The ultimate, heavy duty, stackable, bullet proof, extreme saw horses!

OK maybe not quite bullet proof, but everything else is accurate. I came up with this design about 16 or 18 years ago. I'm sure I'm not the first one to build them like this but here is my version, and you're all welcome to it!

The second picture (holding up the hover board) is the oldest set (roughtly 17 years ).

The third picture shows a 5 or 6 year old set holding up some I-beams.

I have to paint both sides of 25 sheets of plywood so I needed 6 sets (12 horses) to make the job flow more easily.

Step 1 Thoughts to ponder before you begin

Sizes - The older sets pictured in the intro are 24" tall. The sets I just made are 30" tall. The height is dependent on your purposes. For simply holding stuff off of the ground, the lower set is better (and more economical). If you will be actually working with them, taller is better.

Stack-ability - Each saw horse is 1/2" longer than the one beneath it. Hence the numbers! If the braces were about 2 wider, the horses would stack against the braces rather than the legs. The first set I built was like that and it was pretty cool. Make adjustments as you see fit.

Materials - The best lumber to use would be KD (kiln dried). Generally your other choice is GDF (Green Doug Fir) or equivalent. KD lumber will not warp (very much) while GDF will, as it dries, turn into interesting potato chip (or pretzel or your other favorite curvy snack food) shapes. Unfortunately the longest KD 2x6 I could find was 8 which would not have been efficient for this job.

Fasteners - I used drywall screws. If you will be using these saw horses for their name sake's purpose (holding up lumber while you saw it) please be advised that drywall screws are hardened steel and carbide tipped blades do not like drywall screws. If you think there is a possibility of hitting a screw with a blade, using general purpose wood screws is a better choice.

Comments

[daggerofblood1243]

i love the buggy in da backround

[vincent7520]

Sorry but I don't catch the mistake at all !!!…
Did you made too many tops (as I see only 12 Saw horses on the last photo… but this doesn't prove anything).

I want to know ;)

[Mikey D]

You got it Vince - 16 tops & only 12 horses, there is a stack of 12 on the bench, two more next to the stack and 2 finished ones on the floor. Oops!

Thanks for looking!

Mikey

[vincent7520]

How funny … I would never have find it myself if you didn't point this discrepancy out !…

Welle, guess you have to make a few more saw horses !!… (okay, okay, only a joke)

but then I do admire your work and my next saw horse will be directly inspired from yours !
be sure of that !!…

[Mikey D]

Thank you kind sir!

Mikey

[Norm Pro]

Laptop with built in printer ?? Neat !! :o)

[force9000]

thats an old type writer

[Nick Shep]

No, that's a relatively new typewriter.

[hintss]

but not the newest! the newest have spell check, automatic whiteout dispenser and such

[pfred2]

The horse on the right is my favorite design so far. Handy to work on, light but sturdy, stackable, and takes mostly small scraps to make. Oh, and it is tough to hit the screws it is put together with as well. The only downside is the scarf cut on the tops of the legs but nothing is perfect.

[Karletto555]

funny in this part of the world it is called "goat"

[Broom]

Where? That's a great name for them!

[Karletto555]

just look the profile

[Broom]

I did, but missed your location. Got it now.

[Mikey D]

That makes sense, they are more goat size than horse size.  :-)

[alaskanbychoice]

Nice instructable, but have you ever tried angling the legs outward toward the ends of the top of the saw horses so that they can all be built identical and still be able to be stacked ? Just a thought. They would stack kind of like cones then.

[Mikey D]

Thanks Alaskan! Yes, in step 5 I address splaying the legs out by 5 degrees or so. It would have added another degree of complexity and I would have had to cut right and left legs, and keep track of them! ;) Thanks again.

[Broom]

I'm just not getting it. What's the big deal with making the legs 5-deg wider? The bevels will be at 17.5 instead of 15 deg; so what?

For that matter, I'm not getting why wider angle = stackable... or really, why 30-deg total angle of the legs = not easily stackable (without the incremental length changes).

Please explain?

[alaskanbychoice]

I agree yours is easier to do and less complex. I guess I missed the part in step 5, off to reread it. Thanks

[Schmaus]

Table saws should never be used to crosscut, even if you have a 'trick'. It is a bad habit that will very easily lead to injury.

[Broom]

That's a very pretty world you live in. Here on Earth, some of us don't own 50 different single-use power tools. My table saw rips, crosscuts, edge trims, makes cove cuts, rabbets, dadoes, and occasionally grinds.

Safely.

[rtulloch]

 Maybe your thinking of freehand cross-cutting which is not what they are doing. 

[iMakeItHappen]

I really like this and will be making them this weekend, but i just wanted to know what is the purpose of the shims? thanks in advance for helping me out

[Mikey D]

The shim is there to hold the leg parallel to the table top. The top piece of the saw horse in that position needs the leg to be lifted off of the table just a bit so the shim helps out. Take a look at the fourth, seventh and ninth pictures. Hope it helps! Mikey

[rtulloch]

 If you are not supposed to crosscut with a table saw, why the heck do they make miters for it? If you follow the basic rules it is perfectly safe. They use a spacer block here which is perfect, then clamp against miter and it is no different than cutting it with any other power saw. Where did you ever hear that? The most dangerous bad habit to be formed with a table saw that will lead to injury is getting too comfortable with it which is easier to do than you think. 

[Physty]

never is a  really long time... are you sure?

[The_Beast]

I might have to build a set to make my temporary works shop more temporary :)

[Devil_Dog]

Semper Fidelis, Mikey D!!! Excellent! Your design is more sturdy by attaching the legs to the bottom instead of the side. From your photos, I gather that several sets of your saw-horses are in use around your neck-of-the-woods.

[Mikey D]

Yup! We're just about to take a set upstairs. We are enclosing the 2nd floor balcony. Thanks Jarhead! Mikey

[Phiber_Optik]

Very nice. I want that Honda Odyssey in the background.

[Satweavers]

I do them kind of like that. Mine are stackable, but I put the cross brace further up so you can use it as a step and you can walk on the saw horse. My beam is like an I Beam made of 2 x 4s so it's really strong.

[Mikey D]

Great idea on the I beam configuration. I personally like the brace lower as is stronger for keeping the legs from splaying out, but the step idea is really worth it also! Thanks for the great comments! Mikey

[joeliolyijr]

i was kind of hoping it was bullet proof not gonna lie

[Mikey D]

That's why the disclaimer in the first sentence. :) I guess I could have used kevlar reinforced ceramic, but that would have increased the cost just a bit ;)

[nitrox027]

I kind of recognise your young apprentice hmmm

[Consumidor]

Loved them, super resistant, well done. Keep Doing Great job. Thanxs

[Gyrine 77]

Hey Mikey, Are you expecting a hurricane soon? These ought to do the job. If, however, there is no high wind you can always throw them at people. The should square them away! Keep up the good work. Gyrine 77

[Mikey D]

Always be prepared! Yes they work very well. They're already scarred up and paint spattered. Thanks for the positive comment! Mikey

[Pkranger88]

Very nice horses but you can design the angles to where they all are the same size and thus will stack just like rubbermaid tubs. Also, not to nitpick, but on step 3 you call out a "chop saw." While not entirely wrong, the saw technically chops, but it is a compound (if not a double compound) mitere saw. A chop saw is used with an abrasive blade/disc for metal. Other than that, nicely done.

[Mikey D]

Your are correct. It is a compound miter saw. We use them both so frequently around here that I tend to use the term "chop saw" for both of them. I'll fix it. - - - Thanks! Mikey