Hello, fellow woodcrafters! Today we are going to delve deep into a critical aspect of our beloved craft: the hidden dangers of toxic woods. This guide comes as related by one of the great Master Woodworkers, Ted McGrath, and is built upon the experiences of Roy Banner, a wood turner from Torrance, California. After a harrowing encounter with anaphylactic shock from turning exotic woods back in 1989, Roy dedicated himself to gathering vital safety data for us woodworkers.

Imagine Roy as a seasoned mariner who, after surviving a storm, never sets sail without his essential gear—in his case, a reliable RACAL respirator. This guide serves as your navigational chart through potentially hazardous waters.

Roy's extensive research, drawn from various sources, does flag some woods when details are sourced from only one place. You'll see these noted or highlighted with ***ASTERISKS*** for your caution. Just keep these in mind as limited in the sourcing of their information.

As artisans who often venture into the realm of exotic and unfamiliar timbers, it’s crucial we recognize our individual vulnerabilities, much like understanding the unique grain patterns that make each piece of wood distinct.

Here's how you'll see the breakdowns for each wood listed:

Classification of Woods and Reactions:

  • Irritants: Immediate and predictable, these woods strike quickly like a chisel slipping from a workpiece.
  • Sensitizers: More deceptive, these require multiple exposures to trigger a reaction, similar to the gradual dulling of a blade over time.

Types of Reactions:

  • Skin and Eye Irritation: Think of this as the sting from sawdust in your eye or a splinter in your finger.
  • Respiratory Problems: As suffocating as a workshop filled with unfiltered sawdust.
  • Systemic Issues: Including nausea and headaches, these reactions are as disruptive as a warped board in a finely planned project.
  • Cancer Risks: Particularly of the nose and sinus, HOWEVER...We must consider as a stark reminder of the incredible dusty, unventilated conditions of old-time woodworking shops. The majority of statistics on nasal cancer have been based on data from from the early to mid-1900s.  Prudent caution is recommended, but there's no need to come unglued over it.

Potency and Source: The potency—small, great, extreme—reflects the risk level, while reactions can stem from either the wood or its dust, emphasizing the need for comprehensive protective measures.

Frequency of Reactions:

  • Unknown, Rare, or Uncommon: Much like finding a rare wood species, encountering medical expertise in wood-related reactions are often equally rare.

Let’s take a closer look at specific woods and their associated risks:

  • Afromosia: Irritant (eye & skin, respiratory), great potency, dust source, rare.
  • Alder: Irritant (eye & skin, respiratory).
  • Angelico: Irritant (eye & skin, respiratory), great potency, dust source.
  • Arborvitae: Irritant (respiratory).
  • Ash: Irritant (respiratory).
  • Baldcypress: Sensitizer (respiratory), small potency, dust source, rare.
  • Balsam fir: Sensitizer (eye & skin), small potency, dust source, rare.
  • Beech: Sensitizer (respiratory), great potency, dust source, rare.
  • Birch: Sensitizer (respiratory, nausea), great potency, dust & wood source, rare.
  • Black locust: Irritant (nausea), great potency, rare.
  • Blackwood: Sensitizer (eye & skin), great potency, dust & wood source, common.
  • Boxwood: Sensitizer (respiratory), small potency, dust & wood source, rare.
  • Cashew: Sensitizer (eye & skin), great potency, dust & wood source, ***rare***.
  • Chechem: Irritant (respiratory, eye & skin), great potency, dust & wood source, unknown.
  • Cocobolo: Irritant (respiratory, eye & skin), great potency, dust & wood source, common.
  • Dahoma: Sensitizer (respiratory), great potency, dust source, common.
  • Ebony: Irritant and sensitizer (respiratory, eye & skin), great potency, dust & wood source, common.
  • Elm: Sensitizer (eye & skin), small potency, dust source, rare.
  • Fir: Irritant (eye & skin), small potency, rare.
  • Goncolo alves: Sensitizer (eye & skin), ***small*** potency, dust & wood source, rare.
  • Greenheart: Sensitizer (respiratory, eye & skin), extreme potency, dust & wood source, common.
  • Guarea: Sensitizer (eye & skin), extreme potency, dust source, rare.
  • Hemlock: ***Nasal cancer***, great potency, dust source, rare.
  • Ipe: Irritant (respiratory, eye & skin).
  • Iroko: Irritant (respiratory, eye & skin), extreme potency, dust & wood source, common.
  • Katon: Irritant (respiratory).
  • Kingwood: Irritant (eye & skin).
  • Mahogany, American: Sensitizer (respiratory, eye & skin), small potency, dust source, rare.
  • Mahogany, African: Sensitizer (respiratory), great potency, dust source, rare.
  • Makore: Irritant (respiratory, eye & skin).
  • Mansonia: Irritant (respiratory, eye & skin), extreme potency, dust & wood source, common.
  • Manzinilla: Irritant (respiratory), dust source, rare.
  • Maple: Sensitizer (respiratory), great potency, dust & wood source, rare.
  • Mimosa: Irritant (nasal), extreme potency, dust & wood source, common.
  • Myrtle: Sensitizer (respiratory), great potency, dust & wood source, common.
  • Oak, red: Nasal cancer, great potency, dust source, rare.
  • Obeche: Sensitizer (respiratory, eye & skin), great potency, dust source, common.
  • Olivewood: Sensitizer (respiratory, eye & skin), great potency, dust & wood source, common.
  • Opepe: Sensitizer (respiratory), small potency, dust source, rare.
  • Orangewood: Irritant (respiratory), ***rare***.
  • Padauk: Irritant (respiratory, eye & skin, nausea), extreme potency, dust & wood source, common.
  • Pau ferro: Sensitizer (eye & skin), small potency, dust & wood source, rare.
  • Peroba rose: Sensitizer (respiratory), great potency, dust & wood source, common.
  • Peroba white: Sensitizer (respiratory, eye & skin).
  • Purpleheart: Sensitizer (eye & skin, nausea), small potency, dust & wood source, rare.
  • Quebracho: Nasal cancer, great potency, dust source, rare.
  • Ramin: Irritant (respiratory, eye & skin), small potency, dust source, rare.
  • Redwood: Sensitizer (respiratory, nasal cancer), small potency, dust source, ***rare***.
  • Rosewood(s): Irritant and sensitizer (respiratory, eye & skin), extreme potency, dust & wood source, common.
  • Satinwood: Irritant (respiratory, eye & skin), extreme potency, dust & wood source, common.
  • Sassafras: Sensitizer (respiratory, nausea, nasal cancer), small potency, dust & wood source, rare.
  • Sequoia: Irritant (respiratory, nasal cancer), small potency, dust source, rare.
  • Snakewood: Irritant (respiratory), great potency, dust & wood source, rare.
  • Spruce: Sensitizer (respiratory), small potency, dust & wood source, rare.
  • Stavewood: Irritant (respiratory).
  • Sucupira: Irritant (respiratory).
  • Teak: Sensitizer (eye & skin), extreme potency, dust source, common.
  • Walnut, black: Sensitizer (eye & skin), great potency, leaves & bark source, unknown.
  • Wenge: Sensitizer (respiratory, eye & skin), great potency, dust source, common.
  • Willow: Sensitizer (nasal cancer), great potency, dust source, unknown.
  • Western redcedar: Sensitizer (respiratory, nasal cancer), great potency, dust source, common.
  • Yew, European: Irritant (eye & skin), great potency, dust source, common.
  • Zebrawood: Sensitizer (eye & skin), great potency, dust source, rare.

This guide is help in furthering your journey toward safer woodworking practices. Remember, like selecting the perfect wood for a project, understanding and managing the risks associated with each type of wood is crucial. Always further your research and, most importantly, equip yourself with the necessary safety gear as diligently as you select the right tool for the job.

Let’s ensure our workshops remain not only creative spaces but also safe environments. Share this knowledge, keep learning, and stay safe in your woodworking adventures!