Making a swing set for a nephew and family, an Xmas gift.... frame of cypre ss, slats made from salvaged telephone pole cross pieces. Pretty sure the slat wood is Douglas-fir. Porch swing type swing, hung from treated 4x4 framing.
Cutting the cross piece 4X4s, there was a slight odor, somewhat similar to the smell of oils and other mixed liquids in an auto repair shop. I didn' t think too much of it, at first. Was wearing a dust mask.
I assumed these cross pieces had been vulcanized, not chemically treated, f or their use on telephone poles. They weren't cresoted. The lumber didn' t smell like "normal" wood does. Later, I began having symptoms of conges ted lungs, coughing badly. After 3 days, I'm still coughing.
There are no adverse affects from handling the wood, as would with cresote lumber, so I'm confident it's safe for use as swing slats.
I salvaged these 4x4s from the city's utilities department, when I asked th em for a damaged metal light pole (to be used for steaming wood). Maybe s ome contaminate got on the 4x4s, when in the city's "trash" heap.
I've had and used (cut) other (different source) salvaged cross piece 4x4s, before, without having these breathing issues.
Advice: Be careful what woods you salvage and from where. Be alerted to unusual smells or other abnormalities.
Today, I spent some good time blowing out my shop, of any lingering dust fr om the cutting of those 4x4s. I'll re-evaluate my dust masks (quality), al so.... might be time to upgrade.
The only other time I've had similar breathing issues, after cutting wood, was with cutting two storm-felled catalpa trees. From chain sawing the gr een logs to cutting the air dried milled lumber, that stuff was nasty for t he lungs.
Will seal the slats with shellac, then apply outdoor poly. If the differen t woods look too different/contrasting, the swing might get painted. Hope to assemble the swing set Thursday or Friday.
Sonny