Capital City Carvers

From Woodcarving Illustrated Hand Carved Holiday Gifts I found a chart that lists Wood Toxicity. It does not hurt to have a reminder every now and then about how the wood we carve can affect our health. Here are some of the woods we carve and their reactions.

Wood	Class of Reaction	Type of Reaction	Potency	Source
Cypress	Sensitizer	Respiratory	Small	Dust
Red Cedar	Irritant	Respiratory	Great	Dust, leaves and bark
Mahogany	Irritant	Respiratory, eye, skin	Small	Dust
Sassafras	Sensitizer	Respiratory, Nausea, nasal cancer	Small	Dust and wood
Walnut, black	Sensitizer	Eye and skin	Great	Leaves, bark, dust

If I have not listed the wood, it does not mean it does no harm. Always use personal protection equipment when sanding, sawing and carving. A visit to the ER or your doctor can get to be very expensive.

Points to Ponder

Believe in yourself, you can do anything you want to do. It may take several tries. If you don't stretch yourself, you won't grow.    Hugh Van Hayes

When laying out the pattern on the wooden block, always be generous to the ends (leave lots of wood). This will greatly reduce the chance of checking and splitting.    Ron Broadwater

A bench or work surface too high or too low will cause strain in the upper arms, shoulders, neck and eventually the back. Adjust the height of your seat to allow maximum comfort to your body with respect to the work surface.    Frank Russell

Before trying to remove stubborn slivers and fuzzy stuff from your basswood carvings, first seal with Matte Krylon Sealer. When it is thoroughly dry. sand using a wadded up brown grocery bag to remove any lifted grain. Then proceed with clean up.    Tina Toney

Before using a new Acrylics brush, wet the brush with slightly soapy water to "charge" the ferrule (the metal band that holds the bristle in place on the end of the brush handle). It makes the brush much easier to clean and gives the brush longer life.    Frank Russell