Can not do it the old way it would kill me...

70 years old just dodged the big C, For over 60 years done stupid things, with cutting oil, diesel smoke, paint thinner, grinding, ect... shop so full of what ever you could not see the lights, air so full of brunt cutting oil the windows never would come clean..you know 1950... well got C in the throat, caught it early, removed it all before stage 1 even. i am now on the mend and boy does it hurt. But now what will replace cutting oil on the lathe,s and drills. Water sul coolent, something to dab/ brush on? I dont know.... so young guys what do you use and don't do like I have...just hate to machine without some form of lub/coolent, oh everything is manual from the 50/70s good old heavy American iron...Phil

I frequent a swiss shop that runs oil, and they run various devices to remove the smoke.
On the machines, as well as ceiling mounted for the air around the shop.

On conventional (manual) equipment, you could use water soluble, and many folk do. Cutting oil is ok, but I steer away from it as I dislike the smell.
Regardless, I would install mist/smoke collectors on the machines and perhaps a ceiling mounted unit as @DDoug has suggested.
Me, I'd go Trim MicroSol 585XT or Extreme-Cut 251C.

DDoug said:

I frequent a swiss shop that runs oil, and they run various devices to remove the smoke.
On the machines, as well as ceiling mounted for the air around the shop.

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That is exactly the point. The problem is not generating the smoke but failing to remove it before breathing it in.

As you know, we run oil and lard coolants and cutting oils in all of our machines. ( Love that heavy American Iron!) but we never let an oil cloud fill the shop, doors get thrown open even in sub zero temps if that happens. I've been looking into an air filter system for the shop to keep the air quality better though, since welding also occurs frequently and I'm sure welding, cutting and chemical fumes are all worse than oil smoke.

Many here know I recently lost my dad to cancer, but it was a bone cancer. Good that you caught it early! Get well soon!

Phil, first, glad you are doing ok, we have all done stupid stuff over and over, and I for one have the scars to prove it.
I agree with many saying ventilation is key, no matter what you do. I get away without it because I have a tall open shop and we are not usually running balls to the wall. Even with soluble, you will suffer if you do not ventilate.
So, in the end, where it is convenient for you and most necessary, change to a good soluble, but get some smoke eaters and/or exhaust vents.
The problem is not so much the cutting oil as the breathing it. If you can get away from that you should be good until you cannot wheel yourself in front of a machine anymore.

Phil in Montana said:

70 years old just dodged the big C, For over 60 years done stupid things, with cutting oil, diesel smoke, paint thinner, grinding, ect... shop so full of what ever you could not see the lights, air so full of brunt cutting oil the windows never would come clean..you know 1950... well got C in the throat, caught it early, removed it all before stage 1 even. i am now on the mend and boy does it hurt. But now what will replace cutting oil on the lathe,s and drills. Water sul coolent, something to dab/ brush on? I dont know.... so young guys what do you use and don't do like I have...just hate to machine without some form of lub/coolent, oh everything is manual from the 50/70s good old heavy American iron...Phil

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Best I can come up with, one of which is echoed by others in this thread:

1) Increase ventilation, add overhead air filters in key locations.

2) Don't know if this one makes sense in a machine shop, or at least I've not seen it yet as a general remedy (not counting environments requiring specific breathing PPE): Look into powered filtration helmets with a full, sealed face shield. Needs to have the right filter/rating for airborne particulate.

The one's I'm thinking of are minimalist, not some kind of massive face mask with cans hanging off it. Little powered air unit with a HEPA filter, nothing but a sealed face shield over your face.

I was a heavy wood turner for about 14 years (serious hobby, not a job). Breathing in FINE, floating wood dust is a real problem (sanding). You can get cloth/rated masks, but finally I invested in one of the cheaper powered visors that had a HEPA filter cartridge. At first I was worried it would interfere with my ability to see what I was doing but it turned out great the vast majority of the time. You never had a fogged face shield on the inside, nor fogged glasses due to the constant flow of clean air into the face shield. And the HEPA filter worked perfectly. Not even the finest dust (real obvious with Walnut) got into the visor. I'd finish a marathon 8 hour turning session, clean up, go to the sink to blow my nose into a white tissue to check it out, and nothing but clean boogers, not a disgusting mess of brown gunk.

I mention the powered visor possibility because you've mentioned "the big C".

Take care, and best of luck.

Doug said:

Water solubles versus straight oil<<<<<snipped>>>>>
Question to Phil, were you a smoker? Smoking is by far the stupidest thing you can do healthwise. Whenever I was hiring I tried to avoid smokers. Generally not as healthy as non smokers and they smell bad.

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Wife, a year older passed away in 2018, at home, 67 years old. She'd smoked continually, heavily since age of 18, drank coffee as they do in Middle East. Dying at home calls for an autopsy; her lungs were clear, no evident bodily cancer, no intestinal issues. She could hike, climb stairs and work all day. High blood pressure did her in.

CA has warning labels on everything imaginable, things collectively all of us handled entire lives; well out of proportion to 'dire' consequences carried by those same labels. No matter where sold, those labels persist, with a low-grade paranoia country wide. CA issues a placard screen printed for sign posts, made and printed of very same compounds in the warnings.

Point is, we all have a collection of Achilles heels, but it may not be one taking you. Avoid concentrations of unnatural elements, substitutions and products with additives to addict you. Eat, rest and think to enable working tomorrow like you did days ago, such as hefting a milling vise or you won't be able. Those Achilles weaknesses capitalize on us 'slowing down'.

Toolmaker51 said:

Wife, a year older passed away in 2018, at home, 67 years old. She'd smoked continually, heavily since age of 18, drank coffee as they do in Middle East. Dying at home calls for an autopsy; her lungs were clear, no evident bodily cancer, no intestinal issues. She could hike, climb stairs and work all day. High blood pressure did her in.

CA has warning labels on everything imaginable, things collectively all of us handled entire lives; well out of proportion to 'dire' consequences carried by those same labels. No matter where sold, those labels persist, with a low-grade paranoia country wide. CA issues a placard screen printed for sign posts, made and printed of very same compounds in the warnings.

Point is, we all have a collection of Achilles heels, but it may not be one taking you. Avoid concentrations of unnatural elements, substitutions and products with additives to addict you. Eat, rest and think to enable working tomorrow like you did days ago, such as hefting a milling vise or you won't be able. Those Achilles weaknesses capitalize on us 'slowing down'.

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Never was, my Mother was a 5 pack a day gal made me so PO I naver even tried the stuff... thanks god for that>>>phil

Even when smokes were .35¢, imagine what tangible purchases could have been made instead?
People today are lighting up an entire set of US HSS drill bits every few days.

Try bacon drippings.
It will make you hungry, and it’s a good cutting lub