A short salvaged board can look just right for a replacement crate slat. Before it joins the cut pile, give it a separate place on the bench and a proper look. Old nail holes, broken screws and an unfamiliar coating are reasons to pause, not details to discover with a saw blade.
Start with the board’s history, if you know it. Wood from a clean indoor shelf is a different prospect from timber with an unknown industrial use or chemical spill. If you cannot establish whether it was treated or contaminated, set it aside rather than sanding it to find out. A weathered surface is not proof that the wood underneath is suitable for a household box.
Under good light, inspect both faces, both edges and the ends. Look for fastener heads, dark staining around holes, staples and broken metal near old joints. Support the board securely before removing visible hardware with suitable hand tools, and wear eye protection. Do not drag a bare hand over rough wood to search for points.
A wood-scanning metal detector can help find fasteners below the surface. Follow its instructions and check that it responds to a known piece of metal before scanning the board as directed. An alarm needs investigating; a quiet scan is not a guarantee that every small or deeply buried fragment has been found. If a suspect area cannot be cleared confidently, keep that board away from cutting and planing tools.
Check the wood itself too. Deep splits, soft patches and badly damaged fastener holes may make a piece a poor repair choice even after the metal is gone. Do not sand or cut an unidentified old coating just to get a fresh face: some older paints contain lead. Resolve the material and coating questions first, or choose a known, suitable board instead.
Practical takeaway: keep incoming salvaged wood separate from ready-to-use stock, with a note showing what is known and what still needs checking. Inspection is a decision point, not a promise that every offcut can be saved. For one small crate repair, a sound board with a known history can be the simpler choice.
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