Nesting Sawhorses: Compact, Strong, and Easy to Make

I've been using sawhorses like this for the past 30 years. When not in use, the pair "nests" together to make storage very compact. The design easily lends itself to different heights. I made two additional sets; One set is 26" high to work on shallow cabinets, and the other set is 16" to work on deeper cabinets. The 16" high version has no stretcher. My original sets are all made from northern white pine because I wanted them lightweight and forgiving should finished work bump against them. The cost of pine has gone up considerably since then. At less than half the cost, yet offering the same properties, using basswood for this new set made a lot of sense to me. The pads (Part E) are maple so they will wear better and last much longer.

I used mortise and tenon joints to assemble the originals. For this updated version, I decided to go with biscuits to simplify the construction. I felt they'd work fine since the load bearing is carried through the wood, not the joinery. Another change was adding the bolts to secure the feet to the legs. On the old "horses" I used lag bolts. They loosened over time, so I felt bolts would be more secure. Time will tell!

Photo 1. Sand or plane the parts using the same setting so all of the parts end up the same thickness. I rough thickness everything using my thickness planer, and then I finally sand ad thickness using my sanding machine. Since these are only sawhorses, the surface finish doesn't have to be perfect.

Make the Parts

Cut the parts (Parts A through E) to the sizes given in the cutting list (Photo 1). Drill the bolt head counterbore holes (Photo 2), and then drill the 5/16" dia. bolt shank clearance holes. You don't need to drill the clearance holes all the way though the legs since the notches will be cut later

Cut the leg dadoes in the feet (Photo 3). Cut the feet notches in the legs (Photos 4 & 5). Cut the biscuit grooves (Photo 6). Make sure to cut the leg-to-stretcher biscuit slots on the counterbore hole side of the legs. This is an easy mistake to make...trust me, I know! Glue and clamp the pads to the feet. Use a band saw to cut the shapes of the feet and then sand the sharp edges smooth.

Photo 2. Use a drill press and 1" dia. Forstner bit to drill the bolt head counterbore holes in the feet and legs. The counterbores are all 1/2" deep.

Assemble the Sawhorses

Glue and clamp the legs to the support and then glue and clamp the legs to the beam. Glue and bolt the feet to the legs (Photo 7), and then ease all the sharp edges.

Photo 3

Cut the dado grooves in the feet for the legs. I "gang" clamped the four feet together as I simultaneously cut the dadoes using a 1/2" wide dado blade. Make sure the clamp is tight and well clear of the blade. Slowly widen the cut until it matches the thickness of the legs perfectly. (Photo 3)

Photo 4

Use a miter gauge to guide each leg as you make a defining cut for the shoulder of the foot notch. A stop block is clamped to the fence so the 5" distance can be repeated for the cuts on the other legs without the board binding against the face of the fence. (Photo 4)

Photo 5

Finish the notch cutting using a band saw. I made a partial cut on the table saw and then removed the remaining waste with this setup. I fine tuned the notches with a chisel. (Photo 5)

Photo 6

Cut the double #20 biscuit groove. Register all the cuts from the same side. That way, the parts align better and easier. (Photo 6)

Photo 7

Glue and bolt the feet to the legs.  I used nylon lock nuts, but regular nuts and lock washers would work, too. Do the final tightening with the horses sitting on the floor or other flat surface to make certain the parts aren't twisted. (Photo 7)

Nesting Sawhorse Plans

Nesting Sawhorse Cut List

Overall Dimensions: 48" wide x 35" tall x 16-1/2" deep

Download Nesting Sawhorse cut list and plan.