Thread: Mackay cedar

I helped the Brother in law make a bar out of it a couple of years ago, horrible stuff it was.

Made our noses run and throat sore, sore eyes. I dont care if I never use it again.

Yep, much the same as blackbean, pretty rough on nose and throat.

AKA Pencil Cedar

Contains carcinogens & irritants that affect most people in some way.
I've seen a bloke who was working on a cabinet with a profile router end up bleeding form his nose & eyes.

I've only used a bit, making panel gauges out of it, & it didn't affect me much

yep,
it's the only timber that i've found that makes my nose really itchy!!!


It's like cutting onions, lots of air flow! dusty, and mask to boot!

Originally Posted by Caliban

Today I turned two chisel handles from mackay cedar and now .....

I chucked a couple of slabs of it on the floor & left them there in the sawdust for a while.
Termites (Whiteants) came into my shed, ate there way through everything except the Mackay cedar, they used it like a hot tin roof... tunneled under it in the sawdust & preferred to stay next to the concrete rather than the Mackay cedar.

The moral of this story is.... Try turning some concrete without a good dust mask.

I have been turning some Australian Cedar, and have also found that this is quite irritating. I have a bit of Mackay as well, but haven't got around to turning it yet, so will feed back then.

One for TTIT, are the species related?

regards

I built a boat which had some western red cedar. The guy who cut it to size had worked with small bits of it, on and off, for years. About two years after building he realised that it was affecting him badly and he couldn't work with it anymore. It got to the stage that even entering the room with some, even in rough dressed form that had been sitting for years, he immediately started reacting to whatever it was putting into the air. The idea of actually cutting some up left him shaking. Same problem, I understand, with Australian red cedar. Answer - effective dust collection, room air filter or outside, and personal respirator. IMHO, if you haven't got all three, then leave cedar alone.

Rob
(who has 3 cube of it waiting for time and projects. Got the DC and respirator, but I'll probably work outside and away from the house when I get to cutting)

Originally Posted by Alastair

One for TTIT, are the species related?

regards

Not sure without hitting the books but I don't think they are related at all - 'cedar' gets thrown around pretty badly as a timber name. I read somewhere that Mackay Cedar (AKA Red Sirus - albizia toona) allegedly has the highest incidence of allergic reaction of any aussie timber. Cos' I've never reacted to any timber at all, I haven't tackled any Mackay (yet!) - no point ruining a flawless record (but if somebody was to offer me some..... )

Mackay Cedar Albizia toona ARF
Mackay Cedar Paraserianthes toona QUT

Red Cedar Toona australis WIA
Also classified Toona Ciliata

Stopped being lazy, and went and did some Googling.

Would not seem to be related botanically, except for irritant nature, and similarity in name.

regards

So the bottom line is I'm going to die from yesterday's episode, but not for a few years and probably slowly and painfully.

Originally Posted by Caliban

So the bottom line is I'm going to die from yesterday's episode, but not for a few years and probably slowly and painfully.

Love to see a bloke with a positive attitude

Originally Posted by mcarthur

I built a boat which had some western red cedar. .....)

Originally Posted by Alastair

Mackay Cedar Albizia toona ARF
Mackay Cedar Paraserianthes toona QUT

Red Cedar Toona australis WIA
Also classified Toona Ciliata

Stopped being lazy, and went and did some Googling.

Would not seem to be related botanically, except for irritant nature, and similarity in name.

regards

Just in case somebody gets confused..... western red cedar & Red Cedar Toona australis are not the same.

Yeah, Western red cedar and I don't get along at all, but I'm hoping Aussie red cedar will be different, I'm just still a tad shy of working with it yet

Hi guys
A few years back I met an old chap who worked a saw mill that cut mostly Mackay Cedar.
The old bloke said he ran the mill with three of his brothers.

He told me that they are all dead of cancer and he had it too when I met him. We were waiting for our respective appointments with the doctor and it came out in the conversation.

If the burning like pepper does not tell you something maybe the above story might.

I refuse to have anything to do with it, and neither will many locals.

Grahame