Boasting that you built the best sawhorse is like claiming that your mom makes the best chocolate chip cookies — you're bound to hear some differing opinions. Even so, we're claiming bragging rights for a few blue-ribbon contenders.
In an attempt to create the best sawhorse ever, frequent contributor Vern Grassel, HANDY Editor Larry Okrend and I combined our 70-plus years of workshop experience in a brainstorming session. We've seen a lot of good and bad designs, but we couldn't agree on a universal sawhorse that works best for all applications. So rather than offer one that's OK for most everything, we developed a couple of designs that excel at different applications. In the process, we also designed a sawhorse-inspired tool tote that you'll find on our Web site as a special featured project (see "Tool-Toting Sawhorse,").
One of these styles will suit just about any application. It's up to you to decide which one best serves your needs. None of them require much lumber to build — you probably have the necessary materials in your scrap bin. If you're like us, you'll want at least one pair of each.
Folding sawhorses
The first design is based on the folding sawhorses that Vern has used in photo and film studios for years. They're lightweight, sturdy and only 2 in. thick when collapsed, so you can stack and hang several sets on the wall without taking up much space. Though you can buy manufactured plastic folding sawhorses at home centers, we prefer the strength, stability and appearance of our wood pair. They're so attractive you could even use a set as legs for a table or desk.
DOWNLOAD the Folding Sawhorse Plan
We used 1x lumber, but you could cut each side frame out of a single piece of plywood. (Using plywood eliminates the need for joinery, but the frames will be a little more susceptible to damage than if they were made of solid wood.) Instead of common construction-grade 1x pine, we chose 1x birch stock to upgrade the sawhorses' strength and appearance.
The first step in construction is to cut the parts to length. Miter-cut the ends of the brackets to 45 degrees. Lay out the parts for each side frame and mark the biscuit locations. Cut the biscuit slots with a plate joiner (photo 1). If you don't have a plate joiner you could assemble the frames with dowels, loose tenons or pocket screws. Next, trim the bottom corners of the top rail and legs with a miter saw. Then apply glue to the biscuit slots, insert the biscuits and clamp the frame parts together (photo 2).
After the glue has cured, sand the joints smooth and apply finish to all of the parts. (We applied three coats of wipe-on polyurethane.) After the last coat of finish has cured, connect the side frames with 7-in. strap hinges and attach the hinge arms with 3-in. T-strap hinges.
The sawhorses swing open easily, and the hinge arms lock to keep them from collapsing. When it's time to hang them up, lift each sawhorse and tap the bottom of the hinge arms up with your foot to fold the legs closed.
You can build several accessories that make your sawhorses even more versatile. A tabletop or work surface is probably the most useful. A piece of plywood or a hollow-core door work well for this purpose. You can enhance stability and keep the tabletop from sliding by attaching four strips of 3/4-in. stock to the bottom of the work surface, spacing the strips so that the top of the sawhorses fits snugly between them.
Another useful accessory is a removable top board that can be modified to serve several purposes. To avoid damaging your sawhorses during cutting applications, attach a piece of scrap stock to act as sacrificial top board. To protect finished workpieces from scratches, cover the removable top board with a carpet scrap. Or turn your sawhorse into an outfeed support by making an outfeed roller that attaches to the removable top board (photo 3).
Stacking sawhorses
The second sawhorse design is strong and stable because the legs have a compound inward tilt. Variations of this design are sometimes called 15-degree sawhorses because all of the bevels and miters are cut to 15 degrees.
DOWNLOAD the Stacking Sawhorse Plan
You can modify the leg length to create any size you like, but our favorites are the 16-in. "shorties." They're just the right height for supporting furniture projects that would be too high to set on your workbench. They also serve well as stepstools or low scaffolding supports. You can even use one as a seat when working on projects (or taking a break). We've included the construction drawings and cutting lists for the shorties in this issue; plans for a 30-in.-tall version appear on our Web site (see "Tall Stacker,").
You only need one 8-ft.-long 2x8 and three 8-ft.-long 1x4s to build a pair of these sawhorses. I used a table saw, miter saw and drill driver, but you could get by with a jigsaw or circular saw and a straightedge to make the cuts. I first tilted the table saw blade to 15 degrees and ripped the edges from the top boards (photo 1). Next, I set my miter saw to 15 degrees and cut both ends of each gusset. Then, leaving the miter saw set to 15 degrees, I tilted the bevel angle to 15 degrees and cut compound miters at each end of the legs (photo 2).
You can also cut compound miters with a table saw or circular saw. When using a table saw, tilt the blade to 15 degrees and push the leg through the cut with a sliding miter gauge that is set to 15 degrees. When using a circular saw, tilt the blade to 15 degrees and cut across the legs at a 15-degree angle.
I attached the legs to the top board with 2-in. screws. Then, while pressing the gussets against the bottom of the top board, I attached the gussets to the edges of the legs with 2-in. screws (photo 3).
Whichever style you choose, building these shop aids is fast, easy and fun. Best of all, this is one project that's bound to make many of your future endeavors easier.
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Materials/Shopping List |
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Folding sawhorses (1 pair)
KEY NO. DESCRIPTION SIZE
A 8 Legs 3/4 x 3 x 29-1/2 in.
B 4 Top rails 3/4 x 3 x 32 in.
C 4 Bottom rails 3/4 x 3 x 20 in.
D 8 Brackets 3/4 x 3 x 11-3/8 in.
E 4 Hinge arms 3/4 x 3 x 8 in.
Removable top and outfeed roller
F 4 Sides 3/4 x 2-3/4 x 33-3/4 in.
G 4 Ends 3/4 x 2-1/2 x 3-1/2 in.
H 2 Tops 3/4 x 3-1/2 x 33-3/4 in.
I 2 Roller supports 3/4 x 2 x 14 in.
J 1 Roller cross-brace 3/4 x 2 x 33-3/4 in.
K 2 Roller dowels 3/4-in.-dia. x 32-3/4 in. |
1x4 x 8-ft. boards (7)
3-in. T-hinges (2 pairs)
7-in. strap hinges (3 pairs)
No. 20 biscuits
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Materials/Shopping List |
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Shopping List |
16-in.-tall stacking sawhorses (1 pair)
KEY NO. DESCRIPTION SIZE
A 2 Tops 1-1/2 x 7-1/4 x 36 in.
B 8 Legs 3/4 x 3-1/2 x 18-1/4 in.
C 8 Gussets 3/4 x 3-1/2 x 10-1/4 in. |
1x4 x 8-ft. boards (3)
2x8 x 8-ft. board (1)
2-in. deck screws
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