This sawhorse/workbench combo is made using dimensional pine construction lumber from a home center. Its rugged and inexpensive, with no complicated joinery just butt joints, glue and screws. While my sawhorse bench is perfect for taking along to a job site, its versatility makes it equally handy in the shop.
The small, portable workbench can be used on the jobsite and can be customized to your height. When assembled, it even sports a tool tray.
Easy Break-down When you need to move the bench or stick it in the back seat of your car, it simply lifts apart no tools required.
Workbenches and sawhorses are not for everyone. For working comfortably and efficiently, they should be customized to the individual. So before making any cuts, youll need to figure out the height of the individual sawhorses and the assembled bench.
Becomes Two Sawhorses The two units are the same height, so when you take the bench apart, you have two sturdy sawhorses.
To find the height thats right for you, stand next to a wall or board that you can mark. Your knee should be bent so that your shin is parallel with the floor. Make a mark right beneath your knee. Measure 3 cm down from this mark to find your ideal sawhorse height (Photo 1). The reason for the 3 cm gap is to allow room for a board of average thickness to lie on top of the sawhorse while you apply pressure with your knee. Both the upper and lower units will be this height.
Photo 1. Find the right height for your sawhorse. Lift one foot so your shin is parallel to the floor and make a mark 3 cm below your knee. This will be the height of the individual units.
Find the perfect height for your bench. Stand by the same wall or board, bend your wrist so that your palm is parallel to the floor and make a mark directly under your palm. Measure 3 cm below this mark to find the right height for a bench (Photo 2).
Photo 2. Determine the workbench height. With your wrist bent, measure from the floor to 3cm below your palm. This will be the total height of the units when theyre stacked up.
My sawhorses must be 46cm high and my bench should be 84cm high. But 18 plus 18 equals 36, so now what? Without changing the height of the sawhorse, you need to reduce 8 cm. I did this by making the flared legs that the upper unit sits on 8 cm shorter than the sawhorse height. The upper unit can be slipped onto the lower unit by placing it on top of the legs. This gives the unit a total height of 84 cm (Fig. 01). Im 15 cm3 cm, so if youre my height, the dimensions in the cutting list will probably work for you. It is worth checking because each person was proportioned differently.
I used standard dimensional lumber for my bench. Youll need about 46 cm of 212 material, 30 cm of 24 material, and 15 cm of 14. Dimensional lumber is inexpensive and readily available. The downside is that its not necessarily dry and stable. Wide boards like 230 cms are prone to cupping. If you like, you can minimize this risk with a little extra work.
Photo 3. After cutting the 2x12s to a rough length, cut them in half. Trim their edges square and then reglue them, outer edge to outer edge. This arrangement helps to prevent wide boards from curling by rearranging the grain.
Here’s how to do it: Cut the boards to a rough length (Photo 3). Join the outer rounded edges by gluing the boards together from the outer edge to the outer edge. Essentially, taking flat-sawn boards and rearranging the grain pattern this way gives you something close to quarter-sawn lumber, helping reduce the risk of cupping.
Fig. 01. Exploded View
Fig. 02. Leg Detail
Cutting List
It’s worth taking the time to go through every board and find the straightest and most dry. The simplest way to determine dryness without bringing a moisturemeter to the store is to weigh the boards. A board that is heavier than other boards is the same size as the one it will be wetter.
Once you have determined the ideal size of the units, cut the tops and ends (A and E) for each unit. Fasten the tops to the ends using glue and screws (Photo 4). Since youre driving screws close to the end of the board, make sure you drill pilot holes. The pilot holes through the top should be equal to the screws major diameter (the total diameter including threads). The screws minor diameter should be equal to the pilot holes that go into the ends. This is the screw diameter minus the threads.
Photo 4. Photo 4. Pilot holes should be drilled to avoid splitting the screws, which are located close to the ends of the boards.
Next, fasten the lower unit stretchers (C). Fasten the stretchers 10 cm from the floor to create a toe space. To ensure the unit is square during assembly, use a framing square.
Photo 5. Glue up two 2x12s edge to edge and then bandsaw the legs trapezoidal shape. The top of each leg is the same width as the units ends and tapers to the full width of the glued-up 2x12s.
Begin by edge-gluing two 2x12s to make legs (D). This will create a single piece approximately 22- (Photo 5). Glue and screw the legs to the lower unit (Photo 6).
Photo 6. Photo 6. The flared legs give the units a stable base and provide stability when they are assembled.
Place the upper unit on top. Cut the upper-unit stretchers (F) to length and then glue and screw them inside the legs so theyre sitting directly on top of the lower unit (Photo 7). This adds stability and support to the workbench. When the units are assembled, it creates a tool storage container.
Photo 7. Set the upper unit in place on top of the lower unit and then fasten the inner stretchers to the upper unit. The inner stretchers are in direct contact with the lower unit, and serve as a tool tray.
Lastly, fasten the battens (G) to the upper unit (Photo 8). The battens are attached to the upper-unit stretchers. They overlap the lower unit roughly by half their width. The battens stabilize the workbench and prevent the upper unit sliding off the lower one.
Photo 8. Fasten the battens. The battens lock the upper unit in place on the lower unit.
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