# Any information on Cooktown Ironwood? Safety, etc?



## kazuma78 (Jan 7, 2021)

I bought some of this and brought it back while I was in Australia and the guys there said it can make you sick/get infected if you get splinters from it. I am curious if anyone else has any experience or information on it. Since @phinds is a species expert I will call on you, but if anyone else knows much about this wood or has any experience with it or info about it I would be interested. Thanks in advance!

I attached a picture of it at the bottom. Its EXTREMELY hard and dense and the mill worker there said they use it for underwater harpoon gun butt stocks and other things because water doesn't affect it and it doesn't float. He also said they used it for dock posts hundreds of years ago and they still stand to this day, hardly affected.

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## Eric Rorabaugh (Jan 7, 2021)

@Crocy in Aus.

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## phinds (Jan 7, 2021)

Joah, I had never even heard of this wood but perhaps some of our other members have?

I found two species names associated with that common name, Erythrophleum laboucherii and Erythrophleum chlorostachys.

Erythrophleum chlorostachys is also known as Australian red ebony and has a Janka hardness of 3820 which is really hard (but there are about 4 dozen woods that are harder). The internet gives the density as 1.22, which would sink like a stone.

A simple internet search (you should learn how to do this yourself) turned up "The foliage of the tree contains toxic levels of alkaloids and has been responsible for numerous deaths of both cattle and horses." It says nothing about the wood but better safe than sorry.

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## Mr. Peet (Jan 7, 2021)

kazuma78 said:


> I bought some of this and brought it back while I was in Australia and the guys there said it can make you sick/get infected if you get splinters from it. I am curious if anyone else has any experience or information on it. Since @phinds is a species expert I will call on you, but if anyone else knows much about this wood or has any experience with it or info about it I would be interested. Thanks in advance!
> 
> I attached a picture of it at the bottom. Its EXTREMELY hard and dense and the mill worker there said they use it for underwater harpoon gun butt stocks and other things because water doesn't affect it and it doesn't float. He also said they used it for dock posts hundreds of years ago and they still stand to this day, hardly affected.
> 
> View attachment 199512





Factsheet - Erythrophleum chlorostachys



Factsheet - _Erythrophleum chlorostachys _ 
The leaves (particularly the leaves of sucker shoots) have caused losses in cattle, horses, sheep, donkey, goats and camels. Everist (1974).

People working with the timber should be careful as it is suspected of causing dermatitis and splinters are reputed to cause complications.

So don't eat it or hump it.

If you end up with extra, I'd buy a small piece of the 'flamed' piece. My reference samples finish at 3" wide by 6" long by 1/2" thick.

Edit: my one sample is flatsawn and has faint flame grain on one side. So could use a 1/4 sample as well.

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## Eric Rorabaugh (Jan 7, 2021)

Guess it's like wilted cherry leaves killing cows. When the leaves wilt they may have cyanide in them and will kill a cow. We always watch the cherry trees around the fields.


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 7, 2021)

Eric Rorabaugh said:


> Guess it's like wilted cherry leaves killing cows. When the leaves wilt they may have cyanide in them and will kill a cow. We always watch the cherry trees around the fields.



Wilted 'black locust' can cause issue too. Even high levels of wilted apple are of issue to cows. Multi chambered stomachs seem to compound issues.... Neighbor lost a horse to live 'black cherry' leaves during a drought one year.


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## kazuma78 (Jan 7, 2021)

phinds said:


> Joah, I had never even heard of this wood but perhaps some of our other members have?
> 
> I found two species names associated with that common name, Erythrophleum laboucherii and Erythrophleum chlorostachys.
> 
> ...


I did read that when searching when I originally bought it over a year ago. But the leaf information didn't give me enough to go on for the wood. Some of the locals also said animals died when eating the leaves. They said splinters would get septic. But I assumed septic to them meant infected and not really "septic" as we would refer to it in the U.S.


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 7, 2021)

kazuma78 said:


> I did read that when searching when I originally bought it over a year ago. But the leaf information didn't give me enough to go on for the wood. Some of the locals also said animals died when eating the leaves. They said splinters would get septic. But I assumed septic to them meant infected and not really "septic" as we would refer to it in the U.S.



The splinters can cause more than infection, but kill the skin and tissue around the shard, according to an Aussy friend. Think he was serious.


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## kazuma78 (Jan 7, 2021)

Mr. Peet said:


> The splinters can cause more than infection, but kill the skin and tissue around the shard, according to an Aussy friend. Think he was serious.


Hmm interesting. Makes me concerned to work with it if I'm cutting/sanding it. I wouldn't want that in my lungs or body in general. Sounds like it could really mess you up.


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## Mr. Peet (Jan 7, 2021)

kazuma78 said:


> Hmm interesting. Makes me concerned to work with it if I'm cutting/sanding it. I wouldn't want that in my lungs or body in general. Sounds like it could really mess you up.


Wear a quality dust mask, use an air system, wear well fit latex / acrylic safety gloves, tell others what you are doing and have a check in system, be sure you have a "911" working system in your shop / working area. I see plenty using it to make craft, so just be mindful, careful and productive.

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## kazuma78 (Jan 7, 2021)

Mr. Peet said:


> Factsheet - Erythrophleum chlorostachys
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'd trade a piece for something cool, I believe I do have a cut off of one of the flamed boards

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## Nature Man (Jan 8, 2021)

@wombat


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## Crocy in Aus. (Jan 8, 2021)

Eric Rorabaugh said:


> @Crocy in Aus.


Hi guys, sorry for the late response, I have been waiting for a sawmiller to get back to me as he cuts it, but they have been getting 300mm/ 1 foot of rain a day for a while up there, so he's awol.
I use it, on the lathe and the dust is annoying but never got a splinter. From what I have heard locally individuals react differently but PPE should be used. I treat it the same as Black Bean, Red Bean, Salmon Bean and several other Aussie timbers. The worst for me is Gutta-percha, the smell of it permeates my dust masks and makes my lips tingle like a neurotoxin.
It can be stunningly beautiful so treat it with precautions just like you do with Cocobolo.
If I get more information I will report back.
Rgds,
Crocy

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## DLJeffs (Jan 8, 2021)

Black palm is another one ... at least the thorns are nasty, not sure about the wood. We would get into them sometimes and get spines stuck in us. Infection about half the time.

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## Crocy in Aus. (Jan 13, 2021)

Well my miller got back to me, he had not heard of the splinters killing skin or flesh, but he said if you do get one you will know it's in you and you will do anything to get it out. Another interesting thing, he won't saw it at the mill as if the dogs walk through the sawdust and then lick their pads, they die and he has lost some previously.
Rgds,
Richard.

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## kazuma78 (Jan 13, 2021)

Crocy in Aus. said:


> Well my miller got back to me, he had not heard of the splinters killing skin or flesh, but he said if you do get one you will know it's in you and you will do anything to get it out. Another interesting thing, he won't saw it at the mill as if the dogs walk through the sawdust and then lick their pads, they die and he has lost some previously.
> Rgds,
> Richard.


Thanks for the info and for asking your friend. Thats pretty crazy the dust is so toxic to different animals. At the mill I picked this up in, they cut and planed it for me no problem, but I haven't used any of it yet because of their warnings after buying it. I guess use a great dust collector and extreme caution when using it.


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