WOODBURNING SAFETY

SAFETY

The main hazard to be wary of is the extremely fine wood dust when sanding the wood or in some cases the pitch/sap or resin that emits harmful fumes when burning. All wood dust is hazardous & can cause respiratory problems if you do not wear a mask, some more than others & should be avoided. You should always wear a quality dust mask/respirator while power carving, and use a good dust collection system to avoid a lifetime injury to your lungs. These recommendations really are not just for power carving or sanding, but they should be used for burning as well. Remember:

·         DO NOT burn on pressure-treated wood. It is treated with chemicals that, although safely bound in the wood fibers for construction purposes, are inherently dangerous to woodworkers and woodburners.

·         DO NOT burn on any type of treated wood: Chemically treated, stained, painted, sealed with a finish, etc. If you must use this type of wood be sure that you have thoroughly sanded it to remove all traces and are burning on bare wood.

Prepared Wood, Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF), man made boards and plywood should never really ever be burned on for several reasons. Prepared wood usually has been chemically treated and burning on it will release toxins into the air. MDF is made out of toxic materials and may cause cancer and other health issues. Man-made boards and such also have layers of glue that releases toxins that may not cause immediate harm but impact one later on in life.

Texture: There is a texture on the surface of that wood that feels either coarse of fine, even or uneven.

As a beginning woodburner, avoid using very fine or intricate designs on uneven, coarse-textured wood. Softwoods are more apt to be fine or moderately coarse-textured. With some textures it may mean that you will have to compensate when burning it – going slower on the harder summerwood, faster and with a lighter touch on the softer springwood to create an even burn overall.

Color: Woodburning should be mainly used to enhance the natural beauty of a wooden project, so do not always hide a beautiful figure, grain, luster, or color if it is present.

The most commonly used woods are basswood, Baltic birchwood, poplar and maple. Heavy watercolor paper, leather and gourds are also surfaces used for pyrography.