I’ve been cutting some Hardie over the last week or so and have recently acquired some pretty aggravated sinuses.
Any time I was cutting (I was using a circular saw with a fiber cement blade) I wore a nice 3M dust mask. I’m just curious if anyone else had run across a problem like this, but I’m inclined to think it is pure coincidence and I caught a sinusy cold or something. You know, what with the changing weather and all.
On a related note, I picked up some Kett shears over the weekend and am completely impressed. I expected them to be good, but I can’t believe how much easier the shears make this job.
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I had a similar problem using a dust mask and circular saw. Then I too got the Kett shears, and no more dust. Anybody want a fibercement blade for a circular saw?
Are you talking the kind of dust mask that looks like a surgical mask, or the kind that looks like a gas mask. The gas mask kind work if you adjust the fit right and use the right filter cartridges. The surgical mask kind don't work.
Try washing your sinuses out using salted water. I just pour some in the palm of my hand and sniff it up. I use about 1/2 a cup this way. This will let you see how much dust is really getting into your sinuses. Use this mask 3M-6800 to avoid it. The shears also eliminate the problem...but it takes serious mask to protect you when you are cutting that stuff with a saw.
I just had the kind that looks like a surgical mask, so it was apparently inadequate. I would like to get something else too, though, because I still have to use the saw to cut the Hardie 1x material.
Have any of you tried the blades with only about three teeth that "chips" the material instead of creating a dust cloud?
The Hitachi diamond-tipped Hardi blades have four teeth (10"), but they still kick out quite a bit of dust. Stand upwind, or wear a mask with dual straps. IMO, the snapper-type shears are too crude for cuts that aren't hidden by molding or trim, and they tend to delaminate the boards at corners. For curved cuts and notches, I prefer Remington's "Remgrit" blades in a jigsaw.
Edited 11/19/2004 8:16 pm ET by TJK
Bluemoose,
I picked up one of those fibercement blades with the 3 carbide teeth. I was very skepticle after seeing what that stuff does to Marathon blades. I was very impressed with its performance and longevity. Still lots of dust though. I really want to try those shears... RZ
Yeah, and washing your sinuses out is good. Use "canning salt" (no additives) mixed with warm water in a WaterPik. (You can get a special tip for this for the WaterPik.)
Buy a plastic toy teapot. Use that.Lean over the sink.Tilt your head forward to horizontal. With your head turned sideways.Stick the spout in one side of your nose. (The upper nostril.)Let the saltwater run through your sinuses and out the other nostril.Now do it all over again, the opposite direction.People who do this everyday, because of religious beliefs, do not get sinus infections...
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
FC is nothing to fool with... the silica dust is terrible..
we use a Makita FC saw hooked up to our Fein AutoVac...
no dust.. no masks...Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I've seen that saw and was curious about how well it worked. I'm going to pick up a respirator this weekend.Do you have the guys nailing up the Hardie wear respirators as well? I could see dust puffing into the face of my partner with some shots.
Edited 11/20/2004 12:36 am ET by bluemoose
no, we don't wear respirators or dust masks with FC
our first job was an education... dust everywhere.. even hard to see
we got the saw , the vacuumn, and now we have less dust than when we work with wood..
so cutting, or nailing.. we don't use a dust mask..
i think some of your nailing dust might be from blowing the cut dust around
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Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 11/20/2004 7:47 am ET by Mike Smith
IMO BS
Well that settles it, doesn't it ?All those millions who do that every day can just quit doing it because IYO it's BS.;)
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
Any time you generate cement dust, you cause lung irritation. Cement is quite alkaline (causing irritation), and also it "dries" the lung passages. This results in an asthma-like condition in some people (such as the workers at "Ground Zero").
The simple fix is to drink extra fluids and take an expectorant (Robitussin) BEFORE you experience symptoms. The expectorant causes extra mucous to flow in the lungs, helping them to keep clear.
Use a cartridge respirator with the purple (HEPA) dust cartridges. Fine dust from any material is something to be concerned about. Don't mess with your lungs- protect yourself properly. Do a fit test to make sure the respirator's not leaking.
Remodeling around old plaster, we see a lot of dust too.
I also started to have asthmatic responses strong enogh to bother with a few years ago and a couple allergies. Here is part of my regimen that helps with the whole thing.
Dust masks of course, but they don't deal with all of it, nor can I wear it all the time.
I get littel squeeze bottles of saline at the drug store to spray and flush the inside of my nose. This also seems to have prevented more colds from taking hold.
after my first flush in the morning while gettin gdressed, I dab a little Borofax lotion inside my nostrils. This is very soothing and the little bit of grease job helps catch fine particles right at the end of my nose before they get inhalled further down, and then it is easy to clean out later. Without the borofax, I end up with a parge coat stuck to each nostril that takes heavy equipment ( a finger nail) to dig out. That can result in a nose bleed from the dry cracked skin.
then I use an expectorant too.( someone mentioned Robitussin) the active ingredient is Guifensin (sp?) You can get this cheaper and without the other medicines in cough syrup by buying it in tablet from. Mucinex is the name on the bottle I buy. This should be used sparingly, especialy if you have high blood pressure or prostrate problems, because it constricts certain small muscles, includign blood vessels.
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I think you mean the cellulitis from about 18 months ago. That healed well, but then this year I got celulitis in the knee on other leg and had to go to surgery where they took out a large portion of my bursa, which is why I've been reading the kneeepad thread
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