Sawhorse Upgrade // Simple Shop Solutions

I wanted to make my sawhorses a little more useful for material breakdown and assembly. This is a cost effective solution that worked well for me, and maybe it will work well for you!
The thumbnail says $8, but really it's just a couple of 2x4s which a lot of us have lying around already.
Pull saw - amzn.to/3J0fTU7
Combination Square - amzn.to/3XfBHQ2
(Disclaimer: If you purchase something using the affiliate links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.)

[@chadwickpainter8212]

Brilliant bro. I have a woodworking shop in my dining room and two horses just like yours. I use them all the time and this will help make things much easier. Thanks man.

[@cathalwhelehan3216]

This is actually pretty ingenious - I nearly destroyed the top of my Sjoberg bench when doing a plunge saw cut with the depth stop incorrectly set. Went straight through my waste material for few inches and about 3mm deep. Never again. I’m definitely doing this as soon as I get a couple of 2x4s. None spare at the moment. Thanks.

[@hankfoto]

Thank you! I am a DYI person you just showedme how to redo my macro and close up photography set up. I also make doll stands for my wife's 24to 36 inch dolls. Best of luck!

[@jk_woodworks]

Glad it helped!

[@michaelingle40]

Very useful. Ive been looking something I can use for jobs that gives me lots of cross support for cuts but can be easily broke down

[@christopherrau9793]

This is my first video of yours to watch. When you said you wanted to make your sawhorses more stable... you earned my Subscription.

[@jk_woodworks]

Thanks for the sub!

[@lafamillecarrington]

Someone dumped some 2x4s in the laybye next to my house, so I made something similar for my sawhorses. It has been really useful for dealing with sheet materials. The cat sealed the 'Like'!

[@SugarCreekWoodwright]

Smart use of old sawhorses! Well done!

[@jk_woodworks]

Thanks!

[@hoa8954]

Awesome ideas, bro! Bravo! 😍👍

[@bearsstuff]

I’ll only like and subscribe if I can have the cat. This is a great idea. Almost makes me want saw horses.

[@lenandov]

Looking forward to more vids.

[@rawbacon]

Great project, hope it warms up for you soon. My shop is in the basement now and I sure don't miss having an outside shop.

[@jk_woodworks]

Thanks! Hopefully I'll be able to get some insulation in before next winter.

[@diybeardedguy5517]

Good idea

[@exxekhan]

Very smart. I'm new to woodworking and was NOT looking forward to building a workbench. This sounds like a good temporary solution.

[@jk_woodworks]

Awesome! There are a lot of simple 2x4/plywood workbench designs out there too. It's a good opportunity to practice some skills!

[@Robb0h]

Great idea!! Thanks for posting! I have some old sawhorses that look about the same as yours that were in the barn when we moved into our house. They’re a bit rickety. This looks like it will give more workspace while also “sturdy-ing” thrm up a bit haha.

[@jk_woodworks]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@stuartgreenshields5591]

I just used a piece of 18mm ply I had knocking around which is door-sized, placed on top of the horses. The weight alone keeps it in place. On top of that I put 50mm insulation board. Works really well as a sheet cutting table.

[@retiredforlife63]

Cool little project to help save room. I’m always struggling to keep the floor of my little shop as clear as I can. Just learning about this kind of stuff as I move along. Thanks!

[@jk_woodworks]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@massacmongo995]

Good luck on your channel. I subscribed because of your Cat and the fact you're doing things on a budget . Most of us can only dream of the tools most KZbin Creators have in their workshops .

[@jk_woodworks]

Thanks for the sub! Much appreciated.

[@murphymmc]

I occasionally use my sawhorses with a lot of weight on them, though your idea works for light loads, I'd be hesitant to remove half the thickness, twice, in a 2x4 of today's dubious quality, should the top rail be a 2x6, that'd work. I had a set of those sawhorse brackets about 4 decades ago. They were the worst design for stability, so they were designated to a landfill. I built some folding sawhorses, they take up about 4" when folded. I've had over 30 4x8x5/8' plywood at one time on them, no problems. Yeah, don't ask about the why on that.

[@davidrohlmann3542]

@3:20 A uman of culture 👌 one of my favorite movies! Thank you for this great idea 💡🙌

[@jk_woodworks]

It's a good one! Thanks!

[@roseymalino9855]

I wouldn't want to compromise the saw horses with those cut outs. You could make an add on to over top the sawhorse rails which could be notched appropriately to use your assembly.

[@jk_woodworks]

I get the concern, but it really hasn't been an issue at all. It's been able to take a lot of weight no problem. Thanks!

[@thomasjohnson657]

Dude I would be insulating those walls. I got cold just watching.

[@jk_woodworks]

Haha, ya. This will hopefully be my last winter without insulation.

[@Wish_I_Wood]

🤠 I enjoyed the humor as well as the Idea. I have the affordable sawhorse brackets and will be adding this to one of the sets,👍👍

[@jk_woodworks]

Great! Thanks Ken.

[@garymarj6065]

I’ve done the same thing except the cross bar. I’ll add a cross bar now. Thanks.

[@jk_woodworks]

Great!

[@eyesalooking]

Simple but effective. I have a similar setup for sawhorses but I like your idea better.

[@jk_woodworks]

Glad you like it!

[@katherinecarroll3706]

Great idea. Thanks!

[@jk_woodworks]

No problem!

[@retiredforlife63]

I liked this so much I made a very similar bench and mentioned and tagged your video in the video I made about it. It has already proven to be very useful. Thanks!! 👍

[@jk_woodworks]

That's great! Much appreciated!

[@anterspenlans]

Nice work. I’ve done similar with my I beam sawhorses.

[@ron5935]

Suggested improvement would be more sturdy saw horses & cross pieces extend outside the legs. Then your feet do not constantly kick the legs, ie toe space. If some spacers were made to sit on the top frame, it could be used to break down plywood without cutting into bench top.

[@eoincripps]

The stable gag is worth a sub.

[@jk_woodworks]

Yes! I knew it would get at least 1 person. Thanks!

[@gm2407]

Not to far from being able to do everything. Just need the right things for planing and ripping. Anyway nice torsion frame.

[@lylemorton8641]

Finally a shop like mine on KZbin!. I do have bags of insulation on the floor though and hope to have it insulated by spring. Right now they’re just something else to have to walk around. Great idea but was wondering how much notching the saw horse would weaken it? Couldn’t do the math :) Could always add a strip underneath to compensate if you were planning on heavy loads. Good job. Stay warm-ish. New subscriber. Thanks.

[@jk_woodworks]

Thanks Lyle! Much appreciated. I guess its a bit weaker, but for what I will use it for it won't be a problem.

[@dinkyshopYT]

Good idea and affordable. Good newbie editing and use of pre-made assets. (I can relate.) Surprised you haven't insulated those walls. Maybe that will be a project video. Stay warm, keep posting.

[@jk_woodworks]

Thanks! Yep, just learning on the go. Hopefully will be insulated for next winter.

[@rayrodriguez9840]

Yes I found it helpful. Good job. I like this.

[@jk_woodworks]

Glad it was helpful!

[@stevesfascinations1516]

Good job! Well filmed and edited. Thumbs up and subscribed.

[@jk_woodworks]

Much appreciated!

[@aat3tville181]

So simple and great idea I am doing this one

[@jk_woodworks]

Awesome!

[@johnoswald6192]

Excellent idea. Thanks for sharing!

[@jk_woodworks]

No problem. Thanks John!

[@tcl5853]

Nicely done!

[@markburton8680]

Great video, however be careful with the cat so close to the table saw blade….lol

[@DesandSam]

Just an idea, not a criticism; would it not be better to screw boards to the top of the saw horse to create the notches rather than cutting into them?

[@jk_woodworks]

I think I see what you mean. For these I'll just make new boards when they get too beat up.

[@srenhansen9119]

Great idea its simpel and it works, I do that sone :-)

[@jk_woodworks]

Thanks!

[@bradpendleton5675]

Great idea.

[@jk_woodworks]

Thanks!

[@CRB9000]

I hate the idea of killing the structural integrity of the sawhorse. Why not just notch the cross pieces to lay on top of the sawhorse?

[@jk_woodworks]

It's really not an issue. I can stand on either sawhorse and in the middle with no problems. Anything heavier will likely have its weight distributed more evenly on the boards. The boards at the top of sawhorses are meant to be sacrificial and replaced when needed.

[@WesleyKennedy]

Question: Do woodworkers in Canada generally work in imperial or metric?

[@jk_woodworks]

In general, we're a bit all over the place when it comes to metric/imperial. As far as construction, it's pretty much all imperial. Individual shops that do fine woodworking might make the choice to work in metric but I would guess most don't. Pretty much all materials are made and sold with imperial measurements because the biggest market is the US.

[@annafrohling4689]

I have something similar but l never break it down, so l’m thinking about putting wheels on it.

[@jk_woodworks]

Nice!

[@bmwcubs42]

cool idea and pretty simple way to create stable structure thats collapsible for your work area. I have a similar idea based on a combination of ideas from several of the "big game" woodworkers. Ill forward to you in dm.

[@jk_woodworks]

Thanks Brian!

[@michaelphelan106]

Why don’t you use 2x8’s for the sawhorses, notch them and don’t notch the 2x4’s. Doing it this way you can use any old 2x4’s.

[@jk_woodworks]

That could work. It just would be a less secure joint.

[@eus2ks]

Awesome! Whats the weight limit?

[@jk_woodworks]

Not sure. I probably won't be putting anything heavier than a cabinet or a couple sheets of plywood on it. As long as the weight is spread out I think it could take quite a bit though.

[@guciochris5297]

That would weaken your sawhorses by a huge factor. You gain something you lose something.

[@jk_woodworks]

Not enough to make a difference. Watch my second video on this. :)

[@MrRapa81]

Work smarter not harder.

[@danmcdan8278]

I did the same thing, using DeWalt sawhorses with the notch already in place. I also predrilled the wooden intersections using a counter sink and drove in a 2" screw. This added a lot of stability and less "flapping about" when I put something heavy on one side. Nice work! Nick Engler over at Workshop Companion has a very nice setup which includes swivel arms for lifting plywood onto the table. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHTUmWabnJqIqpI

[@jk_woodworks]

Thanks Dan. Ya, I just had a look at Nick's version. Definitely a step up from mine 😂

[@ilbelramirez9969]

Maybe check out workshop companion's channel for a better version of this idea. His has a plywood sideloader and stuff kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHTUmWabnJqIqpI

[@jk_woodworks]

Thanks!

[@markhicks8377]

get rid of the cheap saw horse brackets

[@jk_woodworks]

Ya, there are better options out there for sure. These were just in my garage when we moved in. Maybe I'll make another upgrade video one day!

[@josephcernansky1794]

good idea......throw on an old sheet of plywood/OSB and you have a nice full-size work table. Easy to set up outside in the back yard for miter sawing and all sorts of stuff....also, get a sheet of foam to throw on top of the plywood and can cut other sheet goods without tearing up the saw blade or the table top....a very cheap and safe way to cut sheet goods. Eventually the foam board gets replaced but lasts pretty long time....unless you do production cutting. Then in that case you probably should buy a full-$ized panel $aw.

[@Poshypaws]

I couldn't find another video on YT about this. Well, it's not rocket science, is it??!!!!?!!!

[@jk_woodworks]

You're correct, it's not. I believe you'll find lots of non-rocket science videos on KZbin. Just thought I'd share my idea, but I'm aware it's not a groundbreaking discovery :)