Homemade Sawhorse Plans – Simple, Cheap And Perfect For Every DIY’er!

Every homeowner and DIY’er needs a great pair of sawhorses for projects, and with these easy to follow homemade sawhorse plans, you can make 2 great looking sawhorses on the cheap, with just a few 2 x 4’s and a single 2 x 6! 

There are simply thousands of uses for a good pair of sawhorses. They are perfect for holding trim, shutters, and more for painting. The same goes for providing a great work surface for all types of woodworking projects as well. And nothing makes a better makeshift table than a sturdy pair of sawhorses and a sheet of plywood.

However, so many sawhorses on the market today are simply too flimsy to hold much of anything. And to boot, they can be extremely expensive! Even a pair of plastic sawhorses can run you about $30 or more.

But no worries – these easy to follow homemade sawhorse plans will create two super strong sawhorses you can use to hold all of your projects. You can build both in under and hour, and even better, it only takes a little bit of lumber to complete!

Over the last 7 years at the farm, there is hardly a week that goes by that we don’t use our homemade set. I love that they are strong enough to hold nearly anything we put on them. And its great knowing we won’t have any of our projects collapse over. So enough talk, here is a look at our homemade sawhorse plans, step by step.

Homemade Sawhorse Plans

Materials And Tools Needed: (Builds one set of 2)

(5) 2 x 4 x 8’s  (1) 2 x 6 x 8

(16) 1.5″ screws

(20) 2.5″ screws

Tools

Tape Measure

Safety Glasses

Screw Gun, Impact Driver or screwdriver (only one needed)

Circular saw, jigsaw, or compound miter saw (only one needed)

Speed Square or Angle Square

How To Build 

Step 1 –  Cutting pieces to size.

(8) 2 x 4 x 8’s – cut (8) pieces 36″ long each for the legs. Save the remaining 2′ pieces for the angle boards

(2) 2 x 6 x 8 – cut (2) pieces 48″ each for the I-beam

Step 2 – Cutting the Angles For Legs

For each leg, you will need to cut a 60 degree angle on one end, and a 30 degree angle on the other side.

The cuts need to be made so that the short ends and the long ends are on the same side and not parallel. You can see the picture to the right for more detail.

(These plans are for a standard height sawhorse. If you are taller or smaller, you can simply adjust the leg length to accommodate what you need.)

Step 3 – Assembling the Top Beam

Start by assembling the (2) pieces for the 48″ beam assembly. Lay the 2 x 6 on end on a flat surface, and then place the 2 x 4 evenly over the top of it so that each edge is even spaced evenly.

Use (4) 2 and 1/2 screws to secure the 2 x 4 to the 2 x 6 piece to create an I-Beam or a “T”. 

Space the 4 screws evenly along the top to secure the whole beam.

Step 4 Assembling the Legs

Now it is time to attach the legs. Turn your I-beam over so that the top of the sawhorse is upside down and lay on a flat surface. Measure in one inch from each side on both sides and make a mark. 

Take one of the legs, and lay flat with the angle until the top is touching the underside of the top of the I-beam, and the outer edge is touching the 1 inch mark you made. Use your square or speed square to make sure the leg is squared to the I-beam, and then secure with a total of 3 screws. Use (2) 1.5″ inch screws at the top, and one longer 2.5″ screw in the middle. 

Repeat for the other 3 legs until all four legs are secure. All four legs should be inset 1″ from the outer edge of the beam.

Step 5 Adding Side Angle Braces (Crossbars)

Last step! Take the left over 2 x 4 ends from your 4 leg cuts and hold 3/4 of the way up on each side of the legs.

Use a small level to make sure the board is even, and make two marks for cutting on the inside edge of the boards. Then use your saw to cut. Screw in place in the middle of the 2 legs with (2) 2.5″ screws on each side. Repeat for the other side and you are done!

Happy Sawhorse and Project Building! –  Jim and Mary. If you would like to receive our DIY, Gardening and Recipe articles each week, sign up via email at the bottom of this post. You can also like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. This article may contain affiliate links.