Warning - Hidden dangers of drum building.

Andy

Andy

Honorary Member
Other than the obvious bad boys such as bass drum shells spinning on a lathe & the usual selection of rapidly rotating sharp stuff, many are probably unaware of some hidden dangers from the wood itself. Drilling isn't such an issue, but once you get into machining, & especially sanding, there are a range of wood species that really can damage you, & I mean seriously damage you!

Some species are known skin irritants, but many are also respiratory irritants, & in some cases, much more than just irritants. We're currently working in a species called Pau Ferro. It's common name is Santos Rosewood (although it's not actually a rosewood). It's stunning, seductive even, both visually & audibly, but hell it's dangerous stuff to work with. When dust / fine shavings come into contact with the skin, a serious rash ensues, & in some people, that rash can last for months & be very painful with only limited exposure. Worse, much worse, it can rapidly cause serious breathing difficulty with lasting affects. Severity of affects vary from person to person.

Professional wood people know this, & with this species (plus some others), full PPE is advisable. This means no exposed skin, & really good breathing protection (not just disposable masks, etc). That makes working with this species far less pleasurable than usual, & more awkward too. Everything takes longer! So a message to any hobbyists out there who think it might be a good idea to have a go for yourself. Check out the wood species first, because without proper preparation, you could find yourself very seriously ill. In this case, the sonic results are worth all the extra fuss, & of course, there's no risk from handling the finished instrument.

Here's a picture of the offending item. A raw Pau Ferro snare shell straight off the lathe.
 

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soulfly28 said:
This aspect is often overlooked. Not just on drum building, but everything!! Good post.
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Thank you, & yes, an often overlooked safety issue in many areas. The reason I highlight this in drum building terms, is that with some people who are predisposed to it's affects, such a very small exposure can be most damaging. Ok, very few people are going to machine their own solid shells, or even have the facilities to do so, but there are many who consider buying veneer to wrap a ply shell. Drilling such a shell isn't much of an issue, but fine sanding to finish could be dangerous to a minority, & that's worth highlighting.

In our case, we're machine sanding shells, possibly the worst thing you could do in terms of exposure, & at a different level to most hobby activities, but I can't over emphasise how little exposure to fine dust is necessary for a few individuals to become very ill.
 
So does a clear coat lock in the harmful bits of this wood. I don't know if I would want this in my house with those issues. Every head change would expose the bearing edge to my face, etc.
 
GRUNTERSDAD said:
So does a clear coat lock in the harmful bits of this wood. I don't know if I would want this in my house with those issues. Every head change would expose the bearing edge to my face, etc.
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Once the drum is finished, even if a coating wasn't applied, the shell is completely safe to handle. Respiratory issues are limited only to inhalation of dust, & so long as the wood is free of sanding dust, there are no skin contact issues whatsoever, even to those most sensitive to the affects. Of course, the addition of a sealer and other coatings further ensures safety.

On drums made from such woods, unlike on a standard ply shell, the bearing edges are always sealed in the same manner as the rest of the shell. Each builder has their own methods, but we apply several coats of shellac to the outside of the shell, & at least one coat to the inside of the shell. The shell is then further waxed to finish.

To reiterate, even a completely raw shell, so long as it is cleaned after machining / sanding, is completely safe to handle.

As a general note, many would be surprised to know just how many wood species sanding / machining dusts are irritants to one degree or another. There are many woods that you're likely to have around your house, that when in dust form, are potential irritants of varying severity.
 
You don't have to tell me twice about these issues. Well, you probably have to tell me 10 times, but my wife only needs to be told once. We refinished some metal patio furniture and my wife broke out in to hives from sanding the rust off the chairs. She also breaks out with a nasty cough, like a seal barking, when we do any type of painting and finishing.

It basically means I have to do everything myself around the house and I have to wait until she leaves to do it.

So, yeah, there are definitely people out there that are very sensitive to these types of irritants.
 
This is a serious issue. Thanks for the reminder, Andy. At one point I considered building traditional bows (I'm into traditional archery) and I built a few with good success, but I quickly found that proper gear to deal with the more toxic wood species was more of an investment than I was willing/able to make. I was also working out of my garage, with kids around, and it seemed too much of a risk and a hassle.

By the way, that is a beautiful snare. Love to see it when it is finished!
 
In the 80's there was a drum builder in Oakland, California who shut down his entire company after developing respiratory problems from working with wood.

He went from having ads in Modern Drummer to just out of the business.
 
These issues must make it really important to the clean the shop after using some of these wood species. The cleaning must be a large part of the job.

.
 
Goggles, mask. etc. as Andy said PPE, protective gear with any sanding wood or metal
 
I think it was Jerry, one of those Jenkins-Martin guys, once talked about how sanding fiberglass shells gave off this horrible fiberglass dust that made his skin itch horribly. Makes me itch just thinking about it.

Nasty business you're in Andy. We should amend the old saying about sausages and legislation to include drums.
 
Tommy_D said:
So, yeah, there are definitely people out there that are very sensitive to these types of irritants.
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Absolutely. I don't want to over blow this, as severity very much depends on the individual, but there are species that are really at the top of the nasty tree.

IDDrummer said:
By the way, that is a beautiful snare. Love to see it when it is finished!
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Good that you took note of the risks, & assessed them dispassionately. I'll post pictures when these drums are finished for sure, Stunning in looks & sound. We're making only 6, & I pretty much guarantee I'll be keeping one for my personal collection :)

DrumEatDrum said:
In the 80's there was a drum builder in Oakland, California who shut down his entire company after developing respiratory problems from working with wood.

He went from having ads in Modern Drummer to just out of the business.
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That's just plain nasty, & very sad :(

Hollywood Jim said:
These issues must make it really important to the clean the shop after using some of these wood species. The cleaning must be a large part of the job.

.
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That's a big thing Jim. The clean down is critical. Try passing that cost on - yeah right!

GRUNTERSDAD said:
Goggles, mask. etc. as Andy said PPE, protective gear with any sanding wood or metal
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Correct Grunt. Any dust is a bad thing, no matter how benign it may seem to be. The thing that sets these species apart though is just how nasty they can be. I have to be honest, with the exception of machine sanding, I don't normally bother with much in the way of PPE. I work very methodically, & find that some PPE stuff actually increases the risk of injury causing error as much as it mitigates it's affects. These species though, the bias is absolutely towards isolation, especially the respiratory aspect.

Red Menace said:
Nasty business you're in Andy.
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Not generally TBH, but doing your homework is certainly advised, hence this post. I'd hate it for someone to become ill through ignorance.
 
...interesting that the negative health effects of the various woods manifests itself mostly in dust (vs solid) form...could this be related to the resin/sap contained in particular species of wood being released in dust form?...

...on pau ferro wood, i am assuming the sonic properties is similar to brazilian rosewood (an added advantage being that it would not be subject to the cites ban)?...is it also sourced from brazil?...
 
singing drums said:
...interesting that the negative health effects of the various woods manifests itself mostly in dust (vs solid) form...could this be related to the resin/sap contained in particular species of wood being released in dust form?...

...on pau ferro wood, i am assuming the sonic properties is similar to brazilian rosewood (an added advantage being that it would not be subject to the cites ban)?...is it also sourced from brazil?...
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I'm not certain of the mechanisms that heighten sensitisers in dust form. Maybe it's just a surface area thing, or maybe, as you suggest, a fresh resin release relationship.

A big advantage for us is that it's not endangered, in fact, quite the reverse. Amongst woods of these characteristics, it's a genus regarded as of low concern. It's sourced mainly from Brazil & Bolivia. It's fairly hard, & is more commonly found in less highly figured form than presented here. The more figured the boards, the higher the price. Sonically, it has all of the Rosewood traits. Big lows, crisp highs, & a very complexed midrange.
 
Allergic reaction to aerolized wood dust is no joke. For some people the reaction is worse. Some species affect more people and or more harshly. When I'm building a drum the sanding process often makes me weezy, and that's just good ol' maple (i have pretty severe allergies). I live in the southwest and I am surrounded by mesquite and usually without harm. When I am near mesquite that is being run through a shredder I will have a violent asthma attack. I mean epi pen bad. No surprise that something like this could happen.
 
keep it simple said:
I'm not certain of the mechanisms that heighten sensitisers in dust form. Maybe it's just a surface area thing, or maybe, as you suggest, a fresh resin release relationship.

A big advantage for us is that it's not endangered, in fact, quite the reverse. Amongst woods of these characteristics, it's a genus regarded as of low concern. It's sourced mainly from Brazil & Bolivia. It's fairly hard, & is more commonly found in less highly figured form than presented here. The more figured the boards, the higher the price. Sonically, it has all of the Rosewood traits. Big lows, crisp highs, & a very complexed midrange.
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Andy, just a question ¿is that Pau Ferro wood called Caesalpinia ferrea? I know someone who did a snare, a stave contruction and it was made of bolivian rosewood which is Machaerium scleroxylon and not the one that I asked you before. One of those is known by the name of Morado but I don't know which one. ¿Can you tell the differences between them? There was a time when Fender was thinking about to use Morado instead of Rosewood for the fingerboards in their guitars. 95% of the tone without destroying the rain forest.
 
Dhango said:
Andy, just a question ¿is that Pau Ferro wood called Caesalpinia ferrea? I know someone who did a snare, a stave contruction and it was made of bolivian rosewood which is Machaerium scleroxylon and not the one that I asked you before. One of those is known by the name of Morado but I don't know which one. ¿Can you tell the differences between them?
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Morado is a common name applied to both CF & MS, as is Santos rosewood, pau ferro, pao ferro, Bolivian rosewood, etc, etc. The problem with common names is that they're widely applied & result in complete confusion. Here, we're using Machaerium scleroxylon. Dense, heavy, hard, & in this figuring, beautiful. It's more commonly (& more economically) available with a fairly even grain structure & the overall appearance of a lighter East Indian rosewood.

The SunDog said:
Allergic reaction to aerolized wood dust is no joke. For some people the reaction is worse. Some species affect more people and or more harshly. When I'm building a drum the sanding process often makes me weezy, and that's just good ol' maple
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You're correct. Any wood dust can be harmful, & precautions should always be taken, but this species has a very high concentration of dalbergiones, being the principal irritant, & a whole 'nuther level of aggressive. Treatment usually takes the form of a strong steroid or similar. Even worse, this species (along with others such as cocobola) can act as a sensitiser to other species in people not previously allergic to them.

singing drums said:
...wow, what will guru think of next: a solid-form rosewood-like snare drum (just like your makassar ebony snare)...
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These shells, although stave, are sonically a world apart from the ebony staves we've produced in the past. Those past shells are more similar to our new Tour series, whereas these shells are the super thin In-Tense series. The dominant fundamental & direct response of stave, but with a tonal & resonance delivery closer to horizontal grain solid shells. Mix that in with the midrange complexity of this wood species, & you have something pretty special :)
 
keep it simple said:
These shells, although stave, are sonically a world apart from the ebony staves we've produced in the past. Those past shells are more similar to our new Tour series, whereas these shells are the super thin In-Tense series. The dominant fundamental & direct response of stave, but with a tonal & resonance delivery closer to horizontal grain solid shells. Mix that in with the midrange complexity of this wood species, & you have something pretty special :)
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Can't wait to hear them!
 
keep it simple said:
Morado is a common name applied to both CF & MS, as is Santos rosewood, pau ferro, pao ferro, Bolivian rosewood, etc, etc. The problem with common names is that they're widely applied & result in complete confusion. Here, we're using Machaerium scleroxylon. Dense, heavy, hard, & in this figuring, beautiful. It's more commonly (& more economically) available with a fairly even grain structure & the overall appearance of a lighter East Indian rosewood.

You're correct. Any wood dust can be harmful, & precautions should always be taken, but this species has a very high concentration of dalbergiones, being the principal irritant, & a whole 'nuther level of aggressive. Treatment usually takes the form of a strong steroid or similar. Even worse, this species (along with others such as cocobola) can act as a sensitiser to other species in people not previously allergic to them.

These shells, although stave, are sonically a world apart from the ebony staves we've produced in the past. Those past shells are more similar to our new Tour series, whereas these shells are the super thin In-Tense series. The dominant fundamental & direct response of stave, but with a tonal & resonance delivery closer to horizontal grain solid shells. Mix that in with the midrange complexity of this wood species, & you have something pretty special :)
Click to expand...

All these drums and a botany lesson too. David Bellamy would be proud...
 
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