I beam saw horses, what do you charge?

[Old Greenhorn]

I put this thread under milling because it is mostly sawyers that make I beam saw horses for their own use and sell a few sometimes. Guys like @WV Sawmiller and @Bruno of NH  . I am wondering if you guys would mind sharing what you charge for these?
 I know we had a thread, or a side track on a thread, about this around 2 years ago, but I just can't find it with all my search attempts. If anyone knows the thread I mean, a pointer to that would of course help.
 I made a raised bed today I will finish in the morning with a garden cloth liner and I will put it our on the front lawn and see if it draws the $75.00 I am asking. I have a pair of horses I can put out also, but I can't seem to hone in on a price. Some advice would help guide me. I am thinking around $40/ea or $75/pr but that strikes me as a bit high. I figure $20. in cost I have into each one, plus my time.
 Thanks folks.

[Bradm]

Don't underestimate the value of your time.  How much time do you have into them and what's your time worth using a reasonable salary figure (50-70K/year)?  Don't forget to add profit after you got the other costs figured out.

[Old Greenhorn]

Not much, probably take me 10 minutes to cut the parts and 10 or 15 minutes to assemble each one. If there was a real demand, I cut set up to do that a whole lot faster.

Edit to add: I don't think I can base these on an expected income amount and the profit will be fine. These are made mostly from overrun material on the mill, extras, maybe some stuff with a bit too much wane. It's rainy day fill in work and to my mind, it's just some extra cash. The garden box I made today was entirely from stuff sitting around the shop and served as a way to clean out some material.

[beenthere]

What will be the cost figured in for purple paint?

[Stephen1]

We sell raised garden boxes as a kit, parts, screws, instructions sheet. 27 bd ft per box and 1.50 a bd ft + 20 mins to saw, assemble and sell. We use 6" pine for the body ripped to 3" for the legs all done on the mill as a side from  sawing 8+10" B+B siding. The student saws the boards to length and puts the kits together, weighs the screws, shrink wraps.  We charge 75$ for the kit. 
Figure a price for the lumber and go from there.
 I always want to make a good wage for what I do, otherwise you might as well go fishing or golfing 

[Bruno of NH]

I get $40 each or $75 for the pair
I make them from lumber seconds
We cut out the bad lumber as they take mostly short pieces.
Folks don't question the cost when they see my add with all the lumber stacked on them.
I always put at the end of my adds 
Your not finding this quality at the cheapo depot. 
Folks get a kick out of it.
We don't need to build stuff or do firewood as I'm so busy Sawing now.
But when I was contacting, I learned not to put my eggs in one basket.

[Old Greenhorn]

What size is the box? 2x4' roughly? I made mine 18" x 36" just to test the concept. Obviously I would make whatever a customer might want. I should have thought to rip gown to 3" for the legs, but the 6" works fine, just looks a bit bulky to me for that box size. I didn't get any good photos, but we all know what these look like:



 

 A few minutes ago I went out and stapled in some garden cloth to keep the dirt in. All rough milled, no planeing.
 The pricing is a bit regional also. So I figured I would start at $75. and see what happens. At that price, it's fair 'rainy weather work' and I can knock them out. I look at it as cash in the pocket for easy work on a poor day. 2 years ago I put out a mess of garden stakes in all lengths, but no takers. I did sell them, but for other uses and through other outlets. It did generate a few queries that also didn't amount to anything except letting the neighbors know I make wood and wood products. They come by when they need 'a board'.

 Beenthere, as you know, I don't do purple paint. Not sure where you got that, but it's fake news. In fact I hate painting. So if they want them painted, it's 40% more, at least. ;D

 Bruno, thanks for weighing in, that's why I tagged you. You have done very well with this stuff and I think you are the master at it. I know it's filler work for you, but for me it can be just a tiny bit more than that. Not a lot, but a little. I think I will go with your pricing and see what happens.

[WV Sawmiller]

  I offer to sell my sawhorses for $25 each. I have not sold any yet. I usually make them from mostly salvage lumber from run out 2X4s and such.

   I sell my planters for $55 each. I also figure 27 bf in each and use $2/bf as a planning figure. The floor is typically low grade wood I can't sell or cut off pieces. I use mostly 2" galvanized nails and about a dozen 3" deck type screws. I use 1X4 for one side of the legs and rip a 1X6 to make 1X3's for the other side so it looks like 4" wide from either direction.

   I do not paint mine.  ;)

[Old Greenhorn]

Howard, I figure 17BF of lumber in a sawhorse, so I think you may be low there. BUT, it's a regional thing. HD had some decent wood horses on display a few months back and they were asking a respectable price, but more than what Bruno or I would charge.
 You put more detail in on your boxes than I did on this first one, but if they sell I will step it up. I was thinking on building a stand for my chop (miter) saw with long tables on each end. It would allow me to hack up all the pieces in just a couple of minutes for any of these quick build jobs. Just set a stop and cut off what I need according to the list. zip-zip.

[WV Sawmiller]

Tom,

   Its a moot point on the sawhorses as they exceed the local market prices anyway. People prefer to buy the folding ones from HF it seems even though I am sure mine would hold much more weight. I had 264 bf of fresh cut poplar on a pair yesterday with no problem.

   On the planters I am sure I could sell more if I marketed them more aggressively with local plant vendors but right now I am making more on portable milling and lumber sales so am not pushing them. I don't have the storage space to make and stock many so just knock out a few when someone orders them.

[Magicman]

 

 
Folding feet !!!


 
They are much better in pairs. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Lynn, those look just like one of the models that HF sells from around $50./pr. No doubt the I beam ones we all make will hold up a lot better than that!

[SawyerTed]

Folding or...collapsible? 

[Old Greenhorn]

I'm no expert on these fancy gizmos, but it looks like one side folds and the other collapses. :D

[Magicman]

They neither fold nor collapse now.  I straightened them up and welded them in place.   8)

[Big_eddy]

Anyone have a picture of these I beam sawhorses? I left my son my last pair of sawhorses when he had to rip then stain a gazillion board feet of pine into battens to seal up  the board and batten-less house he bought. 
I need to make a new pair for home and always keen to look at new designs.  

[Old Greenhorn]

Many variations. Mine are about as simple as you can get. 


 

Height preferences vary and you can add diagonals as you like for super heavy weights, but I have found I don't need them.
 I have also altered them into other uses. I have a short one here built up as a log drilling stand, then the logs roll up onto rails supported by another pair for inoculation and the horse at the far end has a shelf screwed to the lower 'I-beam flange' that holds labeling supplies. This is an in-work photo and doesn't show the completed version.




 

[Old Greenhorn]

Good thing you asked for that photo when you did. 5 minutes after I made that last post a neighbor pulled up and bought the pair. :D ;D
 Now I've sold as many as Howard. ;D

[Lasershark]

I cut both ends of legs at a 10° miter and a 10° bevel for stability, they nock into the 2x6" I-beam frame perfectly:

 



Also, use heavy-duty Tork-type screws to fasten it together!

[Bruno of NH]

I cut both ends of legs at a 10° miter and a 10° bevel for stability, they nock into the 2x6" I-beam frame perfectly:

 



Also, use heavy-duty Tork-type screws to fasten it together!

I like the splayed legs
I'm going to try that.
I have been using a 2x8 top on the latest ones built for the mill

[Old Greenhorn]

I like the splayed legs too, but I think the straight legs are better for heavy loads and general use, also cheap and quick to make for sale. 
Of course, what one builds for oneself is a different matter. I do like the way yours are, and for a dedicated purpose they work extremely well, that is, you know the load.
 I have/want to make a stand for my miter saw and I was thinking on a modified design for a short stand. Now I am looking at your lathe bench and have revised my plans. :D ;D I want to build this stand in 3 pieces because of limited floor space. The stand for the saw which will live in the shop near a post, the infeed table of about 8' and the outfeed table of 4-5 feet. The two tables will have some kind of 'lift off' hook to tie the to the stand, but can easily be removed and stored outside when not doing that sort of work. I am trying to improve workflow and being able to back the truck up after a day at the mill and slide lumber in the shop before dinner has been my norm. But then, cutting that lumber into all the pieces for builds has been sloppy. Sometimes it gets moved upstairs to the TS or RAS for cutting, and then it comes back down for building. Sometimes I sue the miter saw right on the shop floor. Lots of bending and tripping over stuff. Gotta fix that and knock this stuff out faster. After that, I need an assembly bench, hopefully solid, but on wheels.
 Thanks for the idea.

[barbender]

Hay wagons make great portable work tables.

[Crossroads]

I made a pair of these horses over the winter for a project and sure do appreciate how functional they are. And tough!

[WV Sawmiller]

Tom,

  FWIW you have now sold 2 more than me. :D I sometimes make them a foot or so tall out of scrap 2X4 or 2X6 cut-offs and use them to stack mantles and lumber stacks on. Of course mine have stretchers out of scrap 1X3 or 1X4 to reinforce them and keep them from spreading.

  I like to make mine 4' long and with 3' legs.

[aigheadish]

My contention, Tom, is- you sold the whole lot in one day, right? They were too cheap! 

Also, thanks for mentioning a miter saw table, I need to do something like that myself. Currently, my miter saw is sitting on my main bench and while it usually isn't in the way it's not conducive to long pieces at all, though neither is my shop.

You guys and all your builds are sweet, so many neat ideas and solutions!