I have heard of several highly toxic woods being used in construction of sets. Namely Yew and Laburnum.
Surely over a period of time the player would end up rather ill?
Has anyone ever been daft enough to make mouth blown pipes out of Yew or Laburnum?
Is there a process of detoxifying these woods?
Anyone got a toxic chanter?
Do a Google or Yahoo search on yew bagpipes and you’ll find a few sources:
http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/~Heritage/JBMPipeband/BagPipes.htm
http://www.goodacrepipes.mcmail.com/bagpipes/in_stock.htm
Detoxify? probably not, However, water based non-toxic lacquer products used to coat childrens wooden toys would provide a barrier if your hands were affected after long periods of playing. Don’t use oil. It can make the reaction worse.
I have a C chanter made from yew. Very very sweet and pretty. I think that it is only the leafs (or needles - what is that called in english?) that are toxic. Horses can get quite ill from eating it.
I have worked a lot with yew without any problems.
Morten
I am prejudiced against Cocobolo wood. Years ago I made pipes from cocobolo. Some small percentage of the population is allergic. At least 2 people I knew developed skin rashes from playing their cocobolo chanters. These were bellows-blown pipes. Not to mention one fellow I know who turned cocobolo for some weeks, no problem, then suddenly developed dreadful rashes on his arms and had trouble breathing.
Nick Whitmer
I think most people who are prone to allergies ought to keep themselves well informed of what materials have a higher risk of causing a response in them…especially those who work with these materials often. However, I know of folks who have reactions to other hardwoods like maple and oak (my wife being one), stuff not commonly known to cause an alergenic response. While working with these or any materials, it is always wise to take the necessary precautions toward preventing bad reactions from potential allergens…mask, long sleve shirt, work gloves, googles etc, etc. If you know you are prone to allergies, don’t work with, or handle these materials.
Basically, I think it is really a case of the individual not knowing or caring about what they are handling, as opposed to ‘killer woods’ to avoid. Take the time to research your immunity to any and all materials you plan to handle frequently… ie,: Uilleann Pipes made of Cocobolo.
I believe it was yews that killed two of our orang-utans at our local zoo.
I don’t think the ill-fated orangs were uilleann pipers.
tk
The orangs might have been highland pipers.
Actually the orangs were bodhran players.
Yew is highly poisenous. Exposure over time could be a health risk.
Might be ok for making long Bows, but certainly not a good idea for flutes or mouth blown pipes. I don’t think that regular handling of Yew would be a great idea 
No antisemitism on this forum please 
No antisemitism on this forum please
Yumpin’ Yiminy, dat’s goot!
djm
Yes, all parts of the Yew tree are highly poisonous, apart from the red berries, of which I have eaten many. (They are very sweet). The seeds inside are poisionous though, although when birds eat the fruit they just pass the seeds undigested.
I wouldn’t use a yew chanter without laquer of some kind.
That was in the Duluth zoo, if memory serves. Technically, you could say that it was the maintenance laborers that killed the orangs, as the workers had, in their ignorance, tossed yew trimmings into the orangs’ compound as conveniently got forage. Seemed like a good idea at the time, I’m sure…
I’ve stopped ranting about makers who use yew plugs in recorder fipples, etc. The rationale is that if you don’t eat it, you’ll be okay. People seem to be comfortable with that. I for one don’t feel like testing that assumption. Yew wood is indeed very toxic. There are wood toxicity charts aplenty out there on the web that confirm this. As for simply handling a yew chanter, I have no idea.
If I remember correctly, it’s not the wood itself, but rather the oils in the wood that carry the toxins right? If this is true, would it be theoretically possible to dry the natural oils out of a piece of wood, and then re-oil it with another type such as almond or what have you? Sounds like even if it could be done though it would require a LOT of work, and run a high risk of cracking let alone warping…
One of our effective chemotherapeutic agents (aka poisons), Taxol, comes from the yew though I’m not sure which part and no time to do a literature search at the moment.
The problem with cocobolo is cell mediated immunity due to hapten formation and the reaction is poison ivy- like. What it means is that sap of the wood gets on and in the skin, binds to your body’s proteins altering them, and the immune system recognizes the “new” proteins as foreign and attacks them. Not all will get into trouble with this issue. In fact, most won’t but some really will have a dreadful time of it. Our pipemakers are probably at greater risk than are pipers. If you do have a problem then sell the chanter and get a replacement.
Nano, when you chew your fipples, do you eat the red ones last? 
djm
Oh. You wrote fipples. Had a Hannibal Lecter moment, briefly, there.
The answer is yes. You’ll have to guess as to which. 
Smarty!
djm
Trees of Greater Portland, a book published in the early 90’s, witheld addresses or descriptions of Pacific Yew trees since so many people were skinning the bark for Taxol. I believe they’ve learned to synthesize the stuff since then. Good that we’ve found a use for what loggers considered a “trash tree.”
Many old flutes had metal plates installed over the blowing hole. Perhaps this was done to put a barrier between the player and the wood, in case of allergic problems. It would affect the tone as well, too, I suppose. The experts would know why they put these on.
buskersean. You are a wild and crazy guy 
Have you ever thought that you may be living a bit close to the edge??