I made a wooden bowl out of some wood I grabbed from woodshop class. How do I know if the wood is safe to smoke out of? Ive heard that some wood is treated with chemicals and other things that I don't want in my smoke. Thanks
Untrue. There are certain woods like Cocobolo, Purpleheart, or Macassar Ebony that will release enzymes that can cause certain people to get severe skin reactions to. There was a link somewhere from my hardwood supplier that listed all woods that were "unsuitable" for contact with skin, but his link is broken right now. I can post the link as soon as it's fixed. What color/woodgrain do you want? I can advise some safe woods. Check out Jerusalem Olivewood, most woodworkers shops sell it. The wood has a beautiful grain, my personal favorite. Stay away from softer woods like pine, poplar, or anything sold at home depot, the pipe will burn before the greenery will ever light. Lastly, the woodgrain will swell and become raised if left unfinished. Another member said don't use anything with a coating like varnish or poly, which is excellent advice. There is a loophole though: You can rub in a coating of Jojoba Oil into hardwoods, and it keeps the wood waterproof, and makes the woods grain much more rich. If you want any pointers on what to use or where to get it, feel free to PM me, Ive been woodworking since I was 4. -Chris
Thanks. Is there anyway to tell if this particular pipe i made, is harmful wood? When I used it, it worked fine, and I don't think its soft wood. Ps: the burnt wood is not only from use, I burned it with a lighter.
That looks honestly like pine. I would stop using that, chances are it's been treated as most pine is.
Drumsticks are usually either oak or maple, sometimes hickory which all should be safe. But unfortunately, drumsticks are coated with an oil based poly which is poisonous. Just go to a woodshop and buy a dowelrod of maple. Shouldn't cost more than $3-5
