A friend wants me to mill a piece of hemlock he cut from a fallen tree in the North woods of Wisconsin a few years ago. Its been suggested to me that I not do this because the sawdust might be poisonous. I need some advice. Any informed opinnions out there?
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Replies
The hemlock of antiquity that was known as a poison is not related to the tree of the same name.
John W.
Edited 2/1/2007 7:26 pm ET by JohnWW
But just to be safe, don't brew tea from the branches.
Poison hemlock is a bush, not a tree, a member of the parsnip family. The seeds are the most dangerous but primarily for grazing live stock, not humans.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Hi schoolteacher ,
Hammer has it correct , poison Hemlock is a small bush like plant and quite odiferous at that . Hemlock and Hemfir are commonly used for trim and non structural fascia and such with no adverse health risks associated that I have ever heard .
you should be perfectly safe in milling this very soft wood .
good luck dusty
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