"Leon" wrote in message
...

On 2/11/2018 11:24 PM, John Grossbohlin wrote:

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.


I used to receive and ship on pallets, hundreds per week. I never saw a
treated pallet as most were not wanted back by the shipper, GM. Only a
very few were made out of a decent wood and those were so riddled with
nails it was more trouble than it was worth to try and salvage for other
uses.

Regarding this tread, I was thinking more along the lines of the
requirements for pallets used in international shipments to be treated in
some way to prevent invasive pests. The reference to the smell suggested to
me it could be a product of this pickling process.

The efficacy of reusing pallets or pallet wood is certainly a valid issue...
I've only recycled them into kindling or used them on the floor of my lumber
shed as any other use would be too great of a time waster... especially with
the access I've had to rough cut over the years. Now that I have an Alaskan
chainsaw mill even more opportunities present themselves. For example, while
removing beaver killed trees from a rail trail last fall I picked up 8
cherry logs. I milled four of them in my back yard over the past couple
weekends... My lumber shed is overflowing and I am looking into ways to
store and dry more wood... I guarantee you none of it will be pallet wood!
LOL