Saw Table Project

[Jim Koepke]

This is a project that will use compound angles in the construction of a sawing table or a fancy saw horse. Figured since it was being built, it would be fun to document it and share it.

A saw horse (or saw table) is one of the basic allies in a woodworkers arsenal.

The basic design is useful for many other things. A basic saw horse design was used to make a stand for a large piece of granite in my shop. This is used with sandpaper to lap plane soles and for chisels and plane blades that need extensive work.

Another horse was made to hold logs for cutting with a chain saw.

A couple of regular horses are very utilitarian for use outside and even for setting up a table for family outings.

Then there are a couple of low horses that are handy to hold things off the floor for sanding and finishing.

Since some scraps were just begging to be used and I have wanted to make a saw table for quite a while, it seemed like time to get started. The 2X4 scrap came from pallets that one of the local building supply/lumber dealers leaves out for people to take away. The piece used for the top was in the scrap bin at Home Depot and cost a whole 51¢ plus tax. When ever we go to the HD, this is one of my normal stops. I have bought some nice cutoffs for cheap.

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This could likely be done with one less bevel gauge and just one chisel. A long chisel is good for the leverage and short chisels are better for the close work or in tight corners.

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I like to use two bevel gauges for added ease. These are set to 15° by first using a protractor to draw a reference line on the work piece. This allows for quick checking during the project. My saw horses have all the angles at 15° since that is how I learned to make my first pair.

Some people like theirs made at 10°. It is all up to the person making them.

The legs and top were planed on the outside surfaces. Both ends of the top were planed and the legs were planed at the ends that were to be joined to the top. This is done because it makes for a better line from a marking gauge then if they are left rough.

The top was cut to length, about 30" and using scrap wood rough measurements were figured for a height of approximately 24" with the the splayed legs not extending beyond the ends.

This was used to mark how far the leg would be from the ends. From there the first lines were laid out for the legs position. Then the legs were marked with symbols and the underside of the top was marked to match. Each leg was then balanced in place to mark the width of the socket for each leg. I like to mark for a slight undercut and then pare off a shaving from the edge of the socket or plane a shaving or two off the leg to fit.

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Lines were then marked on the top and underside. Since I wanted the legs to be flush or close to flush at the top edge, the wheel gauge was set to about half the width of a 2X4 or 3/4". This was marked on the top and then on one of the ends. A bevel gauge was lined up with this mark on the end and a line was struck along the gauge. The wheel gauge was set to the shorter distance and that was used to mark the underside of the leg socket.

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All the layout was done with a wheel gauge or a knife. A sharp pencil was used in the knife cuts as needed.

After all the layout is checked and leg and matching sockets labeled, the sawing begins.

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An old friend showed my his way of trimming the waste out. He made multiple cuts in the work with his saw. Of course, he was using a radial arm saw. I still do it with hand saws, it makes it a bit easier to chisel out the waste. I try to remember to stay a little shy of the depth lines when doing this.

After sawing the socket, I like to chamfer the waste to the depth lines before cutting it out.

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Once the main part of the waste is removed the "bottom" of the socket is fine tuned by being pared smooth.

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When finished, the bevel gauge is used to check the angle.

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Sliding the bevel along the bottom of the socket should reveal any bumps or places left to pare away.

To be Continued

jim

[Jim Koepke]

When the leg socket if finished, then the leg can be marked. This is done by setting the leg into the socket. The leg should fit into the socket. If not, the socket needs just a touch more trimming or a plane can be used to take a light shaving or two from the leg. Do not take more than one or two very light shavings before checking the fit again. We should be within a few thousandths if your lay out and sawing are good.

With the leg in the socket and positioned where it will be on the finished table, a pencil is drawn across the leg on the underside of the table top.

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I check the line with a bevel gauge and then scribe it with a knife. It may not line up exactly with the bevel gauge setting. This is OK. The leg now is being made to fit the socket.

The gauge is checked and set to the socket if need be before marking the leg.

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Since the edge is going to be flush or close to it at the top of the table the leg will be gauged from the outside face.

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If you want a chiseled kerf, this is a good time to do it. Once the cross cut is done, it is very likely trying to chisel a kerf might split the wood. I have been lucky the few times this has happened and had straight grained wood split along the same line I wanted to saw. I have also been unlucky once and had to start over on a piece.

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The piece is then turned in the vice or placed on its side to mark the bevel cut on the leg. The knife is set in the scribed line across the inside of the leg and the bevel gauge is brought up against it. Make sure the knife is being held to allow the gauge to meet the line. This is marked on both sides of the leg. Make sure you are slopping inward toward the bottom of the leg. It is easy to get mixed up and mark the two sides in different directions. Check be for sawing.

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The leg is ready to be sawn. Start with the cross cut of the inside bevel. This is a little tricky the first time you cut two angles at the same time.

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Next cut the lap cut. Just like when cutting tenons, the cut with the grain should follow the cross cut to avoid splitting the wood beyond where one wants the cut to go.

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Watch your finished angle.

To be continued.

jim

[Jim Koepke]

Once the saw kerfs meet, the waste should fall off. There may be a little uncut wood to trim in the corner of the cut.

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Test fit the leg and pare or plane as needed.

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When all the joinery is cut, it is time to glue it all together. Often I use screws in my saw horses. I have also used dowels. This table will have dowels installed after the initial glue up. To facilitate the glue up of the splayed legs, some clamp blocks were cut to the bevel angle. There is also a 1X4 on top of the pipe clamps to keep the table top from resting on the pipes. The legs at this point also extend beyond the top and would bump against the clamps.


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Besides the installation of dowels, the tops of the legs need to be trimmed. There is also some more blocking to be added at the front of the legs. I may also want to put a runner along one side on the legs.

But that will have to wait for another day as the glue is drying, it is late and we will be doing other things for the next day or two.

To be continued.

jim

[Paul Saffold]

Jim, thanks for taking the extra time to show us the step-by-step progression of your work. Plus the little details that can be applied to other work.
Much appreciated. Paul

[Mark Wyatt]

Thanks Jim. I enjoy reading your "how-to" posts. These are very informative.

[Jim Koepke]

Paul and Mark,

I am glad you are enjoying this project and hope the rest of this project lives up to your expectations.

The glue up of the legs is ready to be unclamped and the next step is to trim the excess from the tops of the legs.

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This is where a pull saw without set to the teeth surpasses all the others. I have used western saws for this step, but it is difficult to do without leaving a few marks on the top.

A low angle block plane (#65-1/2 shown) is used to fine tune and round over the corners of the legs.

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Next is to make and add some leg blocks. These will help to keep the legs from spreading, They also act as a wedge to add some protection to prevent the legs from wobbling and collapsing.

A piece of wood is marked with the bevel gauge to match the front angle of the legs.

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A marking gauge is used to carry the line around the face. A plane (#5 shown) is used to cut to the lines.

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Once the bevel matches the legs, the piece is held against the legs and the outsides of the legs are marked on the piece and it is cut to size.

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Scrap pieces come in handy to help hold the piece in place on the bench hook while cutting. The bench hook and its variations can be like having another hand. One side can be a saw guide and the other can be a shooting board.


To be continued

jim

[Jim Koepke]

My plan is to use a lap joint on the leg block to compensate for any misalignment of the legs. When cut to size the piece is again held up to the legs and the inside is marked with a pencil. The pencil line is then scribed with a knife.

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The depth of material to remove is marked with a wheel gauge and then the scribed line is stuck to depth with a chisel.

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The area to be removed is then chamfered all around. Start going with the grain using a chisel. This will help to prevent blow out. My next step is to chamfer along the inside edge of the joint, but it doesn't matter if the outside is done first. Just remember to keep an eye on the depth.

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Here a shoulder plane is being used to cut the outside chamfer and then remove material between the chamfers.

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The shoulder plane is also handy for making the final fit. I chamfer the shoulder at the end of the cut to prevent blow out.

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Once things fit together dry, spread some glue and put on the clamps.

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To be continued

jim

[Jim Koepke]

When boring the holes for the dowels, the saw table was propped up and clamped to the bench.

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A plumb bob was used to make sure the table was plumb for drilling.

This picture shows what happens if the hole boring is started plumb:

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To avoid this, start the hole perpendicular to the leg surface. Once the spurs have cut a full circle, back out the auger completely and reset it plumb. There will be a lot less to clean up with a chisel.

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This was why a little discussion about the spurs was added to the "A Bit About Augers" thread.

I like my dowels to stand proud. A friend who had me make something for him explained that making them smooth to the surface looks like something is trying to be hidden and did't succeed.


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Pictures of rounding the edges of the leg blocks were not shown. Some of my horses have them squared. These were rounded since this saw table will likely see me sitting on it more than my others and I do not like square corners catching my shoe laces or pant legs.

Next to he saw table on the bench is a dowelling tool that comes in very handy. It deserves a thread of its own. It is a miter box for cutting dowels. There is a screw at one end for scoring dowels before cutting to help glue escape. It is also convenient to use as a sanding block to round over the ends of dowels or to hold a dowel when sanding the end.

With the construction and gluing complete, it is time to level the legs.

The first step was to check the level of the work bench. Then the saw table was set on top of that and was checked for level. Shims were put under legs as needed to get to level. In this case, one leg was short and a wedge was used to make the unit stable.

To mark the legs for cut off, a piece of scrap of the appropriate thickness was used to mark all around each leg.

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A marking knife was then used to score all the pencil lines.

The table was secured to the bench with some hold fasts (Thank you Junior!) and sawn.

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After all the feet are cut, I like to chamfer around the edge. Sometimes the feet are painted with epoxy or other glue. This helps prevent chip out when the table is moved around.

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Then the level and rocking is checked and a little block plane action is used as needed.

This one is right at home with all the other horses hanging around the shop.

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This is one stable saw table. One could say, "it rocks," but not when I stand on it.

jim

[lowell holmes]

It's kinda hard to find in that last picture Jim. :)

How tall did the bench end up after adjustments?

[Jim Koepke]

Because of a post in the Off Topic conference this post was revisited.

I think I may have sent a PM to Lowell about the height, but it ended up at about 21-1/2" tall.

There are a few other points to consider that were left out.

The legs attachment points should be positioned in such a way so the feet do not reach beyond the top's ends. This seemed natural to me, but more than one person who has seen them pointed out that is how people who know what they are doing build saw horses. I had little idea of what I was doing, but did it anyway.

For general use, all angles are 15º. If used in construction where the horses need to be carried between wall studs, use 10º for all angles. This keeps the feet closer together requiring less contortions when carrying horses into different parts of a framing job.

Also if you want compact stacking, make one horse shorter and trim the width of the top so it will nest between the legs and caps of the larger horse.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

My saw bench is 19"tall. My knee is 22". The bench is comfortable for me.

You could build your bench a little high and after using it, cut it down to a comfortable height.

I built the Popular Woodworking Design and I like it.

[Bram de Jong]

@jim sorry for digging up this old one,but did you ever make that post about your little dowel jig/miter/...? It got me wondering what the nail is for.

Bram

[Jim Koepke]

@jim sorry for digging up this old one,but did you ever make that post about your little dowel jig/miter/...? It got me wondering what the nail is for.

Bram

Yes, it is here > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?256011

Looking it over made me think of adding a post at the end with a demonstration of making a dowel miter box. There is also a few other tools for doweling that may be of interest.

jtk

[Bram de Jong]

Hey Jim,

Thanks!

That still leaves me a bit puzzled over the screw in the end... Where/how do you "score" the dowels exactly for the glue to escape? The whole length, or just stop it just before the 2" size?

Bram

[Jim Koepke]

Bram,

The screw can be driven up and even sharpened on the tip. As much dowel as will be used can be dragged across the screw to leave a small channel along the dowel before it is cut. A small piece of scrap can help to hold the dowel against the screw. Alternatively the dowel can be set against a bench dog and the tool can be drawn over the dowel.

jtk