EZ
Sawhorse Plans
Before I started this project, my idea
of a sawhorse was something I remembered from
my dad's garage - an old beat up and wobbly
pair of crooked legs that had junk piled on
top of it. That's why I never bothered to
build a pair for myself. I guess I never saw
the point of having sawhorses in the shop,
taking up space with all the other worktables
I had collected.
NOTE: Windows© 98, XP, Vista, Win7 only..
This sawhorse plan changed my mind about all
that. What I discovered is that a sawhorse
can be one of most useful pieces of shop furniture
in my basement and garage. Sure, I could have
always bought a pair of plastic sawhorses
from Home Depot, but as you'll soon see, a
pair of sawhorses like these can do so much
more...and at less cost.
Stronger Than a Workbench
Sawhorse legs are "splayed,"
which means they tilt outwards from the top.
An engineer will tell you this certainly adds
strength to any type of frame. And with the
addition of a side brace (gusset), the sawhorse
quickly becomes a monster work surface that
can support hundreds of pounds. Workbenches are far more likely to bend and sway over
time, needing its joinery tightened up or
replaced.
Cut Large Panels
My biggest surprise with this sawhorse plan
is how easy it is to cut plywood panels. I
added a simple 1x4 board along the bottom
of each pair of legs, which makes a perfect
support for resting a full, 4x8 plywood sheet.
Add a few clamps to hold everything in place,
and now I've got one of the easiest to build
panel cutting stations I've ever seen.
What Makes My Sawhorse Plans Different?
Step-by-Step Slide Shows - Build
at your own pace
Adobe Flash slide shows let you click your
way forward or back through each step of the
project. Along the way you'll get tips and
techniques for layout, cutting, and using tools.
Cutting Diagrams - Layouts that
reduce waste
Save money in lumber costs with my
no-waste cutting diagrams. I'll show you exactly
where to cut on every board and plywood panel
to get the most from the lumber you buy.
Full-Size Templates - Draw tricky
angles with ease
My EZ Sawhorse Plans include printable Adobe
PDF templates for cutting precise angles
- without having to use a carpenter's square
or protractor. I've also included a printable
bevel gauge that you can use to check the
accuracy of your saw.
More Reasons to Build a Sawhorse
Work From Any Angle
Working on most benches and shop
tables means that one side of my work piece
is always unreachable. A sawhorse solves this
problem with its open-frame - which lets me
work on all sides of my project at the same
time. I can even get down and underneath the
project and reach hard-to-get-to corners for
joinery and finishing.
Perfect Clamping Station
I never seem to have enough places
to clamp a board. Workbenches and shop tables
are never the ideal place to clamp things
down, at least without installing some expensive
vises. This sawhorse plan solves my problem
by providing me an almost endless set of possibilities
for clamping boards.
Tips for Building a Sawhorse
The worst (and most likely) thing that can
go wrong when building a sawhorse is to end
up with something that wobbles. This problem
can always be traced back to a faulty leg
- either one leg that is shorter or longer
than the rest or a leg that's just shy of
15 degrees along the bottom. A little extra
time and care in making the sawhorse legs
goes a long way in making the rest of the
project move ahead without a hitch.
The only frustrating part I ran into while
making the legs was convincing myself that
my saw was cutting exact 15 degree bevels.
Sure, my cordless saw comes with bevel marks,
but I didn't want to trust that entirely.
So I ended up using a protractor and a sliding
bevel just to double check my blade angle.
What's more important, though, is making sure
all legs are cut exactly the same - even if
they're not exactly 36 inches long with a
perfect 15 degrees bevel. Just get as close
as you can.
I like to use the cut-as-you-go method
for most of the sawhorse project, which means
I measure, layout, and cut each piece one
at a time. However, you can use the first
leg as a template for those that follow. That's
one way to make sure all the legs are exactly
same without even having to measure.
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