Working ebony wood

[William O. Towery]

I've got a slab of ebony wood that I'm turning into pistol grips. Any tips or concerns for working with this kind of wood? Most of the work will be sanding and shaping, with only a few saw cuts.
Appreciate all advice in advance.

William

[Mike Langford]

I used a dremel tool on some Macassar ebony to inlay a fretboard and the dust caused me to develop a rash! :eek:
I'd heard that some people are allergic to certain species of wood/dust (mostly exotics?) so be sure to use a dust mask and watch for any allergic reactions.....

[William O. Towery]

Thanks much, I will take precautions. I guess it's kind like paduke; the minute I would start to sand it, especially if it was on the lathe I'd clear out the shop pretty quick.

I used a dremel tool on some Macassar ebony to inlay a fretboard and the dust caused me to develop a rash! :eek:
I'd heard that some people are allergic to certain species of wood/dust (mostly exotics?) so be sure to use a dust mask and watch for any allergic reactions.....

[David Weaver]

If you post on banjohangout.org, there are a ton of banjo builders and luthiers on there who can give you any tips about working with it. Several of them have mentioned getting a rash or having an allergic reaction, too. All I know of it is that it's hard on tools and it has a bad reputation as being hard to glue with white glue. It's nice stuff, though, and I have it on all of my stringed instruments. It imparts a nice clear strong tone - at least for as much influence as it could have as a fingerboard and/or bridge.