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Saw horses

This is where we don't want anything but evidence of your finest wood butchering in all its glorious, and photograph laden glory. Bring your finished products or WIP's, we love them all, so long as there's pictures, and plenty of 'em!

Saw horses

Postby Mike G » 31 Aug 2019, 19:51

This is something I've been meaning to do for a while. My son in law was over for a few days and wanted some workshop time, so this little project seemed like an ideal hand-tool teaching project for him. We started with a pile of wood (all "redwood".........PAR pine):

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This is why I need new saw horses:

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I decided on a new design because the splayed legs are always getting in the way of the saw, both hand saws and the circular saw, so I came up with a tee-shaped foot and leg.

These big tenons are great chisel practise:

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The huge mortise also is good chiseling practise:

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Here;s how I advocate chopping out mortises, leaving a good bit of wood inside the end line until right at the last minute so that you can lever the waste out with a chisel without denting the wood just outside the end lines:

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The feet needed shaping:

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Dry fit:

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Wedged through-tenons, preparation thereof:

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I missed a really nasty ding in the edge of one of the stretchers:

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This forced a change in the design, and we put in a curved bottom edge to cut away the problem You'll see this in the "After" photos right at the end.

There were just 4 small mortises to chop out in the top, and some wedges to make, and that was the bulk of the assembly done:

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Two of the three horses are the same, but for the third I wanted a tool tray/ box instead of a wedged stretcher. With a rather tight set of dovetails, a base-board, and a housing joint to hold the legs stable, this made for a damned awkward glue-up against the clock:

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If anyone plans on copying this design, I'd think very carefully about this detail. It really isn't easy. With the glue starting to go off, and without being able to bash the dovetails home with a mallet, it took 4 clamps on one end to get everything into place:

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I designed these horses to stack as much as possible:

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I had to sweep the floor carefully to check that they all sat perfectly level:

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The little compartment at each end of the tool-box version is for chisels and pencils etc. If I take a horse into the house it will be this one, enabling me to keep my tools off the floor, and to help carry everything back out to the workshop afterwards:

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Re: Saw horses

Postby MattS » 31 Aug 2019, 20:54

They’re impressive saw horses as to be expected! The tool box is a really great idea!
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Malc2098 » 31 Aug 2019, 21:15

Nice.
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Re: Saw horses

Postby StevieB » 01 Sep 2019, 18:00

Very nice indeed, knocks spots off my plastic folding ones!
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Woodbloke » 01 Sep 2019, 18:46

I like those Mike but unfortunately I've got no spare floor space left now, but they're certainly something I could do with...I have to make do with a single, rather pathetic 'stool' cobbled together from some offcuts of 18mm ply and it currently sit's underneath the lathe - Rob
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Mike G » 01 Sep 2019, 19:23

Where do you make your pieces of furniture then Rob, if you've no space left? Mine are currently standing in the middle of the workshop, and will act as my assembly bench when furniture making........but there is soon to be space under my spare bench where they can stand out of the way.
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Woodbloke » 01 Sep 2019, 22:04

Mike G wrote:Where do you make your pieces of furniture then Rob, if you've no space left? Mine are currently standing in the middle of the workshop, and will act as my assembly bench when furniture making........but there is soon to be space under my spare bench where they can stand out of the way.

I deliberately keep a space of about 2.5 x 2m clear of all clutter in the 'shop and that's about the max size of any piece that I make, so saw horses would have to find a convenient slot somewhere else...problem is, there isn't one :cry: - Rob
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Re: Saw horses

Postby RogerS » 02 Sep 2019, 06:56

Lovely work, Mike :eusa-clap:
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Mike G » 02 Sep 2019, 08:07

Thanks Roger.
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Andyp » 02 Sep 2019, 08:32

I am inclined to say too good for saw horses :) The originals seem to be just screwed together.
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Re: Saw horses

Postby TrimTheKing » 02 Sep 2019, 08:45

Lovely work Mike. SiL seems to be getting a good sweat on sawing those angles on the legs! :lol:
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Mike G » 02 Sep 2019, 09:04

Andyp wrote:.....The originals seem to be just screwed together.


They are (but they're jointed). I'll keep them for building site stuff around here, but they're wobbly, of differing heights, have curved tops and a less then perfect design. I've had them for over 30 years, and have replaced the tops a couple of times I think, and the legs once.
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Mike G » 02 Sep 2019, 09:05

TrimTheKing wrote:Lovely work Mike. SiL seems to be getting a good sweat on sawing those angles on the legs! :lol:


It was 34 degrees and humid. We got a sweat on just walking to the workshop!
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Malc2098 » 02 Sep 2019, 09:45

Mike G wrote:
Andyp wrote:.....The originals seem to be just screwed together.


They are (but they're jointed). I'll keep them for building site stuff around here, but they're wobbly, of differing heights, have curved tops and a less then perfect design. I've had them for over 30 years, and have replaced the tops a couple of times I think, and the legs once.


That's almost as many times as Trigger's broom! :lol:
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Woodbloke » 02 Sep 2019, 16:55

Mike G wrote:The little compartment at each end of the tool-box version is for chisels and pencils etc. If I take a horse into the house it will be this one, enabling me to keep my tools off the floor, and to help carry everything back out to the workshop afterwards:

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After a while, that little compartment at each end is going to get choc a block with all sorts of rubbish and if you'll more that likely have to upend the whole thing if you accidentally loose something in there (which is bound to happen :D) I think I'd have kept to just one big compartment as at least it's accessible for searching fingers - Rob
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Mike G » 02 Sep 2019, 18:17

Maybe. That little compartment is not intended to be used anytime other than temporarily in the house. It certainly won't be used in the workshop. Chances are the horse will be stored upside down as in the photos, so I don't think it's going to be an issue. However, if I'm wrong, then I can always cut the end off and put a couple of open rails across in its place, or have an open end but a lid with some holes in it. The main point of the overhang of those sides is to provide a strong joint with the leg without any vulnerable short grain, and the little compartments are just a bonus.
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Re: Saw horses

Postby FatboyUK » 08 Oct 2019, 08:19

Very nice Mike
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Re: Saw horses

Postby 9fingers » 08 Oct 2019, 10:48

Mike, re your stressful glue-up against the clock. I sometime use a two stage approach with some components glued and others dry fitted to ensure the glued item harden in the right location. Then it is simply a case of knocking apart the dry fitted joints and gluing those the next morning or often last thing before I go to bed having done the first glue up before cooking dinner.
It might not suit your furious work rate but it does make life easier.

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Re: Saw horses

Postby Mike G » 08 Oct 2019, 12:48

I do that when I can, Bob. These saw horses, though, don't have a useful half-way point.

As for my work rate.......it isn't fast, it is just relentless. I just keep plodding on for hour after hour, not working in any way faster than others might, just longer.
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Mike G » 18 Mar 2021, 15:25

I should have added this drawing when I posted the thread:

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Re: Saw horses

Postby thetyreman » 27 Mar 2021, 19:04

mike thanks so much for uploading the plans, I'm going to have a crack at making these, time to get to work!
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Mike G » 27 Mar 2021, 19:05

Ben, just trim the length of the top by 50mm or so. They're a bit unstable if you stand on them at the ends (we all do, don't we). Take some photos. ;)
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Re: Saw horses

Postby Cabinetman » 27 Mar 2021, 19:22

Nice Mike, I hope you made SIL do all the work! I prefer a bit wider top myself for when I use them as step ups but very handy, and no three-dimensional nasty joints in the corners ha ha.
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