How To Build A Folding Sawhorse Quick And Easy?

Turn off all the power tools and equipment. Wear personal protective gear. Using a tape measure and speed square, mark the lumbers of 2X4 into the length you want to cut them. Usually, it is 29⅜ inches per piece, but you can adjust as per your convenience. We will need eight such identicals lumbers. Now set your circular saw to a bevel angle of 22.5 degrees.

Use the speed square to give support to the saw. Turn on the saw and cut the lumber on one side. Turn off the saw. Then shift the speed square and saw and cut out the first piece of lumber. Turn off the saw. This will be used as a reference to cut the other pieces of wood. Cut seven more pieces of lumber by repeating the process. 

Once you have all eight pieces, using a marker and speed square, mark about 3mm on each bevel. Turn the circular saw back to zero degrees. Turn on the saw and shave off the additional 3mm from the top of all the beveled sides of all lumbers. This will be used to secure the hinges in place. Turn off the saw. 

Take the pocket hole jig and secure it on your workboard. Adjust the depth guide to 1½ inch, which is the thickness of the 2X4 lumber board. Secure the setup guide to 2½ inches to adjust the collar on the drill bit.

Place the lumber piece on the jig such that the shaved off the edge of the bevel side is touching the surface of the depth guide. The larger side of the bevel will go towards the back. Using the power drill, drill two holes on each lumber. Do this on 4 of the lumber pieces that are two legs of each of the sawhorses. 

Take two pieces of the pocket holed lumber pieces such that the shaves off bevels are touching each other. Line up the knuckle of the strap hinge to the joining center of the two legs. Using a marker, mark the spots for the screws to secure the hinge. Remove the hinge and using a power drill.

Drill the diameter holes equivalent to the screws which will be used. Turn off the drill machine. Place the hinge back into position. Take two screws and using the impact driver, secure the jig in position with the screws. Repeat the process three more times so that you will have four pairs of hinged lumber legs.

Take the 1X2 lumber board. Using the marker and speed square, mark the length of the cross board braces that you would need. Using the circular saw, cut a straight piece. You will need two identical pieces. 

Similar to step 3, using a pocket hole jig, drill two holes in the cross-board braces. The depth gauge will be set at ¾ inch, which is the thickness of the 1X2 lumbers. Adjust the collar of the drill such that the drill bit almost touches the surface of the jig, but not quite. Leave a space of about 2mm. Secure the lumber in position and drill two holes side by side on each piece. 

Take the hinged lumber legs, which have the pocket holes. The pocket hole of the leg will be on the inwards, that is, the side where the hinge is attached. Position the cross board such that the thickness of the cross board lines up with the bevel of the lumber.

Therefore, the pocket holes of the cross board will be sort of in line with the pocket holes of the leg. Using the power drill, drill in screws into the pocket holes of the cross board to secure it in position. Use ¾ inch screws. Repeat the process with the other pair of lumber legs and cross board. You now have two skeletal saw boards. 

Take the 2X4 lumber board and cut the length, using the circular saw, of the board you want for the top of your sawhorse. Usually, it is 42 inches, but you can adjust it as per your preference. Take one of the saw boards and secure it in a position such that the top board you just cut will be in the center of the sawhorse.

Using the pocket holes of the legs and an impact driver, secure the top length board to the lumber legs.  Drill and screw in extra screws if you think the sawhorse is not sturdy enough. 

Open the sawhorse as wide as it can. Mark the midpoint and measure the distance between the two legs. Then at one of the marked midpoints as a pivot, measure the length of the brace such that it doesn’t touch the ground or the top of the sawhorse. This will be the length of the brace.

Take the 1X2 lumber, and similar to step 5, cut two pieces of lumber. This will act as a brace for the sawing board to install the shelf in. Cut a rounded area on the end of each side of the brace using the jigsaw. Sand out the area so that no sharp edges remain on the braces. We will need four such braces.

Take the brace and mark a spot ¾ of an inch from the rounded end. Drill a hole ¼ inch on both ends. Repeat the procedure on all the braces. Now make a notch on through the brace holes such that a ¼ inch screw bolt can quickly drop into it. Using the drill, drill a hole at the marked midpoint on the inner side of all the legs of the sawhorse. You will not have four braces with a hole on one side and a notch on the other. 

Secure the hole side of the brace with the hinged leg of the sawhorse using a bolt and washer. Repeat it on both legs of both sawhorses. Secure it such that the brace can easily swing around the bolt, like a hinge.

On the other leg, at the marked midpoint, attach a screw such that it goes midway into the lumber leg. Now the brace should be able to swing and rest on the screw of the other leg. Repeat the procedure for all the braces. 

Step 12: Take the ½ inch plywood and, using the circular saw, cut it down to size. The length will be equal to the distance between the two braces of each sawhorse. You will need two such pieces. Place the plywood shelf into position on the braces.

Using an impact driver, screw in the bolts to secure the shelves in position with the braces on both sides. Repeat this for both shelves. Using a sander, sand off any sharp edges on the sawhorses.
We now have two foldable sawhorses.