Official Luthiers Forum!

This thread is an eye opener for sure and I'm so sorry for those of you who are suffering from such work related illness. I've been lucky I guess but then it's not a full time gig for me and I almost always do my sanding and making saw dust outside. I'm building a new shop now and I still think I'll have all the saws and drum sander in an outside garage. As for smoking, I did for two years when I was 18-20 years old. I would come home from a 75 mile bike ride and light up a cig till one day I was like, what the helll and I doing to my self? I quit over night and about one month later had a cig and it was like heaven. That was the last one. I might have a cigar once a year.

Cigars helped me to quit smoking. I think it's something about the much slower absorption of nicotine. Although, at one point I was doing one per day, which probably was not much better! But, once I got to one a week, it was pretty easy to just stop.

Not to cut God out of the picture completely, I was asking for help. So, there you have it.

I also have moved most all of my power equipment 2 an outside part of the shop. Then, I have a 400 cfm HEPA filter on the inside shop that I run after I do any sanding.

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Pat

As an amateur, I have been able to get away with less than complete dust protection; this thread is a great reminder that even for the smallest operation I should be wearing my dust mask. The dust and chemicals involved in guitar-making just get added on top of everything else. I live in a somewhat polluted urban area; I smoked; I gigged for years in smoky clubs. I shouldn't add anything on top of that.

The posts from those who are dealing with serious health issues are moving. I'm filled with respect for your determination and courage.

Regarding quitting smoking: one of the things I do in my day job is write manuals and design training programs to improve health programs, such as stop-smoking programs. For those who smoke, here are a couple of things I've learned that may be helpful:

1) Prior quit attempts seem to help people learn what they need to do to quit successfully. If you've tried before and not succeeded, that doesn't mean you can't quit: in fact, it makes it more likely that you will quit if you try again.

2) Some people succeed on their own. A lot of other people are helped by aids such as stop-smoking groups or medications, or both. Stop-smoking help is available through health plans, nonprofit organizations, and medical professionals. You can find out about this from your doctor's office.

3) The misery of the early stages of quitting smoking is very real. I know it--I've been there. But as others have said in this thread, once you're through the first days, it gets less and less, and ends up as a fleeting craving a few times a year. The benefits are something you enjoy every day.

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Tim Allen
"Never hurry, never rest."

Tim very good posting. I hope it helps all the folks who haven't quit yet. I'm not going to say it's easy. Because it isn't. But well worth the effort. Good luck guys.


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My dad smoked himself to death at 66. He was a wreck for years before that; barely able to walk a few steps. Seeing his example I never took it up.

I've been building instruments for for over forty years now, and considering the fact that I've never had a god dust collection system, I'm not doing too badly. Of course, I don't have a sanding machine either; I thickness stuff with a drill press planer, hand planes and scrapers, so there's much less fine dust. I can still count to ten without taking off my shoes. I'm not allergic to anything that I know of, although I'm becoming increasingly sensitive to Macassar ebony dust, and I'm very sensitive to lacquer fumes. ("Doc; it hurts when I walk like this!" "Then don't walk like that")

My main health issue is my hearing, which is pretty much shot; to the point where I get free hearing aids and a partial disability check every month from the VA. In my case it's a combination of hereditary and environmental issues. My father and older brother both had significant hearing loss, and the 'broad band' loss that I have is characteristic of hereditary problems. It was jump started by jet engine and machinery noise when I served aboard an aircraft carrier from '69-'72, which is why I qualify for the disability.

As a result, while I may be less than religious about wearing a dust mask I put my hearing protectors on pretty much EVERY TIME I turn on a power tool. You should too. At this point, the hearing aid settings I need to have to be able to distinguish speech most of the time are such that every time I play a guitar it sounds like it's buzzing. Badly. I've tried to get the audiologist to make up a setting that will enable me to hear buzzes, but so far no luck. I'm probably going to have to set a guitar up so that it buzzes, take it in next time, and tell her to make it so that I can hear that.

Along with Tim's fine points, I might add that it is important to break every tie you have with cigarettes, that meaning the wake up cigarette, the one with coffee, the after meal cigarette, cigarette with booze (if you booze), etc. You break each connection because it is essentially a "reward". At least that is what you tell yourself.
Oh, yea, tinnitus...forgot about that one. I have it all. Woodworking is not a healthy occupation. Just grateful for each instrument I can build.

Thanks for sharing your stories and experiences!

Does malnutrition count?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I'm fine but my guitars are sic!

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Pat

I've been at this craft for over 21 years, and am still perfectly healthy. What I'm reading into this thread is that most(all?) of you are suffering from ills that are the result of previous occupations or habits.

My only lutherie-related ill is that I became sensitized to nitrocellulose lacquer in '99 from over-exposure to the curing instruments that were off-gassing in my home(my bad....). Terence, you have my contact info if you want more input from me...

I have developed a severe carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands. I believe it's from a combination from 30 plus years of playing and working with my hands.

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Another day, another dollar.