I was given a few pieces of each, other than being hard as stone, and making sure my tools are sharp, any pointers?
Think about doing some needles out of these, ebony... could just clear coat it... black needle!

I'd make an electric guitar :laughs:

-spence

wear a resirator and don't breathe any of the dust

u dang near got killed in ya truck the other day,,,,what's a liittle dust up ya nose....go for it.

Some WOODS are TOXIC. Some will make you VERY SICK and some can even KILL you.......Where the mask.................I DON'T know anywhere you can BUY a LUNG............

Quick Question, Do any of you guys that wear a Respirator, to keep Your lungs clean, Smoke? Just thought it might be something to think about...

...Its pretty much the same thing. :D

Not a SMOKER..................I get enough smoke from the guys I know who smoke.

Don't smoke and always wear a respirator when I'm turning or messing with wood. Have a different one that I wear while painting or pouring lead. Also have a dust collection system set up in the garage to pick up the small stuff in the air. I want to live long enough to totally abuse my plugs :D

Jigman

Hmmm, what woods are toxic? Got me thinking.

Anyway, this wood is old, given to me by a fellow in his late sixty's, wood was from his fathers workshop, and he remembers it laying around the shop when he was a kid.

I can't get over how hard it is, I think I could drive nails with it and not leave a dent...... anybody wan't to lend me their gouge to try on it? ;)

I have a piece of wood that is so hard you can drive nails with it and not leave a dent also. And it is so dense it sinks like a stone.

Karl, alot of exotic woods can make you very sick if you breathe the dust, and like Habs said, some can kill you.
Just do a search on the net and you'll find lots of info.

Toxic Woods (http://www.mimf.com/archives/toxic.htm)

Great, all three of these on list... I use one of those white face masks, if I turn a lot, if I just turn one or two, I don't bother. guess I'll have to upgrade.... only good thing is, Poplar not on the list (just kidding ya Slip ;) )

I don't use a respirator, i can't smoke when i wear it. ;) :smokin::D

Karl ...I was going to start working with purple heart and other exotic woods because I was looking for heavy ,,, FORGETABOUTIT... Purple heart has barbed particles called silica... 30 hr. Osha course said silica is the next espetos... Hammer drilling concrete produces silica .. Plus Newelly tells me you make 2 plugs and its time to sharpen your tools ... weighting with lead looks good again .. :smash:

I wear a respirator sometimes. Need to find one with a spit cup side mounted though:tooth:

Just so you are aware that the ebony will dull your tools so fast its not funny and thats because it aparently has silica in its fibers. Those same grains will cause your EYES to burn like you can't believe. I've used it in very small quantities in ship model building and after a bad experience with a small circular saw I try to use only hand tools to work with it. But man it is hard, you can drive nails WITH it.

no respirator.....2000 cfm collector in front of the lathe and it filters to 2 microns :D