8/24/2014 Building Sturdy Sawhorses - Fine Homebuilding Article http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to-departments/building-skills/building-sturdy-sawhorses.aspx 1/5 Save up to 52%! Give a Gift HowTo Building Sturdy Sawhorses by 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 1000lb. namesake. Another coworker had the opposite approach. He favored lightweight sawhorses made from six equallength 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 easytobuild “Stackable sitebuilt 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 Sign In Do Not Track Share this with friends! Email Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Google + Digg StumbleUpon Reddit Tumblr Search for services
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8/24/2014 Building Sturdy Sawhorses - Fine Homebuilding Article
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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Twitter Pinterest
LinkedIn Google +
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8/24/2014 Building Sturdy Sawhorses - Fine Homebuilding Article
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.
8/24/2014 Building Sturdy Sawhorses - Fine Homebuilding Article
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
8/24/2014 Building Sturdy Sawhorses - Fine Homebuilding Article
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