A quick tip on cutting pressure treated lumber that saved me a ton of cleanup

I was building a deck last week and had to cut a bunch of 2x6 pressure treated boards. I used to just cut them on my sawhorses with a circular saw and let the wet, gritty sawdust fall everywhere. This time, I set up a cheap plastic tarp under the cut line, just draped over the horses. The difference was huge. All that nasty, damp sawdust that stains concrete and sticks to everything landed on the tarp. When I was done, I just folded it up and tossed it. It took maybe two extra minutes to set up but saved me at least 30 minutes of sweeping and hosing off the driveway. The cleanup was so much faster and my client's yard wasn't a mess. Has anyone else found a simple trick like this for dealing with treated wood mess?

2 comments

2 Comments

fionalopez3d ago

That's a smart idea for catching the dust, but do you worry about the tarp getting cut? I've nicked a couple tarps doing that. Now I use a scrap piece of rigid foam insulation under the board instead. It's cheap, the saw goes right through it, and it catches everything.

the_piper3d ago

Oh man, that reminds me of my buddy's disaster last summer. He was cutting a ton of that wet treated wood right on his new patio pavers. I mean, he didn't put anything down at all. The stain from the sawdust soaked in and left these awful dark streaks everywhere. He tried power washing it for hours and the marks are still kinda there. It was such a mess, he was so mad at himself for not thinking ahead. Your tarp idea is seriously smart.

-2