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chop saw and sinus issue

NUTTSGT

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While I was making my mini-roller stand last night, I used my chop saw. I've been trying to open the garage door and let everything go outside. Last night I didn't and I felt my sinuses going to **** while I was out there in the garage.

Today I woke up with pounding sinus headache. I run a few errands and came home and flopped on the couch. I've had this problem before but never this bad.


Anybody else have problems using their chop saw ?

Guilty party.

01262012003.jpg
 
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GirlnAgarage

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Abrasives get airborne, be it on the chop saw or the grinder. I get a lot in mine - not fun.

Do a saline rinse if you can. It will help. Keep blowing your nose; take a hot shower to let the steam soften that stuff up, then blow it out.
 

Shadowdog500

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Wonder what got you with a chop saw. I never think to use a mask in the shop and have woken up feeling like **** the next day more than a few times.

My neighbor has been using my shop smith to build a few guitars. When we ran the wood through the jointer and planer for the guitar shown below (his second ever) we both woke up feeling like **** the next day. Turns out that the dust from the wood in the center stripe of the guitar actually messes with your nervous system. Good to know AFTER you breathed the stuff.

IMG_0213.jpg
 
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NUTTSGT

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I'd bet on an airborne allergen, not the chop saw!
I'm about 99% positive its from using the chopsaw. It's happened before.
Abrasives get airborne, be it on the chop saw or the grinder. I get a lot in mine - not fun.

Do a saline rinse if you can. It will help. Keep blowing your nose; take a hot shower to let the steam soften that stuff up, then blow it out.

I've been blowing my nose and there's nothing there. Then my nose just starts running. . . .gotta go catch it. brb. :spit:

Neti Pot - and wear a mask next time - should help some...

I've thought of the mask but last few times, I opened the garage door and rolled it out. I didn't have a problem then. I was only making a few cuts last night so I didn't think it would be a problem.

I'm wondering if cutting those bolts and what ever they're coated with has made it worse than normal ?
 

35mastr

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I get the same problem when using a grinder on welds. Even end up with sore throat most of the time for a couple days.
 

RLRRLRLL

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I've had sinus issues all my life. My friend is a chiropractor, so one day i asked him. Do you have anything for it. He said come by. Since then i've been doing a therapy called Diathermy..i think. I can no breath through my nose. So if you have sinus issues a lot, look into it, of course wear a mask when you do that stuff to! haha
 

GirlnAgarage

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What were you cutting on? Anything odd?

Do a rinse. Crud gets way back up in there. As long as it is there it'll keep aggravating the sinus and making your nose run.


I get a lot of leather dust in mine. Even after a few years getting use to it the stuff still bothers me. Hope you feel better soon! :)


Ohh just for giggles do a search for your location for today's allergen report. That might have some bearing.
 

Gearhead559

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i got money that says its the wheel on your chop saw my man. not all blades are the same. i normally use a dewalt blade on mine, but i have had cheap ones that dont bother me at all. im loving the new kimball midwest blades. been using them on my 4 1/2 angle cutter, and i have cut up a ton of **** with them so far, and i havent even really worn out the blade. granted they are $5 each, but well worth the money in the long run. once my chop saw blade is done for, im going to get a kimball one for it. might be something you look into. plus i can see from your pic, your blade has a chunk missing from it already. just a thought!
 
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NUTTSGT

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i got money that says its the wheel on your chop saw my man. not all blades are the same. i normally use a dewalt blade on mine, but i have had cheap ones that dont bother me at all. im loving the new kimball midwest blades. been using them on my 4 1/2 angle cutter, and i have cut up a ton of **** with them so far, and i havent even really worn out the blade. granted they are $5 each, but well worth the money in the long run. once my chop saw blade is done for, im going to get a kimball one for it. might be something you look into. plus i can see from your pic, your blade has a chunk missing from it already. just a thought!

I do have a Dewalt blade on mine and yes the edge got a little frayed when I cut something a few weeks ago. It seemed to stil lwork ok and didn't act like it was out of balance so I kept using it.

Where did you get the Kimball Midwest blade from ?
 

Thruxton

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GirlinaGarage asked the right q: what were you cutting? Walnut can do it for many, pine gets to some (esp animals) so that's a place to look.
 

Gearhead559

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I do have a Dewalt blade on mine and yes the edge got a little frayed when I cut something a few weeks ago. It seemed to stil lwork ok and didn't act like it was out of balance so I kept using it.

Where did you get the Kimball Midwest blade from ?

kimball midwest.. i have a rep that comes around. they have some nice product that my nut and bolt guy dont get, so its stuff like that i buy from their rep when he comes in.
im thinking its the material in the blade itself that is heating up and causing you , your issues. i know you cut all different kinds of stuff, so that cant be the direct cause. so im thinking its more to due with the blade.:thumbup:
 

trboxman

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Getting a snoot full of metal dust or the wrong kind of saw dust really messes up my sinuses. I use a saline nasal rinse as soon as I'm done with that type of work...sometimes I'll even do a rinse 3 or 4 times in a day if it's one of those all day dust creation days. It makes a hugely positive impact on whether I get a sinus infection from dust exposure. I rarely get an infection now that I do the sinus rinse, whereas before I'd have one almost every time I created a lot of dust.
 

n2ocamaro

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When I first started working with metal (grinding, cutting, sanding), I would get headaches the next day every time. Started wearing a mask and quit getting the headaches.
 
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BMEP

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I believe all those cut-off blades are made from abrasive (aluminum oxide or silicon carbide), resin and fiberglass. I can't imagine that the burnt resin and fiberglass is much good for you
 
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NUTTSGT

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kimball midwest.. i have a rep that comes around. they have some nice product that my nut and bolt guy dont get, so its stuff like that i buy from their rep when he comes in.
im thinking its the material in the blade itself that is heating up and causing you , your issues. i know you cut all different kinds of stuff, so that cant be the direct cause. so im thinking its more to due with the blade.:thumbup:

I think I'll change the blade if I go out to the garage tomorrow. I think I have another new blade to use. Although it's another Dewalt, it's new and doesn't have an edge like the one that's on it. I'm also going to roll it over to the over head door and open that too.

I'm going to have to look at other blades too. I hope it's not Dewalt blsdes causing the problem. I try to buy a decent blade and it bites me in the ***, who'd know ? :wtf:
 

Gearhead559

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I believe all those cut-off blades are made from abrasive (aluminum oxide or silicon carbide), resin and fiberglass. I can't imagine that the burnt resin and fiberglass is much good for you

im thinking its a combo of that.... the better blades have alot less of that stuff in them, and are way tougher!
 

Gearhead559

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LennyTheLizard

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I had very similar issue while working in my shop recently. I was grinding on a steel frame to get ready for welding. Breathing the grinding dust TORE ME UP! I have allergic asthma, but it hasn't bothered me in a long time. This kicked in the asthma, and I had to hit my inhaler a 1/2 dozen times before I went to bed that night.

1. Open the door and get some ventilation going. I set-up so the work is perpendicular to the door, and have a fan blowing out the door (behind me).
2. Wear a dust mask
3. Wear a face shield to keep the majority of dust from coming right in your face.
 

Gearhead559

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Cool. I'll check them out in the morning.


Thanks for the input guys/girls.

what i got
IMG_20120127_233125.jpg


after i beat the living snot out of one
IMG_20120127_233220.jpg


my dumb *** got 5" instead of 4 1/2" but it took alot to get it to the point i could put the shield back on. :headscrat

but they retail for like $8ea, but i got them for $5.34ea cause i bough a pack of 5, but them i tried some of there bi metal air saw blades and they are junk. im sending them back.and trying some different ones. he said if i got any thing i didnt like, he would buy them back. so im keeping the cut off wheels, ordering one for the chop saw once this dewalt one is done for, and maybe trying some other wheels and various things too. lmk if you want one, i might get a better deal then ordering online.
 

Perryk

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Wonder what got you with a chop saw. I never think to use a mask in the shop and have woken up feeling like **** the next day more than a few times.

My neighbor has been using my shop smith to build a few guitars. When we ran the wood through the jointer and planer for the guitar shown below (his second ever) we both woke up feeling like **** the next day. Turns out that the dust from the wood in the center stripe of the guitar actually messes with your nervous system. Good to know AFTER you breathed the stuff.

IMG_0213.jpg

Years ago while on a trip to Tasmania, I stopped at a woodturners gift shot and I asked him about the full face mask he was using while turning bowls. He mentioned something about certain airborn wood fibers which can affect the lungs similar to asbestos fibers.

Dont know if its true but inhaling anything other than clean air cant be good.
 

1grnlwn

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One of the best decisions I ever made was to put the chop saw in long term storage and get a nice horiz band saw w/coolant. No more fire starting sparks, cleaner cuts, no waiting for the piece to cool. It ends the endless search for the perfect wheel. I always had problems with the wheel loading up and not wanting to cut. I am glad that I didn't throw it away because we got it out this fall after 10 years to cut some rebar for our shop floor project.
 

bad_idea

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http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202078789/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Buy one of these. I comfortably wear one up to 10 hours a day at work and they fit under a welding helmet just fine. Cheapest and easiest answer. Next step is to build a catch can for the chop saw. A metal bucket with a couple inches of water in it below the saw should do it.

Next question: Are you wearing a face-shield when cutting with an abrasive disk like that? Whether a 4 1/2" grinder or the chop saw, you should be wearing a face-shield. I had to have the doctor remove a piece of steel from my eye last week because I was too lazy to put the face-shield on. I was wearing safety glasses btw.
 
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NUTTSGT

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what i got
but they retail for like $8ea, but i got them for $5.34ea cause i bough a pack of 5, but them i tried some of there bi metal air saw blades and they are junk. im sending them back.and trying some different ones. he said if i got any thing i didnt like, he would buy them back. so im keeping the cut off wheels, ordering one for the chop saw once this dewalt one is done for, and maybe trying some other wheels and various things too. lmk if you want one, i might get a better deal then ordering online.

If they were to let me buy direct, I'll stop and get one next time we go down to Children's. :beer:
 

Kevin54

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I think I'll change the blade if I go out to the garage tomorrow. I think I have another new blade to use. Although it's another Dewalt, it's new and doesn't have an edge like the one that's on it. I'm also going to roll it over to the over head door and open that too.

I'm going to have to look at other blades too. I hope it's not Dewalt blsdes causing the problem. I try to buy a decent blade and it bites me in the ***, who'd know ? :wtf:

Why not put a paint respirator on? Or if you don't have a paint respirator, invest in one. If you look at the warning on the labels, it should tell you it is hazardous to breath what it puts off.
 

Gearhead559

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If they were to let me buy direct, I'll stop and get one next time we go down to Children's. :beer:

you should be able to buy direct. but i warn you, for guys like me and you, dont spend alot of time in there. wife might get mad about a second mortgage's on the house :beer:
 
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NUTTSGT

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Why not put a paint respirator on? Or if you don't have a paint respirator, invest in one. If you look at the warning on the labels, it should tell you it is hazardous to breath what it puts off.

Bahhhhhh. That stuff won't kill ya. :lol_hitti


Seriously though, I have one. It's just a matter of breaking the habit of doing something new. Nothing wrong with change, just getting used to it is the problem. :thumbup:
 
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NUTTSGT

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Well, I do have to admit something. I think what I have is what has been going around here for a week or two. It has progressed to the upper respiratory tract like what everybody else has had.
 

bad_idea

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I have that same cold. For the SECOND time this month....

Metal Fab is a hazardous job, let alone hobby. I would highly recommend you get use to wearing a respirator while doing any kind of cutting or welding.
 
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