I frequently have to thaw out machines that are packed full of snow before I can work on them. When the snow melts the water makes a big mess on the shop floor.
To avoid most of the mess I like to put a piece of construction type plastic sheeting under the machine. I then roll the edges up to form a sort of dam and clamp the edges to the machine or some other type of support. When the snow melts it is all contained on the plastic. I then use a wet/dry type shop vac to suck up the water.
