No Products in Your Cart
Workshop Sawhorses[8/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 2 sawhorses
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 · 4ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 4' Lengths / 4-6"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A pair of heavy hardwood sawhorses for cutting sheet goods, holding a door for finishing, or carrying a tabletop while you work. Each horse has a thick flat beam on two splayed A-frames, tied with gussets, carriage bolts and a stretcher on each side. They stack for storage, and the wide 8/4 beam won't rack or wobble like a pine horse.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beams | 2 | Boards 1–2 | 32" × 4" × 1¾" | 32" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Gussets | 4 | Boards 1–2, the rest | 7⅜" × 4" × 1¾", sides 15° | 7⅜" × 3½" × 1¾", sides 15° |
| Legs | 8 | Boards 3–4, ripped in half | 22½" × 1 15/16" × 1¾", ends 15° | 22½" × 1 11/16" × 1¾", ends 15° |
| Stretchers | 4 | Board 5, ripped in half | 22½" × 1 15/16" × 1¾" | 22½" × 1 11/16" × 1¾" |
Legs: boards 3–4 ripped in half, 22½" along the edge, both ends cut at 15° and parallel. Two legs per A-frame, splayed 15°, top inside corners touching.
A-frames: a 7⅜" gusset across the outside of each pair, cut to follow the legs. Two #10 × 3" screws plus one ⅜" × 4½" carriage bolt per leg. No glue (cross grain).
Beam: 32" laid flat on two A-frames, gussets 3" in from the ends. Two #10 × 3" screws into each gusset, one into each leg top.
Stretchers: one 22½" stretcher on each side of each horse, across the outside of the legs, 4" off the floor. Two #10 × 3" screws per end.
Finished size: Each horse 32" long × 23½" tall, about 15¾" (S4S) or 15⅛" (S2S) across the feet. Beam 4" wide (S4S) or 3½" (S2S). Stacked, the pair stands about 30"–31" tall.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S)
- 8 × ⅜" × 4½" carriage bolts with washers and nuts
- 48 × #10 × 3" flat-head wood screws
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil and paste wax
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — set to 15°
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide), push stick and splitter
- Jigsaw or handsaw (gusset sides)
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits, ⅜" bit
- Wrench for the bolts
- 2 bar clamps, 12" or longer
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- Tape measure, combination square, pencil
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first. No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 1¾" × 4", ¼" to square an end · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean); we plan S2S at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Cut the beams and gussets. Square one end of boards 1 and 2. Cut a 32" beam from each, then two 7⅜" gusset blanks from the rest. Use a stop block so the four gussets match.
- 2 Rip the legs and stretchers. Rip boards 3, 4 and 5 down the middle with a push stick and splitter. You get six strips about 1 15/16" wide.
- 3 Cut the legs. Set the mitre saw to 15°. Cut one end of a board 3 strip, measure 22½" along the edge and cut again without flipping the strip, so both ends are parallel. Cut a second leg the same way. Do all four strips: 8 legs. Board 5 strips: two 22½" stretchers each, square ends.
- 4 Lay out an A-frame. Lay two legs flat on the bench, their 1¾" faces up, angled ends level, top inside corners touching and feet spread out. Set a gusset blank across the tops, top edge flush with the leg tops. Trace the outside of the legs onto it, then cut the gusset to the lines. It is about 4" across the top and 6⅛" across the bottom.
- 5 Screw and bolt the A-frame. Put the gusset back in place. Pre-drill and drive two #10 × 3" screws through it into each leg. Then drill a ⅜" hole through the gusset and each leg, below the screws, and fit a ⅜" × 4½" carriage bolt with a washer and nut. No glue: the gusset grain runs across the legs. Make four A-frames.
- 6 Fit the beams. Mark a line 3" in from each end on the underside of each beam. Stand two A-frames under a beam, gussets facing out and on the lines. Pre-drill and drive two #10 × 3" screws down through the beam into each gusset and one into the top of each leg. Countersink the heads so they sit below the surface.
- 7 Add the stretchers. Hold a stretcher across the outside of the two legs on one side, bottom edge 4" off the floor and ends flush with the outer edges of the legs. Pre-drill and drive two #10 × 3" screws into each leg. Do the other side, then the second horse.
- 8 Level the feet. Stand each horse on a flat floor. If one rocks, slip a pencil on a ⅛" spacer around the long leg and trim to the line.
- 9 Finish. Ease all the edges and sand to 120. Wipe on one coat of oil, then wax the beam tops so glue drips pop off. Leave the screw heads deep in the beam so a saw blade never meets them.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish 1¾" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Cut the beams and gussets. Square one end of boards 1 and 2. Cut a 32" beam from each, then two 7⅜" gusset blanks from the rest. Use a stop block so the four gussets match.
- 3 Rip the legs and stretchers. Rip boards 3, 4 and 5 down the middle with a push stick and splitter. You get six strips about 1 11/16" wide.
- 4 Cut the legs. Set the mitre saw to 15°. Cut one end of a board 3 strip, measure 22½" along the edge and cut again without flipping the strip, so both ends are parallel. Cut a second leg the same way. Do all four strips: 8 legs. Board 5 strips: two 22½" stretchers each, square ends.
- 5 Lay out an A-frame. Lay two legs flat on the bench, their 1¾" faces up, angled ends level, top inside corners touching and feet spread out. Set a gusset blank across the tops, top edge flush with the leg tops. Trace the outside of the legs onto it, then cut the gusset to the lines. It is about 3½" across the top and 5⅜" across the bottom.
- 6 Screw and bolt the A-frame. Put the gusset back in place. Pre-drill and drive two #10 × 3" screws through it into each leg. Then drill a ⅜" hole through the gusset and each leg, below the screws, and fit a ⅜" × 4½" carriage bolt with a washer and nut. No glue: the gusset grain runs across the legs. Make four A-frames.
- 7 Fit the beams. Mark a line 3" in from each end on the underside of each beam. Stand two A-frames under a beam, gussets facing out and on the lines. Pre-drill and drive two #10 × 3" screws down through the beam into each gusset and one into the top of each leg. Countersink the heads so they sit below the surface.
- 8 Add the stretchers. Hold a stretcher across the outside of the two legs on one side, bottom edge 4" off the floor and ends flush with the outer edges of the legs. Pre-drill and drive two #10 × 3" screws into each leg. Do the other side, then the second horse.
- 9 Level the feet. Stand each horse on a flat floor. If one rocks, slip a pencil on a ⅛" spacer around the long leg and trim to the line.
- 10 Finish. Ease all the edges and sand to 120. Wipe on one coat of oil, then wax the beam tops so glue drips pop off. Leave the screw heads deep in the beam so a saw blade never meets them.
Why splay the legs? Legs that lean out 15° put the feet almost 16" apart, so a horse with a door or a sheet of plywood on it doesn't tip when you lean on the edge.
Why bolts as well as screws? Sawhorses get dropped, kicked and dragged. Screws alone loosen in time. A carriage bolt through the gusset and each leg keeps the A-frame tight for years, and you can snug it up with a wrench.
Why no glue? The gussets cross the legs and the beam crosses the gussets. Glue on cross-grain joints fights the wood as it moves. Screws and bolts hold it all and let it move.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Sacrificial top: screw a 2×4 on top of each beam. Cut into it freely and replace it when it's chewed up.
- Non-slip beam: glue a strip of rubber shelf liner or cork to the beam top for finishing work.
- Handle slot: drill two 1¼" holes 4" apart in the middle of each beam and jigsaw between them for a carry handle.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- These are work supports, not a step or a ladder. Never stand, kneel or sit on them.
- Load about 200 lb per pair, spread along both beams. Keep heavy loads between the A-frames, not on the overhanging beam ends.
- When you cut on the horses, set the blade depth so it clears the work but stays above the beam, and keep screws out of the cut line.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
About 200 lb per pair, spread along both beams: a sheet of plywood, a solid door, or a tabletop with someone working on it. They are not made to stand on.
Yes. Set one horse on top of the other, beams lined up. The upper legs sit outside the lower legs and rest on the lower beam, and the pair stands about 30"–31" tall.
The legs are as long as the boards allow. For a 30" working height, screw a 2×6 on top of each beam, or set the horses on a low platform.
Planned offcuts only: the small triangles from the gusset sides and leg ends, and about 2" off each leg and stretcher strip. All 5 boards go into the sawhorses.
No. The legs need 22½" each, two to a strip, and the beams need 32". A 2ft 8/4 pack suits our sanding blocks and clamp pads or our heavy door stops instead.
