Here’s a simple and inexpensive design for a foldup sawhorse. And if you hang on to scraps of wood and bits of hardware, you’ve probably already got a lot of the parts in your shop.
The sawhorse is composed of two pairs of legs that are linked by a cross member. As shown in the drawing, an 8-ft. 1×4 yields two legs and one cross member. The legs meet the cross member at 15° angles, and the joints are reinforced with 1/2-in. plywood gussets that are glued and screwed to the 1x4s. The two cross members are linked to one another by 3-in. butt hinges at each end. By the way, the gussets and the hinges should be located so that they don’t protrude above the cross members.
In the on-duty position, the legs are held apart by rope ties. I used clothesline for this detail, but I think chain might be a better choice, especially when using the horses on a slick floor where the elasticity of the rope might be a drawback.
When set up, this sawhorse is 33 in. high to the top of the cross member. Folded, it’s less than 3 in. thick.
—William Thur, Alameda, CA
Edited and illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #88
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