"pyotr filipivich" wrote in message
...

Yes, that is my quandary. I have a stack of pallets, and some
rather nice (for some values of nice) boards in some of them.
Hardwood, I think "oak" - but I do not know. One thing I do know,
when I saw them loose, the wood gives off a pungent smell, similar to
that of strong vinegar. (I hope it is the wood, and not the saw
blade.)
This is more for my Fund of General Knowledge than a necessity.
I've used "pallet board" like this before to make so rather fine
(IMOSHO) small wooden boxes and the like.

I recently toured the factory of Community Play Things. Their products are
found in schools, day cares, hospitals, and other institutional places where
children and babies can be found. While there I found out that they use a
wood for their outdoor products that is pickled.

Though my memory of the details could be off, as I recall the wood itself is
from Austria and the preservation is done in Norway... This not a finish but
rather an impregnating process (I believe done under a vacuum like pressure
treated wood). When I smelled the wood it had the scent of pickles/vinegar.

For pallet wood it might be cost effective compared to heat treated wood...
perhaps this is what you have.