# Dust in my eyes.



## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

I have been working with some western cedar and the dust is irritating my eyes. It seems western cedar the worst of the wood I work with. I was using my table saw and had the dust collection on plus my room air cleaner. If you have some first hand experience with goggles or other suggestions I would appreciate it.


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

I have some safety glasses with bifocals and side shields that I put on when I walk in the door. It's much easier to remember to put them on now that I need the bifocals to see. They keep the odd flying particle from injuring my eyes, but I still get some irritation from dust, especially walnut. 

I've tried goggles, but everything that I tried fogs up too easily. I don't have a good answer either.


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## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

Since my cataract surgery last fall I wear my full face shield all the time. Goggles and safety glasses fog up to much of the time.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

hawkeye10 said:


> I have been working with some western cedar and the dust is irritating my eyes. It seems western cedar the worst of the wood I work with. I was using my table saw and had the dust collection on plus my room air cleaner. If you have some first hand experience with goggles or other suggestions I would appreciate it.


going straight to final solution the works...
positive air pressure hood...


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Stick486 said:


> going straight to final solution the works...
> positive air pressure hood...


Probably the best idea. 

I cut vast amounts of cedar on the table saw. No matter what you do the fine sawdust is in the air and will irritate the eyes. I just use safety glasses - which admittedly doesn't keep the dust away - but does stop anything from hitting me directly in the eyes.

I also wipe my eyes quite often with a damp facecloth. It seems to take the sting away.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Don; aside from the DC and air cleaner, can you do something like open the garage door...assuming you're working out of a garage? I think you need much improved ventilation in your work area, to offset the volume of dust you're creating.
The air cleaner isn't doing anything for the air _in the immediate table saw environment._
My tile guy uses a large fan right where he's mixing thinset or grout. Dust is simply blown away before he can get any in his face (but that's outdoors).
Using that as a model, can you increase the lateral airflow around the TS station?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

cocobolo1 said:


> Probably the best idea.
> 
> I cut vast amounts of cedar on the table saw. No matter what you do the fine sawdust is in the air and will irritate the eyes. I just use safety glasses - which admittedly doesn't keep the dust away - but does stop anything from hitting me directly in the eyes.
> 
> I also wipe my eyes quite often with a damp facecloth. It seems to take the sting away.


if it is irritating your eyes what do you think it is doing to your lungs..


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> Don; aside from the DC and air cleaner, can you do something like open the garage door...assuming you're working out of a garage? I think you need much improved ventilation in your work area, to offset the volume of dust you're creating.
> The air cleaner isn't doing anything for the air _in the immediate table saw environment._
> My tile guy uses a large fan right where he's mixing thinset or grout. Dust is simply blown away before he can get any in his face (but that's outdoors).
> Using that as a model, can you increase the lateral airflow around the TS station?


My shop is heated and cooled but I could use a fan. I think I am allergic to western cedar. I remember this happened to me years ago. You think I would remember something like that but like a lot of other things they seem to go as I get older. :crying: I think I need to get some type of goggles even if I have to wipe the fog off them.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Yup; Cedar allergy is nasty.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Stick486 said:


> if it is irritating your eyes what do you think it is doing to your lungs..


Stick, I had a discussion about this with my cardiologist.

He told me that the very fine cedar dust takes some time to work itself out of your lungs. It doesn't dissolve or anything like that, and he did say that western red cedar is about the worst (local wood) for this.

I usually remember to wear my mask if I'm going to be cutting for more than a minute or two, but just like you guys I have been known to slip a time or two.

It's a fair statement to say that I have cut over 100,000 board feet of WRC in my lifetime. I'm still here and my lungs still appear to be OK.

I have allergies to lots of things, generally pollen related and that's what bugs my old eyes. Cedar definitely makes my eyes itchy, but less so that pollen.

Have a couple thousand lineal of 1 x 6 WRC to turn into siding once the snow departs. I'm going to set up outside to do that to minimize the itching. As well as because some of the boards are 20' long...so not enough room inside anyway. That's going to need just over 40' of bench.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

The great thing about ripping WRC while it's still relatively damp is that the dust is greatly reduced.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Take every precaution you can with it, especially if it is bothering you. Many loggers and sawmillers in British Columbia where it is plentiful had their careers cut short by it. My uncle was one of them. He bucked it up with a chain saw in the bush (forest) for many years until it did him in and it took him years to recover. At its worst he couldn't walk from his living room to his bathroom without stopping to get his wind back. It doesn't affect everyone the same but if you are in the worst case scenario group it can be devastating to your health.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

cocobolo1 said:


> Stick, I had a discussion about this with my cardiologist.
> 
> He told me that the very fine cedar dust takes some time to work itself out of your lungs. It doesn't dissolve or anything like that, and he did say that western red cedar is about the worst (local wood) for this.
> 
> ...


if the allergy affects external you can bet it's affecting the internal as well...


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Stick486 said:


> if the allergy affects external you can bet it's affecting the internal as well...


I think the cedar is more a physical thing than an allergy. Once I get out of the area, my eyes stop itching fairly quickly. 

Starting to think about one of those air masks.

My chum Danny, down on Ruxton, carves bears out of O.G. cedar with chainsaws. He uses such a mask...told me it cost him $1,000.00!


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> The great thing about ripping WRC while it's still relatively damp is that the dust is greatly reduced.


That could be true, never really thought about it.

But that great cedar smell is far more prevalent when the wood is wet. Cutting on the mill you could smell the cedar from way off.

You know what it's like driving from Maple Ditch out to Mission - all those shake mills - lovely smell.


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## Bushwhacker (Jun 16, 2009)

When cutting on my table saw, I set a large box fan behind me to blow out the garage doors. Plus the googles for dust and larger pieces and my medical mask.


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## richjh (Jan 14, 2013)

Ski goggles work good for me for preventing this type of irritation since I already had them. I have gone to using a full face shield over safety glasses for most of my woodworking. I was having problems finding safety glasses that fit comfortably over my regular glasses.

Rich


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

"You know what it's like driving from Maple Ditch out to Mission - all those shake mills - lovely smell."
-Keith

I love taking that route, instead of Hwy 1!

Quite often I'll find myself driving East, here on the Sunshine Coast, fairly close behind either a semi hauling freshly cut Cedar lumber, or a container load of Cedar sawdust/chips. The scent is powerful and heavenly.


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

My saw has over-arm and base collection. However, working narrow boards and using a push shoe makes the over-arm unusable. In such situations, I resort to using another hose supported on a stand. It makes a huge difference.




hawkeye10 said:


> I have been working with some western cedar and the dust is irritating my eyes. It seems western cedar the worst of the wood I work with. I was using my table saw and had the dust collection on plus my room air cleaner. If you have some first hand experience with goggles or other suggestions I would appreciate it.


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## tacomamacxtech (Mar 31, 2009)

The positive pressure full face mask sounds like the best rout, especially for allergy prone wood workers.
I once had an Optometrist in my shop, watching me make display cases for him. He got teary and itchy. Turns out he was allergic to the alder I was using!
I also had a surgeon come see how I was doing on his cabinetry for his audio system. He wanted to help!
I said, "No way! I can't afford to have you lose a finger in MY shop!"
I seem to have a lot of medical people for clients. I used to under bid the job until I realized they never asked how much it would cost! Now I make sure I give a fair and honest bid.
Seems word of mouth is what drives clients to me. I did an oral surgeons' library for him. He had two teenage sons at the time. They are now oral surgeons like their Dad and I've done work for them! Does that make me old?


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## tacomamacxtech (Mar 31, 2009)

I used to take my glued-up eastern red cedar panels to a shop to have then drum sanded to thickness before I bought my own sander. I used to make solid cedar chests.
When paying in the office for the service, the bookkeeper would ask when I was coming back! She said they left their door to the shop open so they could smell the cedars' fragrance!.


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## tacomamacxtech (Mar 31, 2009)

Using vacuum hoses under the tables surface helps a lot also. If your table saw is open on the bottom, you can enclose the legs with thin ply or hardboard and attach a vac hose fitting.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

The Debil made me do it...


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> The Debil made me do it...
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmkg_E2evbg


I can't believe your that old but seeing is believing. :laugh2:


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Dejure said:


> My saw has over-arm and base collection. However, working narrow boards and using a push shoe makes the over-arm unusable. In such situations, I resort to using another hose supported on a stand. It makes a huge difference.


Kelly that is a good idea. I had my big dust collector hooked to the saw. I was cutting a bunch of thin strips 3/16 thick and pushing them through with a block that covered the blade and strips. I could use my shop vac to pick up the dust coming out the back.


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## Roy Drake (Feb 10, 2014)

I have bad allergies - medicine daily. I have dust collection, open doors, etc. I finally shelled out a lot of money a few years ago for a Trend Shield. Never regretted it especially when sanding.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I have the Rockler powered mask for any serious work, plus I found some bifocal safety glasses. I keep surgical style face masks hanging right above the shed door and now must put them on when I walk through the door. It is becoming automatic. Someone posted a link to a report on dust in home shops, and it turns out that the average home workshop dust levels are many times the level of dust in a commercial shop! It is better since I ported the DC system outside through a final filter level. When I clean out that filter box, I am amazed at how much powdery dust is in it.  In the past, I had a filter bag and now realize much of that fine dust was being inhaled. A full face shield will do nothing to filter the air you breathe, so at the least, get some of the better quality disposable dust masks to wear beneath it. The Rockler powered mask would also be a good choice because the positive air pressure leaks out and blows filtered air under my glasses and that clears the fog. That mask requires 2 AA cells, so I keep a couple of sets charged at all times. Each set lasts a couple of hours. If I'm making more than a couple of cuts, the Rockler mask comes out. It is also fairly light and comfortable and even with my sizable proboscis, it fits well. Power Air Respirator - Rockler Woodworking Tools


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Roy Drake said:


> I have bad allergies - medicine daily. I have dust collection, open doors, etc. I finally shelled out a lot of money a few years ago for a Trend Shield. Never regretted it especially when sanding.


Roy I have been looking at that type of mask. May I ask what model did you get and where did you get it. I Googled it but can't read much about them because of my eyes. I have to go to the doctor today and this makes the fourth time in the last 7 days. I also had to enlarge this website to 200% to read the post.


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## Roy Drake (Feb 10, 2014)

@hawkeye: I don't remember which woodworking catalog I bought it from. I just remember that I couldn't get it from Amazon at that time. They are considerably cheaper now but still not cheap.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

DesertRatTom said:


> I have the Rockler powered mask for any serious work, plus I found some bifocal safety glasses. I keep surgical style face masks hanging right above the shed door and now must put them on when I walk through the door. It is becoming automatic. Someone posted a link to a report on dust in home shops, and it turns out that the average home workshop dust levels are many times the level of dust in a commercial shop! It is better since I ported the DC system outside through a final filter level. When I clean out that filter box, I am amazed at how much powdery dust is in it. In the past, I had a filter bag and now realize much of that fine dust was being inhaled. A full face shield will do nothing to filter the air you breathe, so at the least, get some of the better quality disposable dust masks to wear beneath it. The Rockler powered mask would also be a good choice because the positive air pressure leaks out and blows filtered air under my glasses and that clears the fog. That mask requires 2 AA cells, so I keep a couple of sets charged at all times. Each set lasts a couple of hours. If I'm making more than a couple of cuts, the Rockler mask comes out. It is also fairly light and comfortable and even with my sizable proboscis, it fits well. Power Air Respirator - Rockler Woodworking Tools


Tom, thank you most sincerely for that link. 

For whatever reason I was under the impression that this type of mask was quite costly. The Rockler version is extremely reasonable...and they ship to Canada! Big bonus for me.

I'm going in to Kamloops again today, so I will ask KMS Tools if they can get one for me, otherwise it will be a direct order to Rockler.

Thank you again.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Roy Drake said:


> @hawkeye: I don't remember which woodworking catalog I bought it from. I just remember that I couldn't get it from Amazon at that time. They are considerably cheaper now but still not cheap.


Just checked the Trend mask and it lists at $499 from Busy Bee Tools, that would be Cdn $. With tax & shipping it's very close to $600.

I hope the Rockler mask will work for me.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

I use a 3M Airstream As-400Lbc. I cut and turn a lot of WRC as well as exotic woods. I got bronchitis a couple of times from the dust. My doctor told me it could lead to COPD so I took it pretty seriously. Yea it is expesive but one trip to the ER is to. It is being used by grain elevators here so figured it was pretty good. I am never cutting wood either on the saw, lathe, router, etc without it.


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