Perfect Sawhorses: Adjustable and Knock-down Design

Intro: Perfect Sawhorses: Adjustable and Knock-down Design

* Adjustable
* Strong/Sturdy
* Don't require a lot of space to store (ie. knock-down)
* Economical (approximately $15 per sawhorse)
* You would enjoy, or at least have some ability in, assembling pieces of wood

If you have some or all of the above criteria for a set of sawhorses then these will be perfect for you.

Noteworthy:

* The design was inspired by this plan:
http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Indoor-Projects/Workshop/DIY-Tips-For-Your-Shop/workshop-organization-tips/Step-By-Step#step1

* The finished weight of the saw horse is about 20 pounds.

STEP 1: Tools Required

Required:
* Drill
* Drill bits (1/2", 1/4", and smaller)
* Wrenches or Socket set
* Skill saw and/or Miter saw
* Pencil
* Level
* Various clamps

Suggested:
* Sandpaper (80 or 120 grit)
* Protractor
* Vise

STEP 2: Materials Required

This list is for two saw horses (measurements in inches):

***Wood***
Qty  Description
------------------------------------------------
4      2x4 8 foot (96") stud
3      1x4 8 foot (96") furring strip/stud
1      2x2 8 foot (96") furring strip/stud

***Hardware***
Qty  Description
------------------------------------------------
8      4 1/2 x 1/4       carriage bolts
8      3 1/2 x 1/4       carriage bolts
16   1/4 x 1 1/4        fender washers
16   1/4                     nuts
4      3/64 x 1 9/16   safety pins
1      1/2                    wooden dowel
-      1 1/4                 wood screws
-      2                        wood screws
-      2 1/2                 wood screws

Wood glue is optional for some of the joints

STEP 3: Cut List

Again, measurements are in inches

[2x4]

Qty    Measurement    Description
-----------------------------------------------------------
2        30                         Top
4        14 1/2                  Top Supports
4        20                         Leg Sides
8        21                         Legs

[1x4]

Qty    Measurement    Description
-----------------------------------------------------------
4        9                           Leg Supports
4        30                         Top cross pieces
2        27                         Bottom cross piece

[2x2]

Qty    Measurement    Description
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2        23                         Bottom piece of the Top Assembly

[Angled Cuts]

The Legs and Leg Supports will require angled cuts.  I decided with 30 and 60 degree cuts, but you could modify to use only 45 degree cuts to keep it as simple as possible.

The Legs have a 30 degree angle where it will rest on the floor and a 60 degree angle where it will rest against the 'Leg Side' (see picture).  The 60 degree cut can be done by hand (would take awhile though), with a fancy miter saw that goes to 60 degrees, with a skill or circular saw, or by clamping a jig to a miter saw set to 30 degrees and the board perpendicular to the miter saw fence.

The Leg Supports (1x4) are easier with two 30 degree cuts.

STEP 4: Assembly (1 of 3): Legs

See pictures for instruction ...

STEP 5: Assembly (2 of 3): Horizontal Supports

Once you get two leg assemblies together you can join them with the Top Cross Pieces.  I used clamps to keep everything in place as I drilled holes.

These two Top Cross Pieces aren't enough to keep the entire sawhorse square if someone/thing were to lean on it from the side, so I added a Bottom Cross Piece which I attached with 1 1/4 inch wood screws.

STEP 6: Assembly (3 of 3): Adjustable Top

The Top Assembly:

First, attach the bottom with the supports with 2 1/2 inch wood screws (recommended to pre-drill the holes).  I put 2 screws in each side.  See the picture for how I used clamps to keep it all in place.

Next, slide those pieces into place and clamp the Top of the 'Top Assembly' to the rest of the saw horse while also clamping the Top Supports so they don't move while drilling holes through the Top.

(See the pictures for more detail)

Comments

[MarkS79]

Love the saw horses and would like to make, but can’t download the plans??? Could someone please look at this???

[rodney.thornton.355]

like the looks of these sawhorses, but could not download the plans.

[villager]

Hi, great ible, but can't seem to be able to download it. I get an unknown error message. Webmaster please have a look at the download script. Thx

[jotuna]

Nice! Downloaded and on the way to getting materials. It will become clear, but what is the minimum and maximum height of the horse?

[loftyduck]

The height of mine ranges from 32.5 inches to 45 inches. If you add a sacrificial top piece the height will increase accordingly.

[jotuna]

Thanks loftyduck, another question: the pins for the moveable assembly appear to rest on 1 x 4 crosspieces though everything else except the leg gussets is of 2 x 4 material. So does that mean all the weight of the load rests on the lighest pieces? Is there something i'm missing? Is this a misplaced concern?

[loftyduck]

You understand the construction correctly but since the 1x4 is vertical the long (4") side carries the weight. So overall the 1x4 doesn't seem to be the weak link. If you need to support more weight I'd actually recommend improving the leg gusset connection first.

[Kernel770]

perfect sawhorses indeed! My only thought on improving though (but they are still perfect!) is to replace the pins for height adjustment with bolts or some sort of metal rod? And for this, maybe aluminum L-profiles covering and reinforcing the edges where the pins will sit on during use? (for heavy objects)
I was searching for some sort of desk-construction alternatives, and I think these sawhorses would make a really nice and flexible, though sturdy desk combined with a table plate!

[loftyduck]

Definitely a good idea. The pine dowel i originally used bent so it's since been replaced with oak dowel. Adding metal bits would be good as well or using a harder wood (oak, hickory, etc.) for areas that take extra stress would make it more durable, no question.

[MelPhleg]

one problem with this instructable:
it can't be downloaded. i've tried several times.
the pdf page says to open with a different viewer.
downloading it with right-click save-link-as works, but the properties give it as 0bytes.
trying to open it with a on-puter pdf viewer says the file is plain text.
opening it in a word processor program gives a totally blank page.

what happened to the download-able file?

thanks

[lyvwyr70]

copy and paste to word

[paulbsa]

Good design, but it looks like this would be extremely heavy. Great for fixed use in a woodshop, but I would hate to have to continually carry these around to job sites. I wonder if some of the 2X lumber could be replaced with 1X. I agree about using bolts and nuts in place of the wood dowels and pins. You could also use something like a hitch pin from a trailer that would be secure but easily removable.

[skirmishmonkey]

You are right (see my set below). These are very heavy - although I prefer the word robust. Not really suitable for moving around too much.

I am thinking about making a second set with lighter (thinner) lumber.

Saying that though, these are great for heavier duty tasks and to use around the workshop. I have even used them as a work platform with planks resting on them. (Probably not recommended for environments where the HSE officers breathe down your necks). One extended easily takes my weight (80kg) - again probably shouldn't recommend trying it at home.

The adjustable height is brilliant. I use the wooden dowels and haven't had any issues with them. If you drill the holes to the size of the dowels for a tight fit and make the dowels stick out a few inches either side then you shouldn't have any issues with them coming out mid task.

[pbates123]

Wow Great design Lofty Duck!! I see this is has been here for awhile although I just saw it. I want to make a couple for myself and maybe even a couple for a gift!

I had a couple of thoughts. Not having built a set yet it seems it maybe a bit wobbly once it is extended past the lower brace. If you were to route a dado on the inside of the legs say ~1/2in. wide and deep facing toward the slide on both sides, and on the slide near the bottom maybe an inch up drill a 1/2in. hole and insert a short piece of dowel. It would ride in the dado and help stabilize top assembly.

Also adding a couple of heavy duty hinges would allow the legs to fold up for more compact storage - might have to do a little engineering to make sure that add-on is strong enough - just a thought!

Great design I like it!!

[skirmishmonkey]

When making the flat pack picnic bench - see @gareth0123 https://www.instructables.com/id/Flat-pack-for-storage-Plywood-Picnic-Table/

I realised what I have known for a while - I needed some saw horses. Looking at the local tool shops (I live in Malta and everything is quite expensive) I realised it would be cheaper to buy the lumber and make some myself.

This design fit all my needs - adjustable height, sturdy and above all, because space is at a premium, they collapse down so don't take up too much space.

They took less than a day to make. I followed the 'ible to the letter - including the 60 / 30 degree cuts on the legs - although they came out ok, I did mess up a few feet of 4 x 2 on the 60degree angles with the mitre saw. - ended up cutting 10 legs and choosing the best 8. Next time I would go with the 45degree cuts.

Other than that, a great design - already put to good use. Here is some pics of my horses. Thanks loftyduck for the design and a clear, easy to follow 'ible.

[loftyduck]

Looks great! Nice work and I agree that 45 degree cuts would simplify the build quite a bit. Enjoy!

[bobbybrus]

This is by far the best saw horse design I have seen. First it uses standard dimensional lumber, which is a plus. The miter cuts are not that complex. It seems like it would be plenty stable from side to side motion. Finally, the adjustable work surface makes it so versatile, that it can be used to support additional work surfaces at a variety of heights. This would be especially useful when using various woodworking machines, table saw, miter saw, shaper, etc. I would suggest making a adjustable insert with a dowel ended PVC pipe centered with an axle for a roller end feed when ripping long boards on a table saw. One other note, it is good to use a dowel to adjust the height of the saw horse top, but would it not be more stable to actually put the pin through a hole or holes in the top rail. Maybe this is wrong, but it just seemed like it might be better to do so. Overall, it is an exceptional design, which I plan to use. Well done and thank you.

[rjlewis74]

These are very cool. Being new to carpentry I've decided as these for my first project. Thumbs up

[Lavon93]

Very nice. I'm new to woodworking...on a "grander" scale...lol

I would like to make a pair of these for my Father-in-law...Who has every tool know to modern man!!! I think he would appreciate these.

[Uptonb]

Well, I just made a pair of these today, and I have to say these are absolutely great. Very easy to follow 'ible.

Thank you very much for improving on the handyman version and publishing this project.  They will help me immensely on my projects.  :)