: Any reason why "Thompsonized " wood is not used for building the
: frame? There are a lot of scraps of lumber used as pallet saperaters that
: are free at Home Depot and like stores.

There is an article in the Chicago Tribune this morning which involves the safety hazards of using pressure treated wood with children's playground equipment. The treatment on such materials is a copper and arsenic comppound which make ths tuff look like "green wood".

No, this is not about some kids trying to eat the wood. Apparently kids who just touch this stuff in the normal activities of playing on the playground pick up on their hands a level of arsenic which is far above the government's "Safe" level. The fear is that the kids will later put their hands in their mouths, or touch food, and thus bring the arsenic into their system. The story mentions disputes about arsenic buildup in the ground under such equipment as rains slowly leach the stuff from the wood. A spokesman for the pressure treated wood industry says the materials are safe ( as long as you don't eat them or breathe the dust) other sources say that the copper/arsenic compound can lead to problems with the kidneys, and is a carcinogen.

If you use this stuff, wear a good respirator when you cut it. The sawdust is not healthy.

PGJ

PS> I'd point to the link in the Tribune, but it would be obsolete in a day. You can look on their site (www.chicagotribune.com) in the Metro section. Or, later on, you can search their archives. The author is Rich Wronski. If you search for his last name and the word "arsenic" you should find the story.