Knockdown Sawhorse Plan?

[Matt Meiser]

We just replaced the closet doors in our master bedroom with 6-panel doors that match all of the hinged doors in the house. The old doors are hollow core doors. I'm planning to keep them around as temporary work tables or ??? I was thinking that instead of buying sawhorses to put them on, it might be better to make some kind of knockdown sawhorses. Ideally something that I could make from plywood. Has anyone used a design that worked well for them? I'd rather go with something that someone's had good luck with than just picking one off the net.

[glenn bradley]

No help on the plans but, I've got some folding PLASTIC ones that are badged 'Skil'. They are surprisingly sturdy and were about $15 or less for the pair. I wouldn't trust them with an assembly job but as some quick extra space, they work well.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
Ditto on the folding plastic ones.
They run (on sale) about half of what material costs are for plywood knock down ones.
I got a pair (rated for #500 a pair) from Sears for $9.99.

Most of the plans I found needed a full sheet of 4x8 plywood & have a rediculous amount of waste due to the shapes of the cutouts.

[Matt Meiser]

I'll have to go into some stores and look. All the ones I see online are in the $25+ range.

I have two pair of the plastic ones. The first is Workhorse brand and they are great but I've had them for about 8 years and they are getting pretty beat up not to mention the fact that they are covered in all manner of finishes that won't come off, unless of course you put something on them you don't want it to transfer too. The other pair is from Harbor Freight and they are also decent except for a pinch point on the pieces that keep the legs from spreading too far.

[Prashun Patel]

http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip030815sn.html

I made a pair of these completely on the mitersaw for about $20 worth of "top" quality pine 1x4's and I love them. Nice thing about knockdown horses is the stretchers are easily replaceable if you cut into them, or if you need them taller or longer. The pic doesn't show it, but you need to angle the guides in the stretcher to 15 deg to accomodate the splayed legs. I'd definitely splay the legs for stability. It doesn't need it, but you could also add a notched lower stretcher to keep the legs from splaying wider under load.

They also stack for easy storage.

These are light duty only, though.

I use these for painting, outfeed tablesaw support, and a makeshift portable router table base.

For cutting sheetgoods, I'd make 3/4" notches 1.75" deep in the stretchers and hang 1x4's with mating notches to make a knockdown cutting grid. Or, you can just hang Simpson Strongtie joist hangers from the stretchers and use 2x4's for the grid.

[Jim Becker]

Matt, the most recent Lee Valley email newsletter featured a really nice sawhorse design made from laminated sheet goods...a great way to use scraps, too. While they were not knock down, per se, I believe it would be easy to make them that way with some thought.

[Greg Hines, MD]

Sears often has sales for their plastic sawhorses for $10-15. I have several pairs of them. My only recommendation is that when you get them, get two pairs of the same one, if you intend to use them for cutting up plywood. Then you have adequate support for the offcut.

Doc

[Steve Perez]

I was thinking that instead of buying sawhorses to put them on, it might be better to make some kind of knockdown sawhorses. Ideally something that I could make from plywood. Has anyone used a design that worked well for them? I'd rather go with something that someone's had good luck with than just picking one off the net.


Matt this might be of help and maybe what you are looking for. Popular Woodworking contributing editor Nick Engler once wrote an article which provided a description and plans of his sheet-goods cutting station. From it you can take his saw horse plan which looks like a very low budget, great performer. They are simply 2X4's, 2X8's and scrap plywood. If you opt for new 2X's, cut'em down to rough size and let'em rest in the shop for a couple of weeks. Once they're done warping, twisting and dancing, take them through your own milling dance routine (ok now I'm mind-singing to the tunes of: ah do the joint, plane and saw).

http://web.archive.org/web/20060104175944/http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/fea.asp?id=1104

also try this one:

http://img3.buzznet.com/assets/users8/ckck94/default/gallery-1121201341-msg-28105-2.jpg

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Matt, I made a set of these for my shop after reading Frank Pellows thread (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=8083&highlight=sawhorse+plans). I recommend them highly. The link to the plans he posted is dead but I have a copy saved on another computer I will post.