I beam saw horses, what do you charge?

[doc henderson]

If a miter stand may have to go to other places, a store bought one may be the best with aluminum and several configurations.  I have two dewalt saws and stands, but not cheap.  look for used.  
my saw horses are 2x6 beam and legs.  i have plywood for a stretcher on the ends.  i like to be able to stack/nest them so the legs and stretchers have to be on the end of the beam.  I glued and screwed them, and eventually painted them so they would tolerate being outside.  they were purpose built to work on my O'Day 18 foot daysailer II sailboat when I lived in Albany, NY.  horses were 7 feet long. 30.5 inches tall.  If they are used on soft ground, the stretchers are less important, than on concrete.  so you could advertise custom length and height.  I used a come along under my car port at the twin oak apartments their.  i also used to split wood with a maul in the front yard, and burned a bit of wood in the fireplace.

[trimguy]

 
This is my miter saw bench, I set it on saw horses. I like it better than the store-bought ones. It gives me a place to put pieces so I can make multiple cuts at while I'm at the saw. I trim houses so this is what works best for me. This one is made out of cedar , so it's pretty light. 

[doc henderson]

I like it.  pretty cheap for a guy with a sawmill, OGH.

[Old Greenhorn]

I like that trimguy and it's something like what I have in mind. I was thinking separate indeed and outfeed tables joined to the saw stand in the center. This would make it flexible in use and setup.

 When I worked as a company carpenter in the last century I had an RAS with a 16' infeed table and a 12' outfeed withe a ales set to the saw blade on both ends. We bought 20' packs of pallet wood. The system was fast with those scales. For more than a few pieces I would clamp a stop on the mark and go like made. I would whack out pallets full of cut lengths for hours before I started building crate sides on the nailing table. So I'd like to replicate that.

On yours, do you set your saw in the center of that table?

[doc henderson]

I assume the ends are even with the chop/miter saw table top?  could cut a handle in the ends but prob. not needed.

OGH, if you are using nice wood, you could also go for a nicer base and a screw on sacrificial top piece and sell for more, like furniture grade.  If you want to make them more complex with glue exc.

I like the miter saw stand.

[trimguy]

Yes, I set the saw in the middle, I put 2 -3" screws in it to anchor it ( I use a sliding double compound saw) . This is to prevent it from accidentally get knocked off. It is 8' long and the ends are the same height of the saw bed. My trim comes 16' long ( finger jointed) and this works fine for it.

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah, that makes sense. These things are usually purpose built and for my purposes I am lopping off material for builds based on the cut list, so my cuts range from 4" long and on up to around 5'. So I'd like to have the material bed the same height as the saw bed and have a full length back stop to clamp a length stop to for repetitive cuts. 

 Doc, there might be some confusion here. I am not making these to sell. I am making one, for my own use and it's long overdue. I am putting blocks on the shop floor to bring boards on to leave with the saw and working on my knees to cut material. I seem to be doing more jobs that require these types of builds, so it is time that I took time to save some steps. I'd like to be able to set it up in the shop to the side of one bay, or move it outside and set it up for the warmer months.  I got the saw for free after my son abandoned it in my shed for one with bells and whistles that was yellow and had a lot of aluminum farming attached. He said it was junk because the electric brake wasn't fast enough. :D AH these kids, they're afraid of radial arm saws and so many other things. :D ;D It works great for me. I don't even know what brand it is, never looked. It's green is all I know.

[doc henderson]

I jumped around a bit.  >:(  try to keep up!   :D :D :D  Yes, I think you need a miter saw base like demonstrated.  cheap and light and built for what you need.  I also thought if you are using hardwood, you could make some sawhorses with little added effort that are more put together and finished like a high end furniture type of saw horse.  might only appeal to a few, and may not be a great idea although I have thought about it for myself, like a great walnut heavy work bench.  I have bought some bora stuff I am happy with including a roller set and two saw horses that fold up, and pop open easily, and seem to be light but well engineered.  see how I jump around!  keep up!  

[Old Greenhorn]

Sorry Doc, I only have a year of college. I'll try to keep up. :D

[doc henderson]

 :D :D :D
You have a PhD in the school of Hard knocks and many other areas of study, in my opinion.   ;)
there are many things in life, that I would value your opinion over many others.  so put that in your pipe and smoke it, Dr. Tom!   :P :P :P   ;)  

[trimguy]

I have a ell block with a 45* angle brace that I either screw or tack with the brad gun to the bed when I'm doing repetitive cuts. Try to use a lighter wood the weight will add up.

[doc henderson]

could sure add a clamp to the back board to make it infinitely variable as they say.  or make a stop block clamp.

[Wlmedley]

Like the miter saw bench a lot.Like OGH I end up using mine on the floor and my old knees pay a heavy price.Think I might use poplar to build one.Thanks for sharing the idea.

[Bruno of NH]

When I was building I made some really nice wooden fold up saw horses that stowed away in the van nicely. 
They could handle lots of weight.
But I used them inside for finish work and to set my miter saw on.
Simple to build. 
You need 4 hinges for each.
I would salvage them from jobs.

[aigheadish]

Seems like "Dr. Tom" could stick. I like it.

[alecs]

Well, inspired by the post, one of the first things I built with wood that I cut is a riff on these I beam sawhorses.  I used all pine 2x6.  I beveled the bottom flange of the I beam.  The top is 42" long and the overall height is about 32.5" which I think would be good for some tasks but might be too high for working on timber frame joinery.  Joints are glued and screwed.  

Seems pretty sturdy, and my Stanley plastic sawhorses will appreciate being relieved of slab-holding duty.  Thanks for the idea.



 

[Old Greenhorn]

Those are nice horses, but to give credit, it is Bruno who brought these to my attention a year or two ago. I love mine any they always have something on them. I need to make two more pairs to use by the edger when we are running boards now.

 I have thought of making these with 2x6's, and if I ever wind up with some 2x6's laying around I will use those for the top boards. BUT, there are some subtleties with regard to that bottom board on the I beam  as well as the center board which has to do with how far it will make the legs splay out. I note that with that nice detail of angling the edges you have brought the spread of those legs in quite a bit, maybe 2 inches. Just saying, if that matters, you want to look at that. A 2x4 for the center board brings the bottom board up higher and the legs spread farther. This is not a criticism, just an observation.
 I will say these things are handy as heck and you I never seem to have enough of them. I would stick another pair out on the front lawn, but I only have two pair around the shop and don't want to loose them. I need to make some more 2x4's. ;D
 

[alecs]

My design was all with 10* angles.
Here is a screenshot of the layout I did.

2x6 on the top flange, 2x6 web,and started off with a 2x6 on the bottom flange, beveled down to about 4 1/8 at the top and a little proud of 4¾ at the bottom.

Certainly a lot more steps in terms of cutting than some of the other approaches.  Might not make sense to go to that length if trying to sell for a reasonable price just for the extra time it takes to make it.  



 

[Old Greenhorn]

Ah well then in theory you are pretty close to having a 2x4 on the bottom flange but having the longer (6") center section still drops that splay at the ground level. These are certainly a utilitarian item and whatever works for you is perfect.
 I mostly make these for use, but have an extra pair sometimes and can sell them off. Bu they are so handy that they rarely sit empty.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I have been making these for years. (Of course I add a stretcher on the ends and sides for extra stability but that is another issue previously discussed. :D) I like the idea of the 2X6 top and think the next ones I make I'll use a horizontal 2X4 on bottom, a vertical 2X4 in the center, then a horizontal 2X6 on top. That should really be the cat's meow. (BTW the center 2X4 can be spliced shorts if you like.)

   As I mentioned I use my 12"-16" cut off 2X4 or 2X6 as legs to make stacking frames for lumber. I may try to 10* angle cut on the bottom piece too as that looks like a lot tighter fit.

[Stephen1]

I needed to stain my B&B siding. I built 4 using full size 1x4 pine as that is what I have lots of. They work perfect. 
Next year I will sell some as kits along with my garden boxes. 1x4 is a byproduct of sawing 1x10 B&B siding. 

[SawyerTed]

I can't recall how many I beam sawhorses I've built in the last 4 years.  Anytime I need a set a different height or length, I'll build a set.  Some of my friends have seen them and asked if I would build them a set, I usually say no but you can have that set.  

If I need to paint a room, I'll make three or four short ones and lay walk boards on top so I can reach the ceiling, above windows and doors etc.  If I need to do gutter work, I build or use a taller set.  Some I build with legs splayed further out for stability and some I set the legs a few inches inside of the ends to prevent tripping on the bottom of the legs.  

The variations are limited only by lack of need or lack of creativity.  I even built one for a customer to haul some long beams on his truck.

 

One customer wanted a live edge bar built with I beam sawhorse legs but I don't have photos of it.  It was plenty sturdy as long as the sawhorse was firmly attached to the bottom side of the bar. 

[olcowhand]

I built one of the 2'x4'x32"H Garden Boxes, but I must have done something wrong. I used (Net) 27.56 Bd Ft. I've attached my Build Sheet and a pic, for your scrutiny. 
I'm using this specimen to verify the use of my Red Pine and the sturdiness, so it's not selling (my Wife wants another one over twice as long, but shallower- for Strawberries....). I'm not Painting it- purple or any color. The Dog is also not for Sale.

 



 

I lined it with Black Plastic, perffed the bottom for drainage- then filled it with Pit sand on the bottom, and Horse Manure Compost on the top....

Steve

[kantuckid]

My "gardenbox" is 32' long by 8' wide and uses oak sawed in lengths my wife and I could carry over from FEL forks to our spot across the top of our front yard, which isn't a yard really, it's a slope into the woods. I lap jointed the 3" thick oak and screwed together using Olylog screws. The chipmunks love it! :D
I've built several designs of sawhorses over the years but last year I bought a plastic set of sawhorse gizmos that are supposed to be super strong using 2x4's only. So far they have lived up to the hype on the pkg.. I have another steel set that fold & very light, so useful for that reason at times.

Some years ago after collecting a bunch of solid steel wheels of various types, I built a lot of rustic, small, oak wheelbarrows for use as flower planters. They sell well but wheels can be hard to find. Use short off cuts of low grade oak.   

[WV Sawmiller]

   Sawhorses anyone?