't really bother me badly other than some mild itching and a bit of a runny nose. I cover up as much as I can, wear a respirator an safety glasses, etc... and mostly, I just try to avoid it as much as possible. In fact, once this last bit I have is gone, it will be the last time I bring it into the shop.

And don't forget, you aren't just protecting yourself, but anyone else who might happen to wander in the shop, or do some dusty laundry, or even if you track it into the house.

Some people can have severe reactions to it and go into anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal. Of course other woods can also cause reactions (I've read nasty stuff about Alaskan Yellow Ceder as well).

If you already have sensitivities to it (sneezing, itching, etc...), it can escalate with little or no notice. Besides the itching and minor respiratory irritation, it can cause swelling in the throat, and other nasty and potentially fatal repercussions.

If you have known wood allergies, or someone in your family does, it might be a good idea to ask your Doctor for an epi-pen (if you have asthma or certain allergies you probably already know what this is).

I know of people who won't even pick up a guitar with exposed cocobolo.

Should we start a separate thread for the dangers of Epoxy dust? =P

CA glue can do me in a bit. Took me a while to figure what was doing it.Still use it but try to be careful and use it spareingly. Also Spanish Cedar. Lots of things to set one off,we should be more careful.
Tom

Alaskan yellow cedar, as was mentioned above, made me miserable for a full month, with the nose running, the sore throat, the eyes watering. Almost as bad as the mother-in-law's cooking..

Bois de Rose irritates my nose and makes my throat feel like it is constricting.

David L

I'm allergic to Beer. It makes my butt swell. Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Seriously...lately Cherry has been bothering me (head stopped up, cough) but not Cocobolo. Strange.

I cut a rosette out of cocobolo tonight, and did a little hand sanding. I didn't get as much itching and sneezing/wheezing as I did last night, but I'm considering myself lucky.

If I didn't already have bent cocobolo bindings for this guitar I'm working on, I would not be working with it at all.

Once I'm finished with this one, the rest of my cocobolo is out the door.

Jim,
What Coco will you have left, I might take it off your hands. I have no issues using it. I have about 30 blocks cut waiting to be used as knife handles. I love the stuff.

Kevin

Kevin,

Thankfully I don't have a lot. It's a solid block about 8"x8"x2" that I sliced a rosette out of. I might have to cut another rosette tomorrow (i'm still arguing with myself about whether it's worth it or not :p ).

I'm not sure it's enough to justify the shipping costs.

Zebrawood is another that can be fatally reacted too. The wood supply place I get it from....the owner can't be in the building for2-3 days after they process it. I had them resaw some for the ones I have done, and they had to wait for the owner to go on vacation. It almost killed him last time they machined it there. Its the only wood in the shop that gets to him. Fortunately, I haven't had more than seasonal allergies when in the garage. Now give me any fruit with a shiny skin (apples, plums, pears....) and I lose my voice in minutes, and my throat swells up. Sucks! I love those fruits.