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Jason White
12-13-2008, 1:06 PM
I like cigars, but I'm relegated to the workshop (a one-car attached garage) if I want to enjoy a stogie.

It stinks (haha) :rolleyes:because it's usually freezing cold out there, and as any cigar-lover knows cold weather and cigars don't mix well.

Am I alone here?

JW

Robert Chapman
12-13-2008, 1:14 PM
You should stop smoking it kills you.

Bruce Page
12-13-2008, 1:25 PM
Do-Gooders aside…:rolleyes:
Before I quit, I was relegated to outside or the shop (garage) for my smoke breaks. I installed a natural gas heater in the shop. I no longer smoke, but I can work in the shop year round!

Neal Clayton
12-13-2008, 2:34 PM
natural gas heater in one corner, butt can in the other ;).

Dan Friedrichs
12-13-2008, 3:07 PM
I just bathe in toxic chemicals. Same effect, but I don't have to go outside to do it.

glenn bradley
12-13-2008, 3:11 PM
Wow. A guy asks a simple question and he gets blasted ;).

Oh, by the way. . . .quit smoking. It delays the use of flammable substances :D.

Mike Henderson
12-13-2008, 4:29 PM
I don't smoke but, if I did, I don't think I would do so in a woodworking shop. Just too much chance of fire.

I'm really paranoid about fire in the shop.

Mike

Alex Shanku
12-13-2008, 4:43 PM
I smoke in my shop. Also drink a few beers (after work), listen to radio programs on sirius, read magazines, make phone calls, etc etc.

Pretty much an area to hang out in, as well as actually work.

David G Baker
12-13-2008, 4:51 PM
If you think smoking in your wood shop is dangerous, I arc weld in mine and use a metal cutting chop saw. I don't have much of a choice at this time but I am very careful and very aware of the danger. I put up shields to catch the sparks and so far it has worked.

Jason White
12-13-2008, 4:53 PM
Oh, I fully expected this.
;)



Wow. A guy asks a simple question and he gets blasted ;).

Oh, by the way. . . .quit smoking. It delays the use of flammable substances :D.

Jason White
12-13-2008, 4:55 PM
I think that's what the ladies refer to as a "man cave."

JW


I smoke in my shop. Also drink a few beers (after work), listen to radio programs on sirius, read magazines, make phone calls, etc etc.

Pretty much an area to hang out in, as well as actually work.

Jeff Duncan
12-13-2008, 5:30 PM
Yeah I'm with Alex, I don't smoke anymore, (still got a couple full boxes of stogies around you can have if your interested) but it is my refuge. It's also where I make my living so I spend a lot of time here.
I wouldn't worry about the fuddy duddies, smoking a cigar every now and then won't do much bad. It's the cigarette smokers who are at the most risk. I haven't really quit, just don't have time anymore. A cigar needs more time to enjoy than I'm able to put aside.

good luck,
JeffD

Jason White
12-13-2008, 5:53 PM
We're talking 2 or 3 a month here. Hardly what I'd call a habit.

At $8-15 per cigar, I'd rather spend the dough on new tools! :D

JW


Yeah I'm with Alex, I don't smoke anymore, (still got a couple full boxes of stogies around you can have if your interested) but it is my refuge. It's also where I make my living so I spend a lot of time here.
I wouldn't worry about the fuddy duddies, smoking a cigar every now and then won't do much bad. It's the cigarette smokers who are at the most risk. I haven't really quit, just don't have time anymore. A cigar needs more time to enjoy than I'm able to put aside.

good luck,
JeffD

John Bush
12-13-2008, 6:17 PM
If you would buy the $0.69 variety you would quit for sure. Mahogany dust tastes better!

Judy Kingery
12-13-2008, 7:00 PM
Jason,

Ha, I'd say you're fine - I dip in my shop. But then I dip in the house, too, so oh well. Music, pleasant place to be in the shop, long as it's warm. Run the heater out there, too, reasonable, not too risky, but eh well. Nice and warm and keep an eye. Glad you enjoy it.

Take care,

Jude

Bob Johnson2
12-14-2008, 12:59 AM
I like cigars, but I'm relegated to the workshop (a one-car attached garage) if I want to enjoy a stogie.

It stinks (haha) :rolleyes:because it's usually freezing cold out there, and as any cigar-lover knows cold weather and cigars don't mix well.

Am I alone here?

JW

No I don't have a shop so I can smoke, I do go outside for my occasional cigar. I have the same weather you do, I find I don't even have 1 a month in the winter. Guess I'm a fair weather cigar smoker. My shops in the basement so that's out and I don't care to smoke enough to sit out in the shed when it 16 degrees.
As far as burning down the shop... I know of a few folks who have wood burners in their attached and detached shops, not one has burned down.
Do try a Padron series 1926 if you haven't already. 5 years supply for 1 Festool KS120.

Rick Fisher
12-14-2008, 5:05 AM
I am a Canuck. I smoke Cuban cigars. Actually went to Havana a few years back, smoked 4-5 a day :eek:

I have never smoked in the shop, or in the house. I have thought about setting up a TV in the shop, behind glass, in a dust proof cell..

Jason White
12-14-2008, 7:21 AM
Try bathing in toxic chemicals while smoking a cigar -- really packs a punch!
:D



I just bathe in toxic chemicals. Same effect, but I don't have to go outside to do it.

Bob Genovesi
12-14-2008, 7:26 AM
If I did smoke it would be in the garage. I have a woodstove in my shop and have been thinking about adding a propane space heater to warm it up quickly then the stove can take over from there.

My garage is a multi-purpose facility... Wow, I like that one!

Wood Working
Welding
Auto Repair
Auto Detailing
Auto Body and Painting - Long Ago
Plumbing
Lawnmower repair
Hide Out!

Tim Malyszko
12-14-2008, 8:09 AM
Yep,

During the winter, the shop is the only place I can smoke a cigar at home (unless it gets freakishly warm outside). You are right about the smell. Next day, when I open the door, it smells like someone rolled over and died in there. Fortunately that goes away quickly.

Speaking of cigars, I highly suggest giving the new Nub's a try. They don't look like your traditional cigar as they are a 66 ring gauge and only 4 inches long. The Camaroons are my favorite followed by the Habanos. I don't care for the Connecticuts. In addition, they are only around $6/cigar, which is a bargain for the quality. I like them because they produce a good amount of smoke and don't burn too hot. Oh, they also taste great and don't have a harsh after taste.

Enjoy.

Jeffrey Makiel
12-14-2008, 10:04 AM
My shop often gets invaded by model railroading stuff from other family members (including me), and whatever other hobby comes along. At least with smoking, all you have to do is open the window and your shop will self clean in about 10 minutes. :)

By the way, when I took my mother to the cardiologist, he looked at me and said: "your mother has a heart history, your dad passed away from a heart attack at an early age, and you're overweight....do you smoke?" I said no. He said: "Ohhhh...thank God!"

-Jeff :)

Joe Cunningham
12-14-2008, 10:52 AM
I smoke a cigar sometimes, but never in my shop. I guess because I work in the basement...

A good cigar on a mild summer night is nice. Winter, not so much.

Neal Clayton
12-14-2008, 11:00 AM
I just bathe in toxic chemicals. Same effect, but I don't have to go outside to do it.

actually the cigars are rather harmless since you don't inhale the smoke.

i'd wager breathing the sawdust is more detrimental to health than smoking a cigar (which are both negligible)

Phil Thien
12-14-2008, 11:19 AM
actually the cigars are rather harmless since you don't inhale the smoke.

i'd wager breathing the sawdust is more detrimental to health than smoking a cigar (which are both negligible)

The Health Risks
The American Lung Association cites a number of myths about the "safety" of cigar smoking, among them that cigars are a safe alternative to cigarettes, that cigar smoking is not addictive and that smoking cigars does not cause lung cancer or chronic pulmonary disease.

These are the facts:

CANCER
Cigar smoking causes cancer of the larynx, mouth, esophagus and lungs. Over all, men who smoke cigars have death rates from cancer that are 34 percent higher than those of nonsmokers. Studies that followed the fates of cigar smokers and nonsmokers over many years have shown that cigar smoking raises the risk of dying from cancers of the larynx, mouth and esophagus by 4 to 10 times. These rates are similar to those associated with cigarette smoking and are believed to reflect the fact that when cigars are puffed the smoke is held in the mouth and upper airways.

Researchers who examined cells from the larynx, the voice box, found that 99 percent of cigar smokers had "atypical cells," the first step toward malignancy, while only 25 percent of nonsmokers had them.

The chances of developing lung cancer are indeed lower for cigar smokers than for cigarette smokers, largely because most cigar smokers do not inhale. But lung-cancer death rates among cigar smokers are about three times as high as they are among nonsmokers. The risk rises with the number of cigars smoked each day, and studies in other countries indicate that for those who inhale cigar smoke, the lung cancer risk is comparable to that of cigarette smoking.

Dr. I. T. T. Higgins and colleagues at the American Health Foundation, a nonprofit research organization in New York City, have pointed out that "when cigarette smokers switch to cigars or pipes, they usually have been found to continue to inhale in the way they were accustomed to when they smoked cigarettes." For this reason, they say, "no health benefit should be anticipated from switching." These researchers found in a study of more than 6,000 people that even 30 years after quitting cigarettes, those who took up cigars faced almost five times the nonsmoker's risk of developing lung cancer.

CHRONIC LUNG DISEASE
Cigar smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop chronic obstructive lung disease, although again the risk is lower than that of cigarette smokers. Several studies that followed smokers and nonsmokers over a period of years showed that cigar smokers face an increased risk of dying of lung disease that may be as much as 360 percent as high as the risk for nonsmokers. An autopsy study of the lungs of 1,443 men who died in six New York and New Jersey hospitals found that the rate of emphysema among cigar smokers swas five times that of nonsmokers.

HEART AND BLOOD VESSEL DISEASE
Nicotine, the addictive drug released when any tobacco product is used, does not have to be inhaled to damage the heart and blood vessels. Nicotine can be absorbed into the blood stream through the mouth. This drug speeds up the heart and constricts blood vessels, which reduces blood flow to the heart. Two European studies showed an increased risk of heart attacks in cigar smokers, and a study of 25,000 men in Sweden found that cigar smokers were five times as likely as nonsmokers to die from a ruptured aorta, the body's main artery. And a study of 7,700 men showed a threefold increased risk of stroke among cigarette smokers who switched to cigars.

PASSIVE CIGAR SMOKE
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the sidestream smoke from cigars is a more insidious poison than that from cigarettes. Particle emissions, which include carcinogens, from one cigar exceeded those from three cigarettes, and carbon monoxide emissions were 30 times as high.
When a cigar is smoked in an office, the agency's standard of 9 parts carbon monoxide per million parts of air can be exceeded in 20 minutes.


Source: http://www.nytimes.com/specials/women/warchive/960529_1104.html


It shoudl also be noted that smoking is the #1 cause of disaster and death by fire.

Jason White
12-14-2008, 12:26 PM
And your point is???



The Health Risks
The American Lung Association cites a number of myths about the "safety" of cigar smoking, among them that cigars are a safe alternative to cigarettes, that cigar smoking is not addictive and that smoking cigars does not cause lung cancer or chronic pulmonary disease.

These are the facts:

CANCER
Cigar smoking causes cancer of the larynx, mouth, esophagus and lungs. Over all, men who smoke cigars have death rates from cancer that are 34 percent higher than those of nonsmokers. Studies that followed the fates of cigar smokers and nonsmokers over many years have shown that cigar smoking raises the risk of dying from cancers of the larynx, mouth and esophagus by 4 to 10 times. These rates are similar to those associated with cigarette smoking and are believed to reflect the fact that when cigars are puffed the smoke is held in the mouth and upper airways.

Researchers who examined cells from the larynx, the voice box, found that 99 percent of cigar smokers had "atypical cells," the first step toward malignancy, while only 25 percent of nonsmokers had them.

The chances of developing lung cancer are indeed lower for cigar smokers than for cigarette smokers, largely because most cigar smokers do not inhale. But lung-cancer death rates among cigar smokers are about three times as high as they are among nonsmokers. The risk rises with the number of cigars smoked each day, and studies in other countries indicate that for those who inhale cigar smoke, the lung cancer risk is comparable to that of cigarette smoking.

Dr. I. T. T. Higgins and colleagues at the American Health Foundation, a nonprofit research organization in New York City, have pointed out that "when cigarette smokers switch to cigars or pipes, they usually have been found to continue to inhale in the way they were accustomed to when they smoked cigarettes." For this reason, they say, "no health benefit should be anticipated from switching." These researchers found in a study of more than 6,000 people that even 30 years after quitting cigarettes, those who took up cigars faced almost five times the nonsmoker's risk of developing lung cancer.

CHRONIC LUNG DISEASE
Cigar smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop chronic obstructive lung disease, although again the risk is lower than that of cigarette smokers. Several studies that followed smokers and nonsmokers over a period of years showed that cigar smokers face an increased risk of dying of lung disease that may be as much as 360 percent as high as the risk for nonsmokers. An autopsy study of the lungs of 1,443 men who died in six New York and New Jersey hospitals found that the rate of emphysema among cigar smokers swas five times that of nonsmokers.

HEART AND BLOOD VESSEL DISEASE
Nicotine, the addictive drug released when any tobacco product is used, does not have to be inhaled to damage the heart and blood vessels. Nicotine can be absorbed into the blood stream through the mouth. This drug speeds up the heart and constricts blood vessels, which reduces blood flow to the heart. Two European studies showed an increased risk of heart attacks in cigar smokers, and a study of 25,000 men in Sweden found that cigar smokers were five times as likely as nonsmokers to die from a ruptured aorta, the body's main artery. And a study of 7,700 men showed a threefold increased risk of stroke among cigarette smokers who switched to cigars.

PASSIVE CIGAR SMOKE
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the sidestream smoke from cigars is a more insidious poison than that from cigarettes. Particle emissions, which include carcinogens, from one cigar exceeded those from three cigarettes, and carbon monoxide emissions were 30 times as high.
When a cigar is smoked in an office, the agency's standard of 9 parts carbon monoxide per million parts of air can be exceeded in 20 minutes.


Source: http://www.nytimes.com/specials/women/warchive/960529_1104.html


It shoudl also be noted that smoking is the #1 cause of disaster and death by fire.

Gary Kvasnicka
12-14-2008, 12:30 PM
I used to go out to the shop to smoke. I think everyone is aware of the health and safety risks of smoking. It is a personal decision. Heck, I smoked 1-2 packs a day for 25 years. I just up and quit 5 years ago, on a whim while on vacation, cigarettes were over $5 a pack in Hawaii.(enough reason for me).
At the suggestion of LOML I put my cigarette money in a jar to save. She told me I should use it towards buying something else I enjoy. I started the kayak project the next year, and since then have purchased a tablesaw, joiner, planer, bandsaw, drill press and lathe, all with cigarette money.
Woodworking is much more enjoyable with good tools. While I was smoking I could only afford a benchtop tablesaw. and used to run an extension cord from the house to the shed. That has all changed now. I am glad I married a smart woman.

Phil Thien
12-14-2008, 1:39 PM
And your point is???

My response was directed towards Neal's statement that cigar smoking is harmless.

Go ahead and smoke in your shop. I'm not one of those guys that wants to legislate against smokes or anything else.

But we need to keep it honest. And cigars (which I am inclined to smoke on occasion) aren't harmless. They're far from it.

John Keeton
12-14-2008, 2:28 PM
I'm with Phil on the legislating idea - don't need any more government in my life! But, on the other hand, I do not understand smoking - from a health standpoint or any other. Tried a few cigarettes as a youth half a century ago - didn't understand it then either.

But, the real question Jason, did you know when you posted this thread that you were lighting up more than a good cigar??!!:D:D You got 'em goin'!! I have to think you anticipated the fervor!

Ken Fitzgerald
12-14-2008, 2:51 PM
I smoked 1 1/2 packs a day for 41 years. Quitting isn't easy. I haven't smoked in nearly 3 years.

Nagging.....snide remarks.....unkind, harsh comments causes one's blood pressure to increase....leading to increased heart attacks and stress...

If we are going to legislate...let's legislate against unrequested, nagging, snide comments from others. It would help reduce medical costs.

From a safety standpoint...it's your shop. If you feel you can safely smoke in it, it's your decision. If other people object, they don't have to come into your shop.

Neal Clayton
12-14-2008, 3:13 PM
well, i can make more smoke with my mortiser than you'd get from a cigarette i think.

fumes from mineral spirits, alcohol, methylene chloride, and any other number of common chemicals we all likely have in our shops can also be inhaled or harmful on skin contact in the case of the paint stripper, and i doubt seriously if all of us work with a respirator on all day (i know i don't).

as for 'facts'...

germany didn't ban smoking in commercial airlines until the 1990s. a 30 year study (http://www.data-yard.net/39/cabin.pdf) was done on airline workers in german airlines, and it turns out that second hand smoke, which would be comparable to un-inhaled cigar smoke, had a statistically insignificant effect, in that the rates of lung cancer and heart disease amongst flight attendants was not any different from non smokers from the general population.

i find it odd that we have all of these skull and crossbones ads and PSAs citing the certain doom of second hand smoke, yet i have plenty of non smoker family members who have lived with smoker spouses for 50+ years and don't have any sort of lung or heart disease. i don't dispute the fact that smoking is not good for you, that's fairly obvious. however un-inhaled cigars (which i have smoked) and second hand smoke claims are, imo, smoke and mirrors (pun intended).

Bruce Page
12-14-2008, 3:43 PM
If we are going to legislate...let's legislate against unrequested, nagging, snide comments from others. It would help reduce medical costs.

From a safety standpoint...it's your shop. If you feel you can safely smoke in it, it's your decision. If other people object, they don't have to come into your shop.

As they said in the 70's that's a BIG 10-4!!

When I think back of all the years I heated my shop with a kerosene heater, my gosh, it's a wonder I didn't burn the city down..

David DeCristoforo
12-14-2008, 3:52 PM
Actually, for me it's the other way around. I started smoking so I could have an excuse to build a workshop... Now that I've stopped smoking, I don't need the shop any more...

Kent E. Matthew
12-14-2008, 6:43 PM
I do all of my smoking outside.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c56/Goose5/pitmaster.jpg

Why would I want to put this thing inside the shop?:D

Doug Shepard
12-14-2008, 6:49 PM
I have a workshop just so I can have a place for entertaining new friends.

It puts the lotion on it's skin and rubs it in.:D

Charles Cannon
12-14-2008, 7:12 PM
I chewed a pack of Red Man a day for about 25 years. I had a sheetrock bucket of sawdust in the garage and hit it most of the time. I quit about 8 years ago but I still miss it when I am working in the garage or outside. Chew the end off one for me.
Cannon

Jason White
12-14-2008, 7:34 PM
Oh, of course!

Though it doesn't take a whole lot to get you guys riled up.
:D



I'm with Phil on the legislating idea - don't need any more government in my life! But, on the other hand, I do not understand smoking - from a health standpoint or any other. Tried a few cigarettes as a youth half a century ago - didn't understand it then either.

But, the real question Jason, did you know when you posted this thread that you were lighting up more than a good cigar??!!:D:D You got 'em goin'!! I have to think you anticipated the fervor!

Peter Quinn
12-14-2008, 7:40 PM
I don't smoke in the shop, don't think I would even if it were allowed either. Something about little piles of wood chips and falling ashes I don't like. Maybe cigars would be ok with an ashtray, but I don't smoke cigars regularly. I do like to hover in my man cave over a beer after working. Basement shop puts smoking out, it just lingers and rises into my sons bedroom, and at two years old he doesn't need the smoke. I do have an out building my wife thinks is a garage, I prefer to think of it as the wood storage shed personally, and it is pretty much full of lumber at this point. Anyway, I have been known to smoke out there. No smoking allowed in the house ever.

When you find yourself smoking in an unheated garage when its 11 degrees out and telling your self at least its not windy in the garage, you have officially moved past habit to addiction. PDAMHIK

William OConnell
12-14-2008, 8:46 PM
My wifes doesn't want smoking around her so I do smoke in the shop. Of course to keep the peace I had to build this wind machine to vent the shop and pull the smoke out.
Both units are 3 speed and It moves about 3900CFM on high which is alot of air
It works real good for spraying too.
I just roll it over to the gliding door open the door ,push the thing in , and close the door. Perfect fit with a nice seal.
It uses two seperate whole house AC blowers each with 2 squirell cages
http://www.woodworkers.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1760&g2_serialNumber=2

Chuck Stewart
12-14-2008, 9:25 PM
Just checked weatherbug and it's 50 degrees here in Illinois on Dec.15th
Good enough reason for me to sign off, turn on some internet music I got piped out to the garage and light up my pipe with some Captain Black!!
I'll be thinkin up all those projects I might get around to doing someday

David DeCristoforo
12-14-2008, 9:46 PM
To those who have never smoked: You are either very smart or very lucky. If you are very smart, you should know that is is bad juju to dis those less blessed than yourselves. If you are very lucky, you should know that any fool can be lucky. In either case, you can never know how hard it is to stop so please shut up and sit down.

To those who do smoke: Never give up on the idea that you can stop. I always appreciated Mark Twain's statement on the subject: "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it hundreds of times." But after forty five years (?!?!) of devoted smoking and many attempts, I was finally able to stop! Smoking is the most insanely addictive habit one can acquire. But it can be beaten. Don't ask me how because I can't tell you anything except to keep trying.

Larry Edgerton
12-15-2008, 7:13 AM
To those who have never smoked: You are either very smart or very lucky. If you are very smart, you should know that is is bad juju to dis those less blessed than yourselves. If you are very lucky, you should know that any fool can be lucky. In either case, you can never know how hard it is to stop so please shut up and sit down.

To those who do smoke: Never give up on the idea that you can stop. I always appreciated Mark Twain's statement on the subject: "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it hundreds of times." But after forty five years (?!?!) of devoted smoking and many attempts, I was finally able to stop! Smoking is the most insanely addictive habit one can acquire. But it can be beaten. Don't ask me how because I can't tell you anything except to keep trying.

Agreed on all points. I have been a year and a half without this time, and I still want a cigarette on occasion. I smoked for 28 years, and quit so many times I can't count. I think it will stick this time.

Rod Sheridan
12-15-2008, 8:46 AM
I haven't smoked in 30 years, however every time I walk past my neighbours house and smell his pipe smoke, I want to start again.

It's hard to imagine that after 30 years an aroma could have that effect however...........

That said however I wouldn't smoke in the shop, too many flammable items stored there.

regards, Rod.

Craig McCormick
12-15-2008, 8:57 AM
I didn't mind smokers so much until my wife was diagnosed with cancer. It just turns my stomach to see anyone smoke. I even let one of my guys go that smoked a pipe.

She has been fighting for three years now. She has another surgery this morning and then starts chemo for the third time.

She is my hero.

No I don't smoke in my shop, a movie, a good book, heck sometimes I even build something:rolleyes:

AZCRAIG

Mike Wilkins
12-15-2008, 9:06 AM
I am also like you; relegated to outside in good weather or in my shop when it's cold or rainy. I once read a sticker in a cigar shop that " if a man cannot smoke in his own home, maybe its not his home". Yeah right. Try selling that to the significant other.
By the way for the smoking detractors out there; cigar smoking does not require inhaling like cigarettes. There is a risk like all tobacco products, but greatly lessened with cigars.
Think I will go home for lunch and have a Partagas.

Jim Becker
12-15-2008, 9:18 AM
By the way for the smoking detractors out there; cigar smoking does not require inhaling like cigarettes. There is a risk like all tobacco products, but greatly lessened with cigars.

Inhaling isn't a prerequisite to the inherent danger of tobacco use since it's not just about lung cancer. That said, it's a decision you need to make for yourself.

I have never smoked in my nearly 52 years of life. Thinking logically, I'm not sure that a woodworking shop is the best place to smoke if you do smoke. Where there is an open flame or ember, there is always increased danger that it might come in contact with materials you might not intend, merely by having a lit cigarette, cigar or pipe in the workshop environment. It's the nature of the beast. And unless you are an unusually fastidious person, there is likely a much higher volume of significantly flammable materials in your shop that might immediately come in contact with that material should you drop the smoke or even just an ash that includes smoldering material. But again, you have to make the decision for yourself.

David Cramer
12-15-2008, 9:39 AM
I don't know if it makes me very smart or very lucky, but I am now in my upper 30's and have never smoked a day in my life, nor have I been drunk or taken drugs of any sorts. You'd never know it to look at me, but it's true. Like most guys, I get offered beer every time I meet someone for the first time and I always get a strange stare that is many times combined with a comment like "you don't drink"? To each his own and yes, I know that I'm in the minority.

I'd rather put the little bit of money I have towards something woodworking related. Does the fact that I've never smoked make me better or smarter than anyone else, heck no! I just made different choices, personal choices that I felt were better for me.

As human beings, we are all built differently and think differently. I have family members who are what many would call addicted, and believe me, they don't want to smoke and have tried many, many times to stop. I am not stupid, nor am I Einstein, but without ever having smoked, I am smart enough to know that it must be very, very difficult to stop smoking or they would've stopped years ago. They know it's bad for them, but as much as they try, they just cannot quit.

Also, like Mr. McCormick, I have someone very close to me that is in extremely poor health due specifically to smoking. If she could turn back time.......................well, you know.

I don't know about being blessed because to me it's just a personal decision that I made when offered a cigarette many, many years ago. If you're trying to quit, keep at it and good luck. It's gotta be a very,very hard thing to do, but also very rewarding when you succeed.

David

p.s. Mr. McCormick, I know it must be an extremely tough time for you and I sincerely hope everything turns out well for you and your wife and that her surgery is a success. David Cramer wishes her well & hopes she comes out of it in good shape. She's in my prayers.

Chris Gombola
12-15-2008, 10:10 AM
I think when people make the point that cigar smoking is less harmful, they are assuming that the average cigar smoker smokes far fewer cigars than addicted cigarette smokers. I smoke cigars occasionally with a few of my friends. Maybe 3-4 a month in the summer, almost nothing in the winter. I'm not addicted, I don't inhale. I simply enjoy the aroma and relaxation. It's this type of casual smoking that is less harmful than someone who is addicted to nicotine and putting leaf to lips once or several times a day.

I've talked to a doctor who said that if you had to smoke anything, cigars at least are relaxing to a lot of people and can lower blood pressure!


Inhaling isn't a prerequisite to the inherent danger of tobacco use since it's not just about lung cancer. That said, it's a decision you need to make for yourself.

I have never smoked in my nearly 52 years of life. Thinking logically, I'm not sure that a woodworking shop is the best place to smoke if you do smoke. Where there is an open flame or ember, there is always increased danger that it might come in contact with materials you might not intend, merely by having a lit cigarette, cigar or pipe in the workshop environment. It's the nature of the beast. And unless you are an unusually fastidious person, there is likely a much higher volume of significantly flammable materials in your shop that might immediately come in contact with that material should you drop the smoke or even just an ash that includes smoldering material. But again, you have to make the decision for yourself.

James Stokes
12-15-2008, 1:02 PM
I smoke and know it is bad for me. It is hard to quit. My father never smoked a day in his life and died from cancer. One sister who also has never smoked has been fighting cancer for about 5 years now. I have one other friend who has never smoked and is now fighting prostate cancer.
Every one dies from some thing. I do agree with smoking you are more likely to get cancer but my mother is 92 and has smoked all of her life, she is in great health go figure.

Dave Falkenstein
12-15-2008, 7:59 PM
AFAIK smoking is a factor in lung cancer, not prostate cancer or many other forms of cancer. Lots of people that don't smoke get cancer. A bigger percentage of people that do smoke get cancer. Not everyone gets cancer. Not everyone that smokes gets cancer. You chances are improved if you do not smoke - period.

My Mother smoked for most of her adult life. She had severe emphysema by the time she was 60. She lived to about 75, but could not walk across a room without getting winded. Your Mother is lucky. My Mother was a more typical example of the unhealthy results from smoking. Trying to rationalize smoking makes about as much sense as trying to rationalize anything that everyone knows is bad for you.

I smoked as many as three packs a day when I was young. One day I said, "I'm quitting", and I did. It's a matter of REALLY committing yourself to not being a smoker, at least in my own experience. Good luck quitting the next time you try. Go for it - your loved ones will be happier.

Don Bullock
12-15-2008, 8:58 PM
I've never been banned from the house for smoking (don't smoke), but SWMBO won't let me eat sardines in the house. Years ago i used to eat them out on the patio. In recent years have kicked the habit.;):D

Jim Becker
12-15-2008, 9:18 PM
Don, it could be dangerous to eat sardines in your shop....be careful...

Now my brother at one time used to eat peanut butter and sardine sandwiches. Deadly for sure, but somehow he survived to father six kids...oy!

Karl Brogger
12-15-2008, 9:23 PM
This thread cracks me up.

As a person that has two parents that were killed by cancer, and probably from smoking. Tobacco use is one of the greatest of all human inventions. Can you even fathom how our severly over populated planet would be over populated if it wasn't used? Granted many die after they have reproduced, but it still has to cut down on the herd pretty well.

I don't smoke, but I chew. If I had to give up my pulse, or chew, it'd be a tough call.

eric auer
12-15-2008, 9:42 PM
My father in law passed from throatcancer at 62, Life long Cigar man, by the time they operated on him it was all over the place, he had a long shot with Chemo but it didnt work.

My daughters (10year old) best friend since daycare lost her father, 50 years young this year, 4 kids from 10 to 15 (1 set of twins).
Cigars only, lung and throat Cancer.

Sure it coulda happened without smoking at all, but I kicked my 3 packs a day habit when my daughter was born, I see no reason for her to grow up without a Dad just because I cant be bothered to Quit.

Looking at her everyday, I realize what an easy choice it really was.

Eric

Clifford Mescher
12-15-2008, 9:54 PM
I smoked alot when I was young. Quit many years ago. It still smells good. Don't like people preaching. Period. If someone wants to quit, they will. If they don't want to quit. Leave them alone.
I hear the crusader's next quest are the overweight people. Who will they go after next? Clifford

Glen Blanchard
12-15-2008, 10:25 PM
My Dad smoked 3+ packs of cigarettes each day. He started smoking at age 14 and passed away (heart disease) 10 years ago at age 73. Even a quadruple cardiac bypass in his late 50's did not slow him down. I still remember him getting up every morning and having a coughing "fit" for 10 or 15 minutes. Yuck !!

As for me? I am proud to say that I have never even had a drag!!

Scott Myers
12-15-2008, 10:49 PM
I'm glad we live in a free country where one can smoke... or not. I think tobacco users/smokers all know the risk and they should be free to take it.

I only get a little cranky about smoking when smokers don't think about non-smokers when they smoke. I live in Ohio where the public smoking law is in effect. My particular pet peeve is when smokers go outside to have their cig and they stand near and on the upwind side of the door. So it blows back in or you have to pass through it walking in or out. It is just not thinking about others. I have a fairly sensitive upper respiritory and happen to also be quite allergic to tobacco smoke. I get pretty ill for about a day when I am exposed to cigarette smoke for 10 minutes or so. I believe I got that way from being raised in a house of chain smokers. (My mom smoked 3-4 packs a day for many years before she quit cold turkey. She is still alive and well, as she hasn't smoked now for more than 25 years.)

Dave Falkenstein
12-15-2008, 11:00 PM
...Don't like people preaching. Period....

I suppose preaching about not smoking is something like preaching about not preaching.

Clifford Mescher
12-15-2008, 11:16 PM
AFAIK smoking is a factor in lung cancer, not prostate cancer or many other forms of cancer. Lots of people that don't smoke get cancer. A bigger percentage of people that do smoke get cancer. Not everyone gets cancer. Not everyone that smokes gets cancer. You chances are improved if you do not smoke - period.

My Mother smoked for most of her adult life. She had severe emphysema by the time she was 60. She lived to about 75, but could not walk across a room without getting winded. Your Mother is lucky. My Mother was a more typical example of the unhealthy results from smoking. Trying to rationalize smoking makes about as much sense as trying to rationalize anything that everyone knows is bad for you.

I smoked as many as three packs a day when I was young. One day I said, "I'm quitting", and I did. It's a matter of REALLY committing yourself to not being a smoker, at least in my own experience. Good luck quitting the next time you try. Go for it - your loved ones will be happier.
Interesting;) Clifford

Neal Clayton
12-16-2008, 2:34 AM
as for quitting, like mark twain i've quit lots of times ;).

actually had a harder time trying to quit caffeine, going cold turkey on that is physical torture. can't sleep yet tired, constant headaches, no energy yet restless. and when you finally buckle and go get that first coke or cup of coffee after a day or two, it's like liquid cocaine going down your throat.

Jason White
12-16-2008, 6:45 AM
After all, sometimes a smoke is just a smoke.....


I suppose preaching about not smoking is something like preaching about not preaching.

peter de tappan
12-16-2008, 6:55 AM
Jason, since you brought it up, have you tried Oliva Master Blend or Padilla 1932? For me they are in a different league than everything else I've tried. Really sublime.

Jack Briggs
12-16-2008, 7:53 AM
I step outside to smoke a cigar or pipe. Never in the shop. Too many flammable solvents and I don't want smoke film on all my valuable woods!:eek:



Cheers,

Craig McCormick
12-16-2008, 8:30 AM
I'm glad I quit when I was ten!

AZCRAIG

Craig McCormick
12-16-2008, 8:33 AM
David,

Thanks for the kind words and prayers. All went well yesterday.

AZCRAIG



I don't know if it makes me very smart or very lucky, but I am now in my upper 30's and have never smoked a day in my life, nor have I been drunk or taken drugs of any sorts. You'd never know it to look at me, but it's true. Like most guys, I get offered beer every time I meet someone for the first time and I always get a strange stare that is many times combined with a comment like "you don't drink"? To each his own and yes, I know that I'm in the minority.

I'd rather put the little bit of money I have towards something woodworking related. Does the fact that I've never smoked make me better or smarter than anyone else, heck no! I just made different choices, personal choices that I felt were better for me.

As human beings, we are all built differently and think differently. I have family members who are what many would call addicted, and believe me, they don't want to smoke and have tried many, many times to stop. I am not stupid, nor am I Einstein, but without ever having smoked, I am smart enough to know that it must be very, very difficult to stop smoking or they would've stopped years ago. They know it's bad for them, but as much as they try, they just cannot quit.

Also, like Mr. McCormick, I have someone very close to me that is in extremely poor health due specifically to smoking. If she could turn back time.......................well, you know.

I don't know about being blessed because to me it's just a personal decision that I made when offered a cigarette many, many years ago. If you're trying to quit, keep at it and good luck. It's gotta be a very,very hard thing to do, but also very rewarding when you succeed.

David

p.s. Mr. McCormick, I know it must be an extremely tough time for you and I sincerely hope everything turns out well for you and your wife and that her surgery is a success. David Cramer wishes her well & hopes she comes out of it in good shape. She's in my prayers.

Anthony Anderson
12-16-2008, 8:50 AM
I step outside to smoke a cigar or pipe. Never in the shop. Too many flammable solvents and I don't want smoke film on all my valuable woods!:eek:



Cheers,


Hey Jack, The last line seemed ironic. Aren't your lungs invaluable tools? I'm not being judgemental. I don't care if people smoke, as long as I don't have to breathe it when I exit a building. And regardless which direction this thread travels, we all have in common, a passion for woodworking, in one form or another. Regards, Bill

Cody Colston
12-16-2008, 12:42 PM
I haven't smoked for over seven years now but if I still did, the shop would be where it occurred. I think the fire danger is being greatly over-exaggerrated, mainly by the non-smokers which is understandable. I wouldn't smoke while using flammable finishes but then I didn't smoke when filling up the car or lawnmower with gasoline, either. Anyone who does is probably a future Darwin Award winner.

I still enjoy the smell of cigarette smoke and even this thread has made me want to light up...although i'll never smoke again. Cigarette smoking is a nasty, disgusting, expensive habit that I'm glad to have kicked and I can understand non-smokers wanting to avoid the second-hand smoke.

Don Selke
12-16-2008, 2:20 PM
Personallly I do not smoke since my 30 plus years in the firefighting profession where I inhaled more smoke and toxic chemicals then anyone can imagine. I was on the job before self contained breathing apparatus and spent a lot of time on by belly trying to get to the source of the fire.
It has been proven that smoking tobacco is not healthy but I respect the decision of others to do as they like in this short life. I do not respect those who criticize those who make the decision to do what they want as long as they keep it private in there own domain. If you want to smoke, then do so.

Joe Petersen
12-16-2008, 8:53 PM
I don't smoke but I do drink the sweet elixer in the shop. Equally taboo by some peoples standards, but that's my choice. Smoking a cigar might be very enjoyable with a drink.

I love the cigar shop sign. I think I'm going to make one up.

Sonny Edmonds
12-16-2008, 9:37 PM
No, you are not alone, Jason.
Cigars do stink. Almost everybody thinks so. :D

Being an ex-smoker myself (Cigarettes), I do still enjoy an occasional cigar, just for the stink of it.
But outside.
My wife has to do the laundry and the machines are in one corner of my shop. So to save the peace, I will do my stinky stuff on the patio, outside, in the cold now. :cool:

By the way, by occasional, I mean once in a while like every 3 years or so.
I have 10 Cubans I recently... ahem... aquired... that I hope to enjoy occassionally. (Little teeny ones, not big nice fat ones)

Any tips on long term storage? :rolleyes:
(Besides "send them to me and I'll store them for you.") :D

Denny Rice
12-16-2008, 11:37 PM
Everyone just needs to relax a little bit in this crazy world we live in..... All of us are going to die one day, and I would rather enjoy the days and years on this planet doing the things that make me happy rather than worrying about what's going to kill me. God already knew the day I was born into this world the day he would take me home I could not do anything about it even if I wanted to, why should I worry..........Let's enjoy life and the things that make us happy!!!!!

Clifford Mescher
12-16-2008, 11:54 PM
Everyone just needs to relax a little bit in this crazy world we live in..... All of us are going to die one day, and I would rather enjoy the days and years on this planet doing the things that make me happy rather than worrying about what's going to kill me. God already knew the day I was born into this world the day he would take me home I could not do anything about it even if I wanted to, why should I worry..........Let's enjoy life and the things that make us happy!!!!!
Amen to that. Clifford

Steve Clardy
12-17-2008, 11:52 AM
amen to that. Clifford

+1 ........

Chris Padilla
12-17-2008, 12:09 PM
+1 ........

...said the chain smoker! ;) :D

Just funnin' ya, Bro! :)

I think I did everything when I was in high school: smoked, drank, and chewed. I smoked for about 2 weeks in high school and then I was like, "What the heck am I doing...idiot!" I chewed much longer (couple of months) and came to the same conclusion. Finally, alcohol was pretty rampant but once I hit the legal age, it wasn't so much fun any more. Funny how that is!

Now I average about a beer a month and smoke (but not inhale) sawdust! :p

Vic Damone
12-17-2008, 1:51 PM
I'm glad we live in a free country where one can smoke... or not. I think tobacco users/smokers all know the risk and they should be free to take it.

I only get a little cranky about smoking when smokers don't think about non-smokers when they smoke.

+1

My Father used to smoke in the shop and it caught fire twice. They were small fires and we didn't lose much but damn!

I don't smoke and I sold my tobacco stocks last January. I plan on re purchasing even more of them again soon.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em, the planet is not your ashtray.


"Never wise up a chump"
W. C. Fields...

Belinda Barfield
12-17-2008, 4:58 PM
Sort of the flip side . . . My SO frequently goes in "to work" at our shop on the weekends. Friends ask where he is, and I say, "Oh, he's working at the shop." Frequently they become concerned that he is "working too much" and needs to take some time off. I just laugh because I know he goes to the shop to get away from me. We all need our time and space. He doesn't smoke but he creates lots of dust, some even from wood. The truth? I love it when he goes to the shop since that gives me my time and space.

Not preaching, just one thought on couple of the posts. Yes, we're all going to die, and there are lots of ways to go. My poison of choice happens to be alcohol usually in moderation, but sometimes not. There are some forms of death that do affect the loved ones in your life and are very difficult for them to watch, one is a slow death by cancer - in any form.

To each his own, different strokes for different folks. Don't worry, be happy.

Clifford Mescher
12-17-2008, 5:24 PM
Sort of the flip side . . . My SO frequently goes in "to work" at our shop on the weekends. Friends ask where he is, and I say, "Oh, he's working at the shop." Frequently they become concerned that he is "working too much" and needs to take some time off. I just laugh because I know he goes to the shop to get away from me. We all need our time and space. He doesn't smoke but he creates lots of dust, some even from wood. The truth? I love it when he goes to the shop since that gives me my time and space.

Not preaching, just one thought on couple of the posts. Yes, we're all going to die, and there are lots of ways to go. My poison of choice happens to be alcohol usually in moderation, but sometimes not. There are some forms of death that do affect the loved ones in your life and are very difficult for them to watch, one is a slow death by cancer - in any form.

To each his own, different strokes for different folks. Don't worry, be happy.
Belinda, of course you are right, but it was no picnic to watch my father die from alcoholism, either. Currently I do not drink or smoke but that is just me. I have done alot of stupid things in my lifetime so all I can say is whatever it takes for one to cope in this crazy world, who am I to judge?
Merry Christmas to all. Clifford.

Dennis Peacock
12-17-2008, 6:07 PM
Nope...don't smoke and don't chew any more either. Been about 1 year since I quit the dip. I like it better without the tobacco. But I did used to go in my shop just to piddle and dip some snuff. :)

David DeCristoforo
12-17-2008, 6:41 PM
I love this "logic". We are all going to die of something so why not a completely self induced, horribly painful and incredibly uncomfortable death, caused by a lifetime of indulgence in something that offers no redeeming qualities whatsoever. And the really cool part is that it's not just the lung cancer you have to look forward to but cancer of the mouth, throat, stomach, bladder, colon, esophagus or larynx all of which can kill you but many of which may simply offer you the opportunity to do really cool stuff like talk through a little box or breathe through a hole in your throat while you look forward to many more pleasant years before you finally "die of something". Oh and don't forget the added benefits of emphysema, bronchitis, heart attacks, strokes, impotence and the many other wonderful pleasures one can look forward to.

Of course you could always get hit by a bus two weeks after going through the hell of quitting smoking and then your last thought could be "Damn, I should have just kept smoking!". But, unless you stepped in front of the bus on purpose, you really don't have much control over that.

Sorry, but this is a poor argument for smoking.

Sonny Edmonds
12-17-2008, 7:44 PM
Might want to check that edge. :D

Clifford Mescher
12-17-2008, 8:13 PM
I love this "logic". We are all going to die of something so why not a completely self induced, horribly painful and incredibly uncomfortable death, caused by a lifetime of indulgence in something that offers no redeeming qualities whatsoever. And the really cool part is that it's not just the lung cancer you have to look forward to but cancer of the mouth, throat, stomach, bladder, colon, esophagus or larynx all of which can kill you but many of which may simply offer you the opportunity to do really cool stuff like talk through a little box or breathe through a hole in your throat while you look forward to many more pleasant years before you finally "die of something". Oh and don't forget the added benefits of emphysema, bronchitis, heart attacks, strokes, impotence and the many other wonderful pleasures one can look forward to.

Of course you could always get hit by a bus two weeks after going through the hell of quitting smoking and then your last thought could be "Damn, I should have just kept smoking!". But, unless you stepped in front of the bus on purpose, you really don't have much control over that.

Sorry, but this is a poor argument for smoking.


Why stop with the smokers? What about a lifetime of eating indulgence? Obesity is suspected to cause 9 diseases including Cardiovascular, Endocrime,Gastrointestinal,Renal and Genitourinary, Integument, Musculoskeletal,Neurologic,Respiratory, and Psychological.
Sorry for the outburst. Don't know why I feel compelled to somewhat stick up a bit for the smokers. I heard it was the only bad habit that was still politically correct to browbeat. I was always for the underdog. I guess.:rolleyes: Clifford

eric auer
12-17-2008, 8:29 PM
Why stop with the smokers? What about a lifetime of eating indulgence? Obesity is suspected to cause 9 diseases including Cardiovascular, Endocrime,Gastrointestinal,Renal and Genitourinary, Integument, Musculoskeletal,Neurologic,Respiratory, and Psychological.
Sorry for the outburst. Don't know why I feel compelled to somewhat stick up a bit for the smokers. I heard it was the only bad habit that was still politically correct to browbeat. I was always for the underdog. I guess.:rolleyes: Clifford

Its simple stuff really, if you like to do a lot of things and have the energy to do them, then you dont smoke and youre not fat.

David DeCristoforo
12-17-2008, 8:41 PM
"Why stop with the smokers?"

No reason other than this thread is about smoking. You could start one titled "Do you have a workshop just so you can overeat?" and bang on that issue all you want. Stick up for smokers too if you want. They certainly have the right to smoke if they wish. Don't get the idea that I am a reformed crusader here because I'm not. I feel like a complete fool for smoking as long as I did and I may yet pay the price for it. I just don't see why anyone would defend smoking at this point when we know what we do other than to defend the right of the individual to do as he pleases as long as he causes no harm to others. That is a worthy cause and I am not, in any way arguing against that principal. But that does not make smoking "smart" or suggest that the smoker should be put on a pedestal as some kind of crusader for individual freedom. I watched my children watch their grandfather die of smoking induced lung cancer many years before he would have died otherwise. But he got to "enjoy" his smokes and it was his right to do so. But that does not make his choice any smarter.

Clifford Mescher
12-17-2008, 8:48 PM
I like cigars, but I'm relegated to the workshop (a one-car attached garage) if I want to enjoy a stogie.

It stinks (haha) :rolleyes:because it's usually freezing cold out there, and as any cigar-lover knows cold weather and cigars don't mix well.

Am I alone here?

JW
Gee, this started out as a lighthearted thread about enjoying a cigar in your shop. :rolleyes: Maybe someone can start a thread about bashing smokers. Opsss too late!!!! Clifford.

Jason White
12-18-2008, 6:57 PM
Yeah, I'm regretting posting it.

Jason


Gee, this started out as a lighthearted thread about enjoying a cigar in your shop. :rolleyes: Maybe someone can start a thread about bashing smokers. Opsss too late!!!! Clifford.

Denny Rice
12-18-2008, 10:46 PM
Yeah, I'm regretting posting it.

Jason

It's sad isn't it.........A guy (or girl) that lives in America today cannot even burn one without being afraid of ticking someone else off. We are so consumed with dying one day that we are afraid to live the days God gave us. Enjoy life, "and if you got em' smoke em' ".............