Build an Economical Sawhorse

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To view the construction details, click on the Image Gallery, above. The construction details are the third image.
To view the construction details, click on the Image Gallery, above. The construction details are the third image.
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The first step is to cut the 2 by 4s, using the illustration as a guide.
The first step is to cut the 2 by 4s, using the illustration as a guide.
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Diagram: Foolproof plans for an economical sawhorse.
Diagram: Foolproof plans for an economical sawhorse.

Build an economical sawhorse for $6 and minimal effort. (See the sawhorse diagram and photo in the image gallery.)

Build an Economical Sawhorse

Though the traditional sawhorse is a staple of every construction site, there’s always room for improvement . . . and if a wobbly workstand and an unwieldy 2 by 4 ever combined to give you an unkind cut, you might be interested in knocking together our “foolproof” framing horse.

Take a look at the design. The longitudinal trough at the top is sized to accommodate a 2 by 4 of any length, and prevents it from skewing under pressure from the saw. The crosswise channel near the center of the horse lets the blade pass through the work freely, and the flush, 1 foot by 3 foot surface serves as a compact bench for hammering or measuring.

Perhaps best of all is the fact that the whole project can be put together from three 8-foot 2 by 4s and a scrap of 1 by 4, at a cost roughly equivalent to that of just one pair of conventional sawhorse brackets. Nearly as tempting, it’ll require only a handsaw, a hammer, and a tape measure to build.

  • Published on Jul 1, 1985
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