TAUN TON’ S

Light, Strong, Stackable Sawhorses

A project plan
for building
versatile
sawhorses

©2009 The Taunton Press

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Sawhorses stack on top
of one another.
Top rail, 3⁄4 in. thick by
31 ⁄8 in. wide by 30 in.
long

Leg, 3⁄4 in. thick by

31 ⁄8 in. wide
by 30 in. long

Spline

Spline groove

Leg

Cleat Back Wedge, 3⁄4 in. thick by

31 ⁄4 in. wide by
121 ⁄8 in. long

Cut at 15°

15°

Leg support
Front

Edited and Drawn by Jim Richey

Light, strong sawhorses stack neatly
I’ve used these sawhorses in the shop since about 1978. Even
though they’re light, the horses have never failed. It’s easy to
make a bunch of them, and the entire lot can be stored in
one neat stack.
The legs are attached to the sawhorse with a scarf joint that
is glued, clamped, and screwed. A spline added to the joint
boosts shear strength and maintains the correct angle for the
splay during assembly.
Cutting the scarf on the leg is tricky. You’ll need a jig similar
to the one shown in the drawing at right. First, miter both
ends of the leg with a compound miter, 15° and 15°. Then
clamp a pair of legs in the jig, which holds them splayed both
15° front to back and 15° side to side. With the tablesaw blade
set vertically, cut the cheeks. To cut the spline slot in a leg,
first set both the miter gauge and the tablesaw blade at 15°.
Then, with the scarf joint facing down, use the miter gauge to
support the leg as it’s passed over the blade.
—Louis Mackall, Guilford, Conn.