Making Strong Saw Horses

You can build your own sawhorses in just a few minutes

A sawhorse is an essential piece of woodworking equipment, whether you are on-site at a job or working in your own garage or woodshop. However, a poorly-built sawhorse can ruin materials if the horse slips during work, and can also waste time spent on shimming uneven sawhorse legs. Fortunately, you do not need to spend a lot of time or money to make a strong sawhorse that will last. With the appropriate preparation, you can build a pair of strong sawhorses in just a few minutes.

Things You'll Need

• 30-inch lengths of 2-by-4 wood, 8
• 32 1/2-inch lengths of 2-by-4, 6
• 12-by-12 inch pieces of scrap plywood, 4
• 32 1/2-inch lengths of scrap 1-by-6 wood, 4
• Galvanized nails
• Circular saw
• Hammer

Instructions

1. Construct two I-beams for a pair of sawhorses using six lengths of 32 1/2-inch two-by-fours. For each I-beam, lay a 2-by-4 on a flat working surface, with the 2-inch side facing up. Center another 2-by-4 on top of this board, with the 4-inch side facing up. Nail the 2-by-4s together. Flip this assembly and attach another 2-by-4, 4-inch side facing up, to the other 2-inch side of the center board.

2. Nail four 30-inch lengths of 2-by-4 to each I-beam. Align one end of each leg to the underside of the top board of the I-beam, with the leg flush against the end of the I-beam. Nail the legs in place. The I-beam structure will force the legs to attach at the proper angle.

3. Nail a piece of 12-by-12 inch scrap plywood to the outside ends of each sawhorse, with the top of the plywood even with the bottom of the I-beam structure. Trim the overhanging edges of the plywood with a circular saw.

4. Reinforce the sawhorses with four 32 1/2 inch lengths of 1-by-6 board. Nail the boards to the legs of the sawhorses, with the boards spanning the space between the legs on each side. Align the top of the boards with the bottom of the plywood reinforcement squares.

References

• Shopping Matchmaker: The 14-Minute Sawhorse