Step 1: Gather the Materials

I ended up just using scrap materials that I had collected from previous jobs. Here is a break down of what you need to make this pair of saw horses:

Materials:
Qty: Description:
(2) 2" x 6" x 59"
(4) 2" x 4" x 17"
(4) 1" x 4" x 16"
(32) #8 x 1.25" Drywall screws (16 for each horse)

Tools:
Hand saw or miter saw
Coping saw or Jig Saw
Drill/driver and bits
1/4" drill bit
Speed square
Pencil

Remember Safety First.

Step 2: Start the Cutting

Cut your pieces to length.

Step 3: Notch Out the Vertical Post

The easiest way to notch out the vertical supports is to drill out the corners with a 1/4" drill bit. And then use a coping saw or a jig saw to cut out the rest. The notch on the 2" x 4" is 2.5" in from each side and 4" down. This will make the notch a little bit big, so you will have to cut within the lines.

Step 4: Put It All Together

Start out by drilling some pilot holes in all the pieces, since you don't want anything to split. Then screw it all together. Making sure to have the leg 3.5" in from the end of the top beam.

Step 5: Design Modifications

If you don't feel like following the plan. No problem. If you don't have these scrap pieces laying around, you can make the whole thing out of 2x4 and 2x6, with a half lap joint (or not) on the 2x4's for the legs. If you shorten the top beam to 48", then you'll only need one 2"x6"x96". The only reason that I made it 59" was because that was what I had. I also wanted the horse to be wider then four feet for cutting a 4'x8' sheet of plywood. It just happened to work out.

If I had to make these again the only thing that I would change is that I would made the bottoms of the legs a bit wider, maybe adding an inch or two onto each side so that the bottom was 18" to 20" overall. I think that would add a bit more stability to the design. So that when you are pushing a sheet of plywood perpendicular to the sawhorse it wouldn't try to tip over. But I built it out of scrap stock which basically cost me nothing, so it's a small trade off.