Ah, with gussets. Of course.    It would take shearing of nails or ripping of the gussets for that classic design to fail.  I have an obsession to simplify designs which led to the design I came up with and posted.  With a CNC to use and plenty of plywood scraps I wanted a design that I could put together right off the CNC with just two 1/4-20 bolts.  The stretchers could be glued in place or bolted in place with an embedded square nut. Most work required was finding a 2x4 or anything 1.5" thick to stick in the top.  Glued up some oak scraps for the two I made to hold up a butcherblock slab desktop.

 

4D   

5 hours ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

I have a pair of wooden sawhorses not too different from the ones Keith pic'd above, and I have a couple of sets of plastic ones that are used outside or for finishing. But none of them are the right height all the time, so I built a couple of wood boxes that can be laid on any side and hold things. These have turned out to be quite useful, and though they aren't used as often as my horses they are used quite a bit. I put fingers holes in 3 of the sides to make them easier to pick up. These are 9" x 19" x 22", I think it i did them over I'd make the 19" side a little shorter to give me a little more flexibility in heights. I'm sure I got this out of some woodworking magazine years ago but I can't remember which one. I did find a pic of my wooden horses, and you can see some dipwad cut into a top that had to be replaced...that dipwad would be me.

Yeah, I made two "shop boxes" from salvaging plywood from a neighbor's old cabinet.  They are 24 x 30 x 36 so I can flip them around for different working heights.  I put on either a half sheet of plywood or (another salvaged) slip on desk top (30x60-ish)

 

A few years later, Bob Lang wrote and article on another variant that added I- beams and used pocket hole screws (that I did not have at the time).  https://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/the_shop_box_system/#

SHOPBOXES.pdf

On 4/16/2022 at 8:44 AM, Cal said:

I choose wood over plastic for a few reasons.

Structural strength.  No way would I have set an auto body on a set of plastic horses.

 

 

I've had a couple sets of plastic horses, but found them too low.  My wood ones are sized to be the same height as my truck's tailgate when opened.  Use to anyhow, I need to make a new pair to match the Nissan.  This allows me to use the tailgate as a support on long stuff and sheet goods.  And too, the wood tops have more than a couple battle scars from saw blades.

After careful review of this picture Cal, I have to ask; was there a shortage of concrete blocks during this time?

I've got a couple of concrete blocks.  They used to be stacked with a plank on them to be a seat under a tree in my back yard.   The rear neighbors put them there so they could sit in my yard and admire their own house.  The tree isn't there anymore.  Neither are those neighbors.  Now I need a good something to do with 2 concrete blocks.   Any ideas?  

2 hours ago, 4DThinker said:

  The tree isn't there anymore.  Neither are those neighbors.  Now I need a good something to do with 2 concrete blocks.   Any ideas?  

Too bad they moved. Maybe you could drop them off in the yard at their new location.

Looks like more stuff to store. 

10 hours ago, Al B said:

Looks like more stuff to store. 

The blocks will likely be left with this house when I sell it.  I may park them under a different tree with a plank on them, facing this house so they can admire their new purchase. 

4D

On 4/19/2022 at 5:13 PM, 4DThinker said:

I've got a couple of concrete blocks.  They used to be stacked with a plank on them to be a seat under a tree in my back yard.   The rear neighbors put them there so they could sit in my yard and admire their own house.  The tree isn't there anymore.  Neither are those neighbors.  Now I need a good something to do with 2 concrete blocks.   Any ideas?  

1970s vintage bookcase?

 

3 minutes ago, kmealy said:

1970s vintage bookcase?

Could be a book shelf maybe, but with only 2 blocks and a scrap of redwood an outdoor "bench" is more likely. 

I have 2 pair of these sawhorses that I ready like. I attached 2x boards wide enough so I use clamps on them.

The prevalence of assorted available saw horse options is what led to me posting my design here.   The University I teach at has a patent office that faculty can submit ideas/designs to for potential patent and licensing. I made my design to be simple to cut out using a CNC, and simple to assemble.  They liked the design but concluded the market for saw horses was already fully developed. No need for a new option. 

I'll eventually post the idea and files to create it on Vectric's site for those with a CNC and the software to download for their own use.   

Nice to see the broad variety of saw horses that the members here have and use. 

4D

I did a mission project all last week and dug out my '90s vintage  WorkMate

 

And to add to the options https://www.finewoodworking.com/project-guides/shop-projects/sawhorses-for-the-shop

 

Thanks Keith.

On 5/5/2022 at 7:45 PM, kmealy said:

I did a mission project all last week and dug out my '90s vintage  WorkMate

 

And to add to the options https://www.finewoodworking.com/project-guides/shop-projects/sawhorses-for-the-shop

 

On 5/5/2022 at 7:45 PM, kmealy said:

In my small basement shop the Workmate is my primary work bench. I own four of them and they are never too far out of reach

 

 

Thanks for the post kmealy. Irony here is that where I taught we had and used hand saws for most of my career.   The last few years with the tools and technology we've acquired for furniture design and fabrication those classic rip and crosscut hand saws have finally been demoted to a soon to be forgotten drawer.

4D

On 4/14/2022 at 10:20 PM, kmealy said:

In 1977, I made my first (and only) sawhorses, still in use today,

I'm still waiting but have a 'design'. Had a design, that is, until I saw 4DT's design.  Now I want a CNC setup . . . 

 

My idea has a 12" wide top, maybe 14" at the base, and would double for trestle table supports.

 

Manhattan Kansas ... There's also a Manhattan Montana where Bruce Weber had his shop after, I think, he sold his Weber Mandolin company.  Want to make to to Lawrence *some day* for the picking festival.

My Workmate has also come in handy many times since I bought it 30 or 40 years ago.  Never thought I needed another one though. The clamping top has often been ideal for holding work.  V-groove in the seam does a good job of holding pipe or dowels to be cut with a hacksaw or handsaw. I noticed they got cheaper over the years, both in price and quality. 

4D

1 hour ago, 4DThinker said:

I noticed they got cheaper over the years, both in price and quality. 

4D

Both of mine are yard sale finds. One's top boards are thicker and, wider than the other. Both needed the leg stays replaced. Not a particularly easy job. 

Two of my Workmates are the old well built type, another is a cheap newer base model and the fourth is one I bought new that they over engineered and cut the quality. 

Edited May 11, 20223 yr by frenchwwr