Many, many years ago in a land far, far away — OK, it was northern California in the early 90’s — I saw plans for saw ponies in the July/August 1992 issue of Fine Woodworking (reprinted in The Small Wood Shop, available from Amazon), and built myself a pair using short pieces of 2×4 and plywood. These miniature saw horses are stackable (when stacked two-high, they’re roughly standard saw horse height), sturdy, and can even double as step stools or seats. Recently, while searching for the article, I came across Lee Harps’ blog and his saw pony modifications. I like what he’s done, and think I will incorporate his ideas when I complete another set.
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
The Small Wood Shop [Google Books]
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
4 Responses to Saw Ponies
Leave a Reply
Toolmonger on Flickr
Those look really useful. I’m hesitant to get non folding sawhorses that take up shop space, but stacking may be a good compromise.
One adjustment in the design, if you plan to use these “ponies” while stacked two high, would be to increase the height of the end braces so the upper brace rides on the top edge of the lower. It will prevent spreading of the top horse, and keep them from jamming together. Otherwise a really nice project!
I think it’s the wedging action that keeps them stable when stacked. But it require reasonable accuracy so the wedging is consistent and therefore the stack stays level.
The definition of a wedge is a tool used to spread, which is exactly what I was concerned about. It would not be difficult to have a tight fit, and also have a stop point so the stress is transferred downward to the floor.