Sawhorses or Bora Centipede?

[Patrick Irish]

I have a set of cheap sawhorses from HD that need to go. I was eyeballing the Toughbuilt c700 saw horses. I like the idea of dropping a piece of ply or foam to use a support for my track saw.

I then started looking at the Bora Centipede with MFT tops and that got me thinking if that is the route to go.

Current garage setup does not have space for a 4x8. If I use saw horses its usually outside. I might have room for a 2x6 centipede. Probably more if I can organize better but that's another issue.

Grand scheme I'd get both and use a small centipede with MFT in the garage and sawhorses outside to break down panels or when it's nice weather and I'm working outside.

[Rob Sack]

I use both when I am working on site. I have a pair of Stanley lightweight plastic horses and a lightweight 2 ft by 6 ft torsion box I threw together. It sets up fast and is stable even though the top can slide around a bit. I also have the Centipede. It's a bit of a nuisance to set up, but once it's up it is far superior to the sawhorse set up. If I am going to be on site for an extended period of time or need something really stable, I'll set up the Centipede. I am all set up in the shop with benches and assembly tables, so the
Centipede stays in the truck. But for shop use, if I needed a good work surface that would stay set up for an extended period of time, the Centipede would be the way to go. I rarely use the track saw in the shop, but when I do, I just throw a piece of foam down. If Ididn't already have benches and tablesin the shop, the Centipede would be my first choice along with an addtional piece of foam for the track saw.

[Frederick Skelly]

I have 2 of the centipedes, both 2' x 4' because my shop is small. Made my own top. I like them quite a lot.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Since 2000, I've been using a folding table based upon an idea in Aug 2000 FWW. It uses 3/4 plywood rails that are 4" tall, with 2X4's placed flat crosswise. The supports are a set of legs from an old particle board folding table (dumpster rescue.) I'm on my third set of rails, and fifth set of top 2X4's. Mine is 36" wide, and just a hair under seven feet long. This cutting table was used both at the shop and on job sites. The reason for being just under seven feet is that's how long the bed of my trailer is. Currently, I need to rebuild the top as it's in sad shape from all the cuts and travel.

[Patrick Varley]

May depend on what you will use it for most. I'm in a somewhat similar situation, and for the longest time I used this cutting grid setup from Popular Woodworking:
https://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/sawing-particleboard-and-plywood/

Super strong, and the nice thing is that since it's lower to the ground it made making cuts across the full width of a sheet easier. Never felt like I was stretching across too much.

The problem with that is that I needed actual bench space too. So I eventually built some mobile carts with Paulk-style MFT tops. I really like those for assembly, clamping, smaller tracksaw cuts, and general bench needs. But I still bust out the grid when I need to break down large sheets. It also ends up being a good base for setting things up for finishing.

I guess what I'm saying is that you'll probably find a use for both. The Centipede looks cool, and I thought about getting one. But it really only seemed to make sense if you needed the mobility or if it was going to be stored away between uses. If you are going to have something dedicated to inside the garage, I think you can do something more versatile with an MFT top.

[Jim Becker]

I have two of the Bora Centipede folding supports and they are really good for what they are designed to do. I do not consider them a replacement for sawhorses functionally, although there certainly can be crossover. I'm happy I have both formats, honestly. ('likely going to upgrade my sawhorses once I'm in the new shop to an adjustable height design)

[John Kananis]

I have a 4x6 centipede. Totally different purpose for similar tasks so I'm going to say use both - their individual use is situational. I will say that what I really dislike about the centipede (although fundamentally necessary) is the grid-work base doesn't allow you to put things underneath.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Today, watched Nick Engler's video on his cutting grid. If I didn't already have my cutting bench, his idea would be a strong contender for what to build.

[Tom M King]

If anyone reading this is considering buying some plastic folding sawhorses, I have both the Stanley ones and the much cheaper, when caught on sale from Lowes, Bluehawks.

The Stanleys are aggravating in that the loose yellow top is not good for anything that I can see, and the parts of the folding shelf that keeps them from spreading needs fiddling with every time they get used.

The Bluehawks folding shelf has never come apart, and I can operate it with my foot to lock one open, or lift with a toe to close it. The tops have slots to hold a couple of 2x's on edge that are just tight enough to keep them secure, but not too tight to take the 2X's back out. They are the first ones I grab.

I also have many varieties of wooden ones I've built over the years, but they take up room to store. The plastic ones get used a lot when I need some quick use without needing to bear a lot of weight.

edited to add: This link says they are no longer sold, but our Lowes still has some.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-32-28-in-H-Plastic-Saw-Horse-1-000-lb-Capacity/1216903

[Mel Fulks]

Thanks, Tom . I need some saw horses. Can’t help thinking about Andy Devine , “Well ,I don’t know where the horses are…..I left the horses
right over here…” Heard him an I’m gonna herd mine.

[Tom M King]

Ours come when I call them. We are down to only having two now. Back when we had a herd, I used to take friends out in a pasture on a really dark night and scare the daylights out of the friend by calling the horses. It's pretty impressive to hear a herd galloping towards you in the complete darkness, and they don't stop until they are all around you. They can see a lot better than us in the dark.

[Donald G. Burns]

I like my Bora Centipede. But I also have two sawhorse "leg assembles", I guess that's what you would call them. Two legs in an assembly with a pivot point and jaws that bite into a 2x4 (or 2x6, 8 or?) on top and a latch down low to prevent collapse. A pair them and you have a sawhorse. I have two sets of two and so I can make two sawhorses with scrap 2x4's of whatever length I need. They collapse up and get stored when not needed just like the Bora worktable. The sawhorse things are about 30 years old and I don't have a clue as to brand. Just something I picked up when I first saw them. Long before the modern folding plastic sawhorses were available.