Cutting treated timber indoors

[louisbean]

I want to make some garden storage boxes and now the weather is getting a bit crappier it would be easier to do some of this in my garage with my chop saw

Is it safe to cut treated timber inside with power tools or best to be avoided? It would be either from Travis Perkins or one of the big stores.

I would obviously wear a mask and eye protection and I have a wet dry vac plugged into the saw but obviously dust still goes everywhere no matter what you do

 

[accelerator]

If you wear a mask you will be ok.

Vacuum up regularly.

What was your main concern?

 

[louisbean]

I guess that there is nasty stuff in the treatment - that’s going to settle on things in the garage, go in my clothes and hair and so on

But sounds like it’s no different to any other kind of timber from what you’re suggesting? I would always wear a mask anyway.

 

[accelerator]

The treatment might be say a fungicide, but providing you are wearing a mask and keep vacuuming the dust up, you would ingest minimal quantities of any treatment and it's not going to be dangerous in my opinion (BSc in Chemistry).

 

[louisbean]

Great - thank you!

 

[big-all]

as an aside wet wood can dangerously pinch the blade
treated wood will tend to be stored outside
do not cut wood that feels heavy and wet if you can help it
iff you get the wood wet ideally separate the timber store in the garage off the ground on battens or bricks leave for at least 3 to 7 days 15-20 are better

 

[endecotp]

Is it safe to cut treated timber inside with power tools

The dangerous bit is the power tools, not the wood treatment.

 

[louisbean]

Just to be clear you mean being injured by the power tools? Or are you referring to the dust?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I don't think any DIYer will be at any risk by not wearing a mask cutting treated timber in their garage. this is a nonproblem.

 

[endecotp]

Just to be clear you mean being injured by the power tools? Or are you referring to the dust?

Yes I’m referring to the danger of cutting your hand off, which must be thousands of times more likely than somehow catching something from the timber treatment.

 

[StephenOak]

do not cut wood that feels heavy and wet if you can help it
iff you get the wood wet ideally separate the timber store in the garage off the ground on battens or bricks leave for at least 3 to 7 days 15-20 are better

I bought some boards that were indoors but had been stored outside until they were soaked. I did pick over and got the least worst but they were still bad.

I separated them to let them dry and, out of curiosity, I weighed them every few days. At the start they were 20kg and it took 49 days for them to reach a final weight of 10.5kg.