Sawhorse made from pallets

I found myself needing a couple of sawhorses, and I have a bunch of pallets... I went online and found a guide, but it was (imho) somewhat of hard to follow with no pics.  So I used the basic idea and built my own. Enjoy.

Step 1: Tools and Materials

This is my list of tools and materials it is by no means absolute but it is a start.
A crowbar, wonder bar or nail puller.
A claw hammer.
A tape measure.
A pencil.
A speed square.
A a skill saw.
A  drill.
A drill bit, for pilot holes, the same size as your screws shaft.
A screw bit that fits your screws.
2 ½ or 3" and 1 ½ screws. Coated, galvanized, or not, your call.
A stack or so of pallets.
If you have better, different,  or want to use store bought # 1 pine that's cool. I used pallets because they are free for me, and cheap for anybody. If you buy pallets be somewhat picky.  Pallets get used hard, often the wood they are made out of is not of decent quality for anything but pallets. Pick good pallets.

Step 2: Cut list

Take apart the pallets with the wonder bar, crowbar, nail puller, etc, remove the nails, sort the lumber and, cut:

I use my speed square as a saw guide. Fast and easy.

From the 2x4s:
2 at 9" at 22% on both sides  (7¾" on top and 9" on bottom).
2 at 12" as square as you can.
4 legs Your call here, 30 is standard,I cut mine for about a 36” sawhorse so my legs are 34” you could cut one of the ends at 22% for a fine fit. I didn't but it would have looked nice.

From the 1x4 slats:
2  4' inch wide, thickness is not critical, at your desired length. They are your sawhorses, you get to pick how wide they are.  Try for good pieces as these will be the tops of your sawhorse (splinters hurt) 4' inch wide, thickness is not critical.
2 more at the same length for optionaly bracing of the legs.

Step 3:

Mark the center of the 9”  piece on the side as well as on the bottom. Then, mark the center of the side of your  12" 2x4 on one end, and a line parallel to the cut 4 inches from the opposite end. This will be the T brace of your saw horse so get it centered and perpendicular accurately.

Step 4: Tee's

Drill 3 pilot holes from the bottom of the short angle ended 2x4 on its center line and then fit  Extend your pilot holes into the 12' pieces.  Screw together.

Step 5: Stand tall and be done

You can cut the ends of your leg pieces off at 22% on the tops and bottoms for a clean look, I wanted to get done so i didn't.
Mark and drill pilot holes on the legs. Attach the legs to your Tee's. The top edge of each leg should be at the 4“ mark from earlier. secure at the top, and on the angled brace, with screws.
Install the 2 top pieces.
Brace 12” up the legs(optional but strong).

I did not finish mine, but you could if you have the time, and want to spend more on the finish materials than on the sawhorses.

Comments

[drewSaysGoVeg]

How can you know if the pallet wood is treated or not?

[tablesawed]

I would assume, in the USA, they are not. OSHA frowns on things that are poison or treated with poison. Arsenic was used in the past to treat wood, I do not know what they use now, it was outlawed because it is bad for you. Pallets are normally used inside a building, so I can't see them being made from treated wood.

[pfred2]

You're looking at it the wrong way. No one cares about the fate of pallets. What we do care about is transporting bugs which can have disastrous results! Introduce an invasive species to an environment where there is no natural defense against it and you can have a total ecological collapse. That is worth spreading some poison to prevent. Plagues of locusts is wrath of God stuff.

[jkratman]

Sweet!

[pfred2]

I have made a horse using a similar design it is very sturdy. I made mine out of scrap 2x4s though. Consider the center diagonal braces in this picture. I had planned on putting more bracing into my horse but it didn't really need it.

http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb468/pfred1/p1310020.jpg

[tablesawed]

I was going for expendable, light, and cheap. They held up 4 sheets of 3/4 plywood without collapsing or falling over! Those sawhorses are awesome.

[pfred2]

For a bit I was on a saw horse building kick. Those are the last two I made in that run in order from left to right. I consider the one on the right the omega of saw horses. It was where I ended it at any rate.

[tablesawed]

No doubt, it looks like a wooden anvil, or an anvil base, I don't know, or maybe a jack stand. A really tall jack stand. hmmm...

[pfred2]

When you said anvil and jack stands you reminded me that before I made horses out of wood I used to make them out of steel. I never bothered to take any pictures of them though as they predate the digital photography age. I got into woodworking sideways from other interests.

Basically I wasn't rebuilding a car one day and I said to myself, I need to do something with all these tools I have ...

I've more of a passion for metalworking than woodworking, but I've my moments making saw dust too. Woodworking has been an excellent support skill for me to possess engaged in other activities.

Today in fact the bulk of the tools and machinery I want to get are for woodworking. Maybe my focus is shifting? Might just be that there are more woodworking tools, I don't know. What I do know is the fateful decision I made long ago was rather self defeating in the long run. Because today I have a lot more tools I need to justify owning!

[tablesawed]

There is no need to justify your tools. it isnt like a mistress or anything. If you have A tool you need it, or needed it, or thought you might some day possibly have a need. Be prepared. I don't need that jaws of life set from harbor freight but I want one.

[pfred2]

I have their 10 ton porta power unit that comes with spreader jaws. I use it now and again. But idle tools just sort of bother me, because I could have gotten ones I'd use more?