I’ve tried lots of sawhorse styles: collapsible plastic frames that were nice and light but too flimsy to handle a full load of lumber; aluminum brackets that attached to scrap 2x4s but bent out of shape after only one use; steel fold-up units that were too heavy to lug around; and a few different site-made versions as well.

My curiosity was piqued when I heard about the premium-priced sawhorses from Trojan Manufacturing. I believe that you usually get what you pay for, but could a $60 sawhorse really be worth the money?

After putting a pair of Trojan TS-35s to work, I’d have to say the answer is yes. With the Trojan horses, I get the support of 1/8-in.-thick welded-steel legs and the flexibility of choosing any size and length of 2x lumber for the top piece. For cutting sheet goods to size, a simple 4-ft.-long 2×4 or 2×6 makes a great saw-friendly sacrificial cross bar. If I’m painting trim, I can increase the sawhorses’ capacity by using 8-ft.-long, bevel-ripped 2xs to hold dozens of boards side by side.

Setting up the horses the first few times was awkward, but I found that the secret is to lay the 2x on the ground, then clamp the sharp-toothed Trojan legs into place on each end of the board. With the board held loosely in place between the jaws of the metal legs, I flip over the whole assembly and push the scissor hinge down with my boot to lock the setup firmly in place.

A pair of legs for making one sawhorse costs around $82 on Amazon. Trojan also sells these legs in a 27-in. size (TS-27; $67.99).