I
have a small shop, which means everything must be mobile and if at all
possible, serve multiple purposes. For several years I've been using a
set of adjustable-height knock-down sawhorses from Shop Notes
magazine.
Overall they have worked well, but they are very heavy, cumbersome to
move around and they take several minutes to break down for storage.
Trying to improve on that, I designed my sawhorses under these
requirements:
The pair should easily support the weight of any project I would want
to put on horses for finishing or assembly (figure 400 pounds max)
fold / unfold in seconds
lightweight
adjustable height for use as in/outfeed support
(bandsaw, router table, table saw, workbench, etc)
The result is:
Here is a video that demonstrates how the sawhorses fold / unfold and
how the height is adjusted:
Additional Pictures
Here are a few more pictures to help visualize how to build them.
This shows the end. That is a standard 4" door hinge holding the sides
together. The legs have a half-lap to support the weight transferred
from the side and top. This puts the weight directly to the legs. As a
result, the screws holding the legs to the sides are almost decorative.
From below, you can see the two channels that the top supports can be in. The support is shown in the extension
channel. It is cut at an angle matching the legs. Sliding the top to
this position gives it more support when extended. It also prevents the
legs from folding in, which is good if you accidentally kick a leg. The
channel to the right is the folding channel. It extends the full width of the side and allows the sides to fold together around the legs.
Here you can see the top supports in the folding channel.
This is the very simple locking bar that keeps the legs extended. This, too, keeps the legs rigid when open.
