body for rosewood/ebony neck

[gibson 1964]

I have a rosewood neck with ebony fretboard. I want to make a body for it.  I am thinking a hollow body,  possibly vipish. possibly thinline tele. the thing is,  I am not certain what woods I want to use.  purpleheart, with a leapordwood top? Rosewood?

I tend to have reactions to rosewood,  so that could rule me out. Wenge is another option.  Yet, I am worried, its particular growl might take over the sound.

 

[AutoBat]

Although wood reactions are uncommon, Rosewood, Teak, Wenge, Ipe, Makore, Ebony, Mahogany and especially Cocobolo are a few that may cause skin and/or respiratory irritation.
Everyone is different.  Just because your body doesn't like rosewood doesn't mean one of the others will (or won't).  Unfortunately it's a trial and error method.  The best idea is to wear gloves & long sleeve shirt as well as a proper respirator while working with cutting/sanding.
wood irritant source: http://www.riparia.org/toxic_woods.htm

 

[gibson 1964]

Well, wenge is fine by me. So is ebony and purpleheart. Ipe and rosewood are pretty bad, (respiratory on the rosewood) and I just plain am scared of cocobolo. I can do a little bit of work with rosewood, but the quantity of dust a hollowed out body and a sculpted top generate, make me lean away from it for a vipish body. I think I could handle a tele thinline pretty well in rosewood

(essentially doing a 3 piece sandwich of 1/4 inch top, 4/4 or 5/4 core and 1/4 inch bottom)

 

[Orpheo]

wenge is horrible to work with. it splinters easily and if a splinter gets caught in your skin you might as well consider amputation. almost instant inflammation.

I'd go with walnut, korina, maple, mahogany...buckeye perhaps? 

 

[Cagey]

Well, wenge is fine by me. So is ebony and purpleheart. Ipe and rosewood are pretty bad, (respiratory on the rosewood) and I just plain am scared of cocobolo. I can do a little bit of work with rosewood, but the quantity of dust a hollowed out body and a sculpted top generate, make me lean away from it for a vipish body. I think I could handle a tele thinline pretty well in rosewood.

I'm surprised Rosewood would bother you, but not Ebony. That stuff's usually toxic even for people who haven't become sensitized to it. And while I don't have any experience with it, my understanding is you're right to be afraid of Cocobolo. Even Warmoth doesn't like to work with it, and they're set up for it.

That's the trick, though. You need to be set up to deal with atmospheric contaminants, which means robust ventilation. If you pull the contaminants away, they won't hurt you so easily. My last shop was good that way, and I didn't do it to get rid of toxic wood dust so much as smoke. I used to work with Red Oak a lot, and that stuff always either wanted to burn or it just stunk like [something very stinky] when you cut it. Plumbing some ventilation and exhaust around the tools made all the difference in the world.