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Building  Sturdy  Sawhorsesby  Patrick  McCombe

I  once  had  a  coworker  who  described  his  favorite  sawhorses  as  Clydesdales.  It  was  an  appropriate  name  since  his  bulletproof  horses  seemed  as

heavy  as  their  1000-­lb.  namesake.

Another  coworker  had  the  opposite  approach.  He  favored  lightweight  sawhorses  made  from  six  equal-­length  pieces  of  2x4.  He  could  bang  a  pair

together  in  the  time  it  takes  to  roll  out  an  extension  cord.

I  think  the  best  sawhorses  are  a  combination  of  these  two  approaches.  The  best  design  I’ve  found  is  the  easy-­to-­build  “Stackable  site-­built

sawhorses”  from  Ty  Simmons  of  Fort  Laramie,  Wyo.

I  like  Ty’s  horses  because  they’re  lightweight  and  strong,  and  use  common  materials.

You  could  build  them  with  only  a  circular  saw,  but  using  a  tablesaw  for  beveling  the  top  and  a  sliding  miter  saw  for  cutting  the  legs  makes  the

process  much  easier.

Including  setup,  it  took  me  about  90  minutes  and  cost  me  $50  in  materials  to  make  the  pair  of  horses  featured  here.

1.  Cut  the  legs.All  legs  have  a  compound  angle  on  both  ends.  With  the  miter  and  bevel  both  set  at  17°,  cut  four  legs  (for  a  pair  of  horses)  so  that  the  finished  leg

has  the  same  cut  on  both  ends.  Leaving  the  bevel  setting  alone,  rotate  the  miter  table  to  the  other  17°  mark  on  the  other  side  of  90°,  and  cut  the

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Photo  by:  Ed  Pirnik

other  four  legs.

2.  Bevel  the  top.

Rip  a  17°  bevel  on  both  sides  of  the  top.  You  can  do  this  with  a  circular  saw,  but  a  tablesaw  with  a  rip

fence  is  faster  and  easier.

3.  Fasten  the  legs.Mark  the  top  3  in.  from  the  end  at  all  four  corners.  Hold  the  leg  flush  to  the  top,  and  drill  the  pilot  holes  with

a  twist  or  pilot/countersink  bit.  Then  drive  the  screws.  Use  11/2-­in.  #10  wood  screws  because  they  have

greater  shear  strength  than  deck  or  drywall  screws.  Trim  one  of  the  tops  later  if  you  want  the  horses  to

stack.

4.  Install  the  bracing.Mark  the  legs  12  in.  up  to  locate  the  1x4  leg  bracing.  Hold  or  clamp  the  board  in  place,  and  scribe  both  ends  to  match  the  leg  angle.  Drill  the  pilot

holes,  and  drive  the  screws.

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5.  Scribe  and  cut  the  gussets.Clamp  or  hold  the  gusset  in  place  while  you  drill  pilot  holes.  Be  sure  to  align  the  drill  bit  carefully  so  that  thehole  stays  in  the  center  of  the  leg.  After  you  run  in  the  screws,  your  team  of  horses  is  ready  for  work.

6.  Almost  done.

Clamp  or  hold  the  gusset  in  place  while  you  drill  pilot  holes.  Be  sure  to  align  the  drill  bit  carefully  so  that  thehole  stays  in  the  center  of  the  leg.  After  you  run  in  the  screws,  your  team  of  horses  is  ready  for  work.

Four  more  optionsConsider  these  alternatives  when  space  is  tight  or  time  is  short.

Site-­built

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Space  Saver  Built  from  20-­in.  by  32-­in.  scraps

of  3/4-­in.  plywood,  these  clever  knockdown

sawhorses  are  surprisingly  sturdy.  The  3/8-­

in.-­deep  mortises  in  the  2x6  top  are  made

with  a  circular  saw  and  a  sharp  chisel.

Get  ‘er  done  Made  from  six  32-­in.  pieces  of

2x4,  these  are  the  horses  to  build  when

you’re  in  a  hurry.  You  can  use  gun  nails  if

time  is  extra  tight,  but  21/2-­in.  screws  hold

better  and  come  apart  easier  when  it’s  time

for  your  steeds  to  become  blocking.

Fast,  rock  solid,  but  expensive  Trojan’s

nearly  indestructible  TS  series  is  the  best

commercially  produced  sawhorse,  but  you’ll

need  to  shell  out  $90  per  pair  for  the  27-­in.

version.  The  35-­in.  model  costs  another  $12

per  pair.

A  popular  option  Available  at  home  centers

everywhere,  these  sawhorses  ($60  per  pair)

have  selfleveling,  adjustable  legs  that  keep

the  horse  steady  on  uneven  terrain,  but  it’s

easy  to  lose  the  leg  extensions  and  the  bolts

that  secure  them.

Store-­bought

Photos  by  Rob  Yagid,  exept  where  noted.

From  Fine  Homebuilding 218  ,  pp.  88-­90  March  10,  2011

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