What sawhorses are for
- Cutting. Boards and sheets rest across a pair for sawing by hand or with a circular saw.
- A temporary table. A sheet of plywood or a door laid across a pair becomes an assembly or finishing surface.
- Support away from the bench. On site, or for work too big for the bench, they take the place of one — but only for jobs that do not push the work hard sideways.
Types
Wood saw horses made in the shop from 2x4s or thicker stock are rigid and cheap, and their tops can be cut into and replaced. Folding horses of steel or plastic store flat and carry easily. Some have legs that adjust, and a few fold out into a small table as well (see the plate above).
| Type | Construction | Stated load | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed, shop-made | Wooden top beam and splayed legs | None — it depends on how it is built | Shop cutting; a top that can be sawn into |
| Folding metal (DEWALT DWST11155) | Metal legs and top bars, 2x4 recess, V-groove | 2,000 lb per pair | Site work; a jobsite table with 2x4 bearers |
| Adjustable legs (ToughBuilt C700) | Steel, telescopic legs, support arms for 2x4s or 4x4s | 1,300 lb each; 2,600 lb per pair | Uneven ground; two working heights |
| Adjustable, with a track (Kreg Track Horse) | Steel, aluminium and polymer; sacrificial top in a track | 1,100 lb each; 2,200 lb per pair | Six heights, down to ground level for sheet goods |
| Table and horse in one (WORX Pegasus) | Molded ABS with steel supports | 1,000 lb as a horse; 300 lb as a table | Small spaces; a table and a horse in one tool |
Loads are the makers’ own, each measured under that maker’s conditions; they are not comparable one to another, and a horse rated for more is not steadier for it.
Height
Makers’ heights vary: ToughBuilt’s C700 stands at 25 or 32.09 in, WORX’s Pegasus at 32 in, and Kreg’s Track Horse at six heights from 6.63 in to 35.65 in. A low horse suits hand sawing, when you can kneel on the board to hold it and saw with your arm straight down. A taller pair suits circular-saw cuts, assembly and finishing, where you stand upright over the work. Kreg’s lowest setting, with the legs folded, puts a sheet at ground level for cutting on the floor.
Width, stability and pairs
- Splayed legs make a wider footprint and resist tipping when you lean on the work.
- A longer top supports the work over more of its width and spreads the load.
- A matched pair at the same height keeps the work level; two different horses tilt it, and the saw binds.
- Firm, level ground. Adjustable legs, like the C700’s, take out slopes on site; on a shop floor, a horse that rocks should be shimmed before you cut.
What a stated load means
A load rating is the maker’s figure under its own conditions — often per pair, and often for weight spread evenly along the top. Kreg’s manual for its Mobile Project Center shows how much the set-up matters: 350 lb spread evenly with both tops out, but 2,200 lb for two units with the tops folded, and a warning not to apply unbalanced loads. Read whether a rating is for one horse or two, and treat it as the upper limit for a steady, evenly spread load — not for someone standing on one end or a heavy part dropped on it.
Supporting a cut
Where the horses sit decides what happens to the cut. Support a board with the cut between the horses and it sags as the cut deepens, closing the kerf on the blade. Cut outside them and the offcut hangs with nothing under it, and can split off or fall before the cut is finished.
Supporting a board for a safe cut
- Both pieces will be supported after the cut — or the offcut is short and light enough to fall freely.
- The cut is not between two supports with nothing under the kerf; if it must be, a support sits close on each side of it.
- Sheet goods lie on 2x4 bearers laid across the horses, with the blade set only just into the bearers.
- The work is clamped to the horses or bearers, so both hands are free for the saw — OSHA’s advice for any tool.
- The horses are a matched pair, level and not rocking.
- Your footing is firm and the cord or blade path is clear of the horses’ legs.
Sheet goods and temporary tops
Many horses are made to carry lumber across them: ToughBuilt’s support arms take 2x4s or 4x4s, DEWALT’s top has a 2x4 recess, and Kreg’s Track Horse takes a sacrificial strip in its top. Two horses with bearers across them support a full sheet for cutting, and with a sheet on top they make a table for assembly or finishing. That table has no vise, dogs or mass, so it will not hold work for planing or chopping; for that, see the workbench guide. For keeping the cut itself straight, see how to cut wood straight.
Sources
Loads, heights and constructions are each maker’s own figures for its own sawhorse, measured under that maker’s conditions. Securing the work is OSHA guidance. Where to support a cut is established bench practice explained in BenchRoot’s own words.
- 1.
C700 Sawhorse / Jobsite Table. ToughBuilt.
Used for: Steel construction; 1300 lb capacity alone and 2600 lb per pair; 25 in (low) and 32.09 in (high) working heights, 5.51 in closed; support arms that take 2x4s or 4x4s; telescopic legs for uneven ground.
- 2.
Track Horse (KWS500). Kreg Tool.
Used for: 1,100 lb individually and 2,200 lb per pair; six working heights from 6.63 in (legs folded, at ground level) to 35.65 in; a top track that takes a sacrificial cutting surface.
- 3.
Metal Folding Sawhorse (DWST11155). DEWALT.
Used for: A 2,000 lb load per pair; a 2x4 recess for making a jobsite table; a V-groove for pipe and small stock; top bars that take trigger clamps.
- 4.
Pegasus Folding Work Table & Sawhorse (WX051). WORX.
Used for: 1,000 lb as a sawhorse and 300 lb as a table; a 32 in working height; molded ABS with steel supports.
- 5.
Mobile Project Center (KWS1000) owner’s manual. Kreg Tool.
Used for: Separate maximum loads for different set-ups (350 lb uniformly distributed with both tops deployed; 2,200 lb for two units with tops not deployed), with warnings to distribute weight uniformly and not to apply unbalanced loads.
- 6.
Hand and Power Tools (OSHA 3080). Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2002.
Used for: Securing work with clamps or a vise to free both hands for the tool; keeping good footing and balance with power tools.
About this guide
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