Milling and your health, what do you do?

[kneedeepinsaws]

Recently i took a confined space course for work and they were talking about the different chemicals in petroleum products. gasoline has benzine in it and benzine is a carcinogen.
I normally did not ever have a problem with fumes blowing in my face and handling gasoline without gloves but as of this course I feel like i should do something.
Im worried about long term effects, and there are some days where the fumes are blowing right in my face for long periods..

I was thinking the first thing i could do is switch to an engineered fuel without benzine. Its expensive, but like i said im worried about long term exposure.

got me to thinking what some of you guys do? Share your thoughts and ideas. I understand some of you may not care or think its an issue, im not going to try and change your mind. But for the people that do think its an issue, let me know what you think.

 

[merc_man]

The little i have milled(just got into it) i did notice the fumes. On my milling saw im building im gonna justntry to redirect the fumes by doing a muffler mod blowing away from me.

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[Nutball]

Hold your breath. Maybe use a carbon mask. Is benzene still in the exhaust or only unburned? I just hold my breath and try to do things such that the fumes go down wind. It's best if the fume source and you are not online with the wind, but 90deg to it, that keeps the fumes from sticking to your face which would have been the low pressure side.

 

[DND 9000]

Use alcylate fuel like Trufuel, Aspen or something like that. Some of that is also availibe as 4 stroke fuel so you can mix your own mixture for milling.

 

[Lightning Performance]

3M L100 respirator or stay clear of the down wind exposure. I need a chainsaw or small engine powered fan soon.

My exhaust piped saw is much better for avoiding fumes. Building more pipes next week. No way to know how they will hold up until many many runs are put down. Have to get a video for Dall of the sound it makes. If you want one let me know.
084 #3 pulled good yesterday and didn't choke me out.

I worry more about being covered in bar oil and bar oil mist steaming off the work. Only using veg oil part time on white woods, furniture grade and better hard maple or spalted wood. Going to use veg oil on red and white cedar next month.

 

[Thumper88]

A respirator is your only real fail safe option. I wear one grinding knife handles and it really cuts down on the dust in the nose

 

[kneedeepinsaws]

I do have a full face with chem cartridges, might be time to start using it like floweringelbow on youtube..
thanks for the replies guys.

So bar oil ruins furniture grade wood? Thats why vegetable oil is used instead?

i dont use an aux oul and i havent really noticed any staining on the wood..

 

[Lightning Performance]

I do have a full face with chem cartridges, might be time to start using it like floweringelbow on youtube..
thanks for the replies guys.

So bar oil ruins furniture grade wood? Thats why vegetable oil is used instead?

i dont use an aux oul and i havent really noticed any staining on the wood..

Regular bar oil heavy will stain white and open cell wood just a bit. In stuff like pine or poplar it can create problems down the road, I'm told. Was also told not to use it on table or bar tops being used later for food service grade like cutting boards for breads.

I did notice staining on maple when starting the cut with regular bar oil. I did not notice it in white oak or walnut. I did see signs of it in red oak with an axillary oil drip feed. Most of the large walnut I've cut was for table tops so I used canola oil in the saw and the drip feed. I, I, I've, eyeyidided...


Doing some spalted burl pin cherry next week, maybe, and some spalted maple, nasty stuff to mill but pretty.

 

[Wolverine]

I use a leaf blower strategically placed to expel fumes (and dust) away from me while milling. It really helps.

 

[Moparmyway]

Direct the fumes away, out, and/or up so you don’t have to deal with them. Dang near any muffler can be modified for this. Here’s a 3120, operator breathes fresh air felling, bucking, & milling

 

[davidwyby]

@Moparmyway what diameter? Thanks

 

[Moparmyway]

@Moparmyway what diameter? Thanks

 

[slackinoff]

Just to ease your mind a bit, there used to be way more benzine in gasoline than there is today.

- Since 2011, the USA has a new cap on benzine content in gasoline at 0.62%. Before that it was anywhere from 1.2% to 5%. I would still try to get the exhaust away from you. Also, cigarette exposure is where most folks dangerous levels of benzene exposure comes from, and it's a lot of benzene.... for the average smoker.

 

[BlackCoffin]

I think redirecting the exhaust may be your quickest and most comfortable option. I know when I’m milling in warmer weather it gets uncomfortable quick, if I could modify something that avoid anything being on my face that would be ideal. As mentioned before the muffler mod and a different type of fuel may be the ticket.

 

[kneedeepinsaws]

I think redirecting the exhaust may be your quickest and most comfortable option. I know when I’m milling in warmer weather it gets uncomfortable quick, if I could modify something that avoid anything being on my face that would be ideal. As mentioned before the muffler mod and a different type of fuel may be the ticket.

You make a great point, wearing a respirator in that heat would be really uncomfortable.

 

[Wolverine]

Strategically placed leaf blower is my goto for redirecting fumes away from me and dust as well.

 

[Nutball]

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[davidwyby]

Sposed to be windy today. Good day to cut dusty wood.

 

[Maintenance Chief]

Benzene evaporates at room temperature and was used as a gas additive for years as well as lead .
Thats why no one from the 50s or 60s has survived to this very day! Oh wait ? Haha
Any way some drag cars ran a 90% benzene mix and it was hard to run ,because of the evaporation rate. I Highly doubt that it would survive the combustion cycle.

 

[Lnk]

I mill out in the open, and mill west to east, as the prevailing winds are westerly here. I setup two logs to place my milling log on that allows me to mill downhill also. I am a lazy sob, so anything that makes life easier.

Good luck