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My first child is on the way (November 27th) and my wife's grandfather has a rather large stash of bubinga he no longer has the time or ability to use. So I get to inherit a large stack of bubinga (and I think other woods too, but I'll find out).
I plan to make a crib and changing table out of it, but first I wanted to make sure it was safe. Googling says there's nothing really different from any other wood, but I wanted to ask. Do I have anything to worry about?
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Here is a list of common wood allergies Keep in mind most of these are from the point of view of sawing, sanding, and working with the wood, and more importantly it's dust. Once finished even the heavy offenders don't offer much skin sensitivity. That said anyone could be allergic to anything, and unfortunately not necessarily the first time you are exposed to it either. Some people have worked with certain species for years, and one day they are allergic to it, same with other items like peanuts, and shellfish.
Bubinga specifically Sounds like congratulations are in order
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From Steve_N's reply, it looks like you are good to go. If you break all of the long edges, that will minimize the chances of splinters or cuts to the gum when teething.
If you want some nicely figured spindles (mostly 3x3 or 4x4) for a complementary wood, then check out Dunlap Woodcrafts. IIRC, they are in Chantilly. Wayne and Dan are great folks to deal with and the prices are excellent for what you get. Whenever I am in that area, visiting them and going through the cutoffs bin for turning blanks is always at the top of my do-for-me list.
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As mentioned, splinters is the biggest hazard. Once a finish is applied, no danger from dust, then the biggest hazard will be your kiddo eating the finish vs. danger from the wood itself.
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Allan Hill
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Thanks all.
Dunlap is in Chantilly, and it's been on my list to check out since Northland closed. They don't seem to have bubinga currently but their prices look agreeable. Then again, I have no idea if I even need more than I will have. They claim to have a lot, and while I've never seen the stack I imagine it's got to be more than a few boards.
I have never worked with bubinga, but I was planning on rounding all of the edges to minimize the chances of injury. That will be a pain for the spindles or slats or whatever I decide (and the router will hate me) but it's probably best.
On the other hand kids can be darn near indestructible. My goddaughter was over a few years ago and in a non-child-proof house, there are lots of things that are hazardous to a child. My maple and walnut coffee table had some very sharp edges and she was playing around it. Soon enough, despite my warnings, she smacked her head right on the sharp corner, but it barely slowed her down.
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Bubinga is an iritant and can cause skin problems. A couple coats of
shellac will provide a ice appearance and it is very easy to repair if needed. Shellac is on the GRASS list and is generally considered food safe (food grade shellac is made by slightly different processes).
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Put a chew rail on it... guaranteed the kid will gnaw on the railing.
Congrats!
Mark
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FS7 said:
I was planning on rounding all of the edges to minimize the chances of injury. That will be a pain for the spindles or slats or whatever I decide (and the router will hate me) but it's probably best.
The router will create a lot of nasty dust too. A very small chamfer will serve just as well as a roundover and can be achieved pleasurably and surprisingly quickly without noise or dust with a block plane or, better still with one of these
Japanese chamfer planes . I have had a smaller version (which Japan Woodworker no longer seem to sell) for many years and it is a wonderful little tool. One of the beauties of it is that you can set the 45 deg guides the distance apart needed to achieve the size of chamfer you want- when you reach that the plane just stops cutting.
Jim
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The link you posted is going to a BBC RSS news feed.
What plane?
This?
http://www.japanwoodworker.com/Product/1...CFdgXgQodFBUElg
Gary
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If one has a LV block plane, regular or low angle, this chamfer attachment is the bee's knees.
http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.as...at=1,41182
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