How To Build a Low Sawhorse for Your Workshop

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Low sawhorses seem counterintuitive as a work surface, given that they’re shorter than most work- benches, but you won’t believe how much you’ll use these to raise your projects above clutter on your workbench, or on the floor for projects too tall for your bench, like cabinetry. Build two of these at a time, then rest a plank or piece of plywood on top for a convenient work platform. If you build these out of construction lumber or 5/4 stock instead of the 1" pine that we use, they’ll easily be strong enough to stand on. If you make the lower shelf out of 1⁄2" plywood, you can shave some weight without sacrificing strength.

Plans and Materials

Notes:

• Parts A, B, E, F are cut from 1x4 pine. The actual dimensions of this stock are 3⁄4 inch thick by 3 1⁄2 inches wide.
• Parts C and D are cut from 1x12 pine. The actual dimensions of this stock are 3⁄4 inch thick by 11 1/8 inches wide.
• Use #6 x 1-1/4-inch wood screws to connect Parts F and C. Use #8 x 2-inch wood screws everywhere else.

Download Plans

The Step-by-Step

Cut the Sides

Start by crosscutting the sides using a circular saw and a 40-tooth ATBR combination blade. Choose whichever end will become the top and mark its center. Then measure and mark 1 3⁄4" out from the center and make a mark on the left and right. On each side of the panel, measure 11 1⁄2" up from the bottom, and draw diagonal lines from there to the marks at the top. This produces a cut line with a pleasing slope and space for the horizontal 1x4 T-brace at the top. Make your measurements carefully, particularly if you are building two sawhorses. You'll want them to be the same height so you have a stable work surface.

Now mark the triangular cutout at the bottom. Measure in 3" from each edge and draw a 45-degree line toward the panel center. Cut along the sloping lines with a jigsaw to the point where they intersect [1].

Cut along the sloping lines with a jigsaw to the point where they intersect.

Attach the Cleats

Lay a cleat against each side of the sawhorse and use it to mark the reference line for the cleat's position [2].

Lay a cleat against each side of the saw- horse and use it to mark the reference line for the cleat’s position.

Screw the cleat to the sides, crosscut the shelf to length, and clamp the sides of the shelf [3]. Screw the shelf to the cleats with 1 1⁄4" screws.

Screw the shelf to the cleats with 1 1⁄4" screws.

Assemble

Crosscut the shelf support to make a snug fit between the cleats. Drill pilot holes through the sides and into the support's end grain. Drive screws through the sides and into the shelf support. Next, crosscut the top so that it is flush to the outside face of the two sides.

Clamp it in place, drill its pilot holes and then screw it to the sides using 1 1⁄2" screws. Crosscut the top support to make a snug fit between the two sides, drill pilot holes through the sides and into the support's end grain and drive screws to fasten the support [4].

Drill pilot holes through the sides and into the support’s end grain and drive screws to fasten the support

+ Other Workshop Tools To Make Yourself

Work Triangles

Cut these out of scrap 3⁄4-in. birch or AC plywood, using the factory 90-degree corner. They’re great for holding a subassembly at 90 degrees as you drive screws into it. I make 6-in. and 8-in. models, but make them any size you like. Cut the opening for a clamp head using a holesaw, then use a jigsaw to make a flat surface parallel to the sides. I don’t get too attached to them. I saw into them, drill into them, or screw into them as needed. When they’re chewed up, I toss them and make another bunch.

Cord Wrapper

I cut these from scrap 3⁄4-inch plywood. The one here is 10 inches wide by 26 in. long. Its handholds are 2 in. wide by about 6 in. long, set 1 in. in from each outside edge. It easily holds a 50-foot 12-gauge cord. Mark out the pattern and saw it to shape with a jigsaw. Use a belt sander to knock off any irregularities, then run counter-clockwise around its perimeter with a rounding-over bit in a router. Do this on both faces to ensure nicely rounded surfaces that won’t damage the cord or give you a splinter.

Sandpaper Ripper

I built this from a scrap piece of 3⁄4-in. plywood to rip paper for an old-school rubber 3M sanding block. I designed it so that I hold and rip the larger piece of paper rather than the smaller piece. You can make your ripper with the hacksaw teeth facing the opposite way and rip the smaller piece. That weighty decision is your call, but either way I’ve found that an 18-TPI hacksaw blade is about right for a clean, fast tear.