Cobollo experiences

[slindars]

I would like to pick the brain of someone who has had some experience working with Cocobollo. I have a chance to acquire a a decent amount ot a low cost and wanted to learn more about the nuisancess. If there is anyone out there who's worked with the species shoot me email so we can take the conversation off-line. [e-mail]

Thanks

[Joe]

No offense but why take it off-line? This forum (or group) is not here just to make contact but to trade info.

[stoutman]

I used it to make some drawer pulls. It is a very dense wood and has a tendency to chip-out easily when working. Some people are sensitive to the saw dust so use a dust mask when cutting. If you sand it down to 220 grit it takes on a polished look.

Your shop will smell nice after cutting it!

Good luck.

[Dave Balderstone]

I had a histamine reaction the last time I worked with it, hives, shortness of breath. Wear breathing gear and wash the dust off your skin.

I don't do email replies to newsgroup messages.

[Enoch Root]

You mean aesthetics?

Cocobolo looks drop-dead gorgeous, like a delicious dessert. It finishes very well, as smooth as you want it to be, and has tiny veins of glittering silicate tracing through the figure.

Or healthwise?

I haven't determined the allergen yet, though cocobolo is high on the list (right after metal):

1. Itchy rash on upper chest, inner arms, waistband
2. weird nodules on my hands, especially the index finger and thumb (is that what a hive is?) and tingling in the hands.
3. No respiratory reaction, however.
4. Later, small patches of skin flaking off my fingertips.

Metal is number one on my list, primarily becase I was last sanding spring steel the night before I got the reaction (bare hands... no gloves), because I didn't get a respiratory response (and the distribution of the rash suggested something spread from on my hands rather than something all over me like the wood dust would've been), and because it'd been over a week since I'd last worked with cocobolo.

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[Fly-by-Night CC]

Along with the other replies regarding this, take the above warning seriously. I know of several turners who have been hospitalized with their reactions to Cocobolo. It can trigger an allergic reaction that builds up from repeated exposures to quite serious complications. From :

Also note that last sentence - it's no exaggeration.

[mac davis]

I've turned it several times, never used it on "flat work"...

It cuts very well on the band saw and sands well.. It's an oily wood so you will load up paper faster.. Because of the oil, it finishes (on a bowl, anyway) with just sanding and a trip to the buffer... looks like hours were spent on a hand rubbed surface!

As with other woods, no 2 pieces of CB are created equal... I've made pens from

2 sections of the same board and one was smooth and the other grainy and maybe "drier"..

I haven't had any problems with skin or air contact but be careful with any wood, especially exotics.. Mac

[jo4hn]

I was given a bunch of cutoffs by a dear friend who had a flooring business (obviously he did other jobs in addition to floors). It is quite dark until you plane/sand it. I made a couple of boxes out of it, finished with shellac (if memory serves). I would have to consult a book or two, but I did wipe the glue edges with alcohol or mineral spirits or acetone or ?? The boxes are still sturdy (no metal fasteners). And the color is fascinating: yellow and brown mix. I didn't have any allergy problems. YMMV so be careful. mahalo, ` jo4hn

[jimmy]

That will teach you dumbass. You were told that whittling yourself a butt plug from Cocobollo was a bad idea.