Is the crash really that bad?

Nice. I tried something similar with highlighters a while back. That visual separation really does stop your brain from glazing over everything. Simple fixes are usually the best ones.

Paige_murphy98, that Croatoan link seems pretty weak to me. Oral history with old names doesn't count as strong evidence. It's just not a big deal.

Something I never see mentioned is the chemical soak old barn wood has. That wood's been holding onto decades of dirt, maybe even pesticides or lead paint dust. When you plane it, you're kicking all that into the air, and no mask filters everything. Had a buddy who got real sick after a big reclaim job, turned out it was from the stuff in the wood, not just the nails.

See @skylerbell, that's the same kind of old habit.