Reposted from alt.home.repair
I'm trying to make a couple of folding sawhorses. My own design. :-)
(like there's not enough different sawhorses already.) Two 36" 2x4's for
the top, fastened together along the bottom edge with a pair of door
hinges. On each end of each 2x4, I'll cut a 20° angled notch 5 1/2"
wide to inset a 30" long 1x6". (and the 1x6's will have their ends cut
at 20° to make them sit better on the floor and look neater at the top.)
When the sawhorses are set up, the legs will splay out and the 2x4's
will close up the gap at the top. When they are hanging on the garage
wall, the top will open up to a 40° V and the legs will hang down. If
my geometry is right, when they are set up they'll be about 28" tall.
I'm using a 10" tablesaw to make the cuts. The blade only tilts to the
left for angled cuts, and the rip fence only attaches on the right of
the blade. I made a practice cut in a scrap of 2x4 and quickly found
the one little detail that I overlooked in my design. How do I cut the
notch on the other end of the 2x4s?
I fed the 2x4 into the blade to a depth of 5 1/2", removed it from the
saw, and finished making the cut with a hand saw. Looks pretty good
even tho' I haven't cleaned it up with a chisel yet. (the 1x6 leg will
eventually be attached with construction adhesive and roofing nails.)
Now how do I make the cut on the other end? I can't safely feed the
board in from the back of the saw...
Several possibilities. I can measure with the saw all the way up, lower
the blade, clamp the board to the back of the fence, turn the saw on and
raise the blade to make a plunge cut.
Or I can feed the board from the back WITH A STOP CLAMPED TO THE FENCE
in case it grabs the board and tries to pull it in. I don't like this
because either I'm reaching over the fully-extended blade or standing at
the back of the saw, but it might be OK with the stop in place. I could
also stand to the side of the saw; will have to test how awkward that is
(with the saw OFF, of course.)
Maybe I can use the little wedge scrap that I cut off as a shim under
the 2x4 so I can cut the end notches using a dado? It looks like it
would work.
What say the experts? There's probably really easy solution, but I'm
out of practice and can't see it. I'm liking the dado idea. A coworker
showed me his missing fingertip to remind me to be careful. Thanks.
Bob
On May 20, 1:19=A0pm, zxcvbob <[email protected]> wrote:
> Reposted from alt.home.repair
>snippity-doo-dah.....
> What say the experts? =A0There's probably really easy solution, but I'm
> out of practice and can't see it. =A0I'm liking the dado idea. =A0A cowor=
ker
> showed me his missing fingertip to remind me to be careful. =A0Thanks.
>
> Bob
A) make a jig that fits in the miter saw groove and covers both sides
of the table so you can make cuts from both sides.
B) use a router to make the second set of cuts
C) use a handsaw and hammer and chisel to make the cuts
D) borrow the neighbor's saw, or better yet, buy a case of beer and
give it him *after* he makes the cuts for you on *his* saw
E) buy the exact same thing at the local hardware store without doing
any cuts
F) decide you didn't really want a set of saw horses anyway and go lay
on the couch and take a nap...
hopeithelps...
Leon wrote:
> "zxcvbob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Reposted from alt.home.repair
>>
>> I'm trying to make a couple of folding sawhorses. My own design. :-)
>> (like there's not enough different sawhorses already.) Two 36" 2x4's for
>> the top, fastened together along the bottom edge with a pair of door
>> hinges. On each end of each 2x4, I'll cut a 20° angled notch 5 1/2" wide
>> to inset a 30" long 1x6". (and the 1x6's will have their ends cut at 20°
>> to make them sit better on the floor and look neater at the top.) When the
>> sawhorses are set up, the legs will splay out and the 2x4's will close up
>> the gap at the top. When they are hanging on the garage wall, the top
>> will open up to a 40° V and the legs will hang down. If my geometry is
>> right, when they are set up they'll be about 28" tall.
>>
>> I'm using a 10" tablesaw to make the cuts. The blade only tilts to the
>> left for angled cuts, and the rip fence only attaches on the right of the
>> blade. I made a practice cut in a scrap of 2x4 and quickly found the one
>> little detail that I overlooked in my design. How do I cut the notch on
>> the other end of the 2x4s?
>>
>> I fed the 2x4 into the blade to a depth of 5 1/2", removed it from the
>> saw, and finished making the cut with a hand saw. Looks pretty good even
>> tho' I haven't cleaned it up with a chisel yet. (the 1x6 leg will
>> eventually be attached with construction adhesive and roofing nails.) Now
>> how do I make the cut on the other end? I can't safely feed the board in
>> from the back of the saw...
>
> Assuming a through cut, can you turn the piece upside down?
>
>
>
>
>> Several possibilities. I can measure with the saw all the way up, lower
>> the blade, clamp the board to the back of the fence, turn the saw on and
>> raise the blade to make a plunge cut.
>
>
> This is a common practice for making the first through cut in a zero
> clearance insert. You may want to clamp the board to the table however.
>
>
[snip]
That's how I did it. It worked really well, and I didn't have to change
the 20° setting on the saw that I still needed for other cuts.
A bandsaw would have worked a lot easier. <moving bandsaw up a notch on
my wish list>
Bob
"zxcvbob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Reposted from alt.home.repair
>
> I'm trying to make a couple of folding sawhorses. My own design. :-)
> (like there's not enough different sawhorses already.) Two 36" 2x4's for
> the top, fastened together along the bottom edge with a pair of door
> hinges. On each end of each 2x4, I'll cut a 20° angled notch 5 1/2" wide
> to inset a 30" long 1x6". (and the 1x6's will have their ends cut at 20°
> to make them sit better on the floor and look neater at the top.) When the
> sawhorses are set up, the legs will splay out and the 2x4's will close up
> the gap at the top. When they are hanging on the garage wall, the top
> will open up to a 40° V and the legs will hang down. If my geometry is
> right, when they are set up they'll be about 28" tall.
>
> I'm using a 10" tablesaw to make the cuts. The blade only tilts to the
> left for angled cuts, and the rip fence only attaches on the right of the
> blade. I made a practice cut in a scrap of 2x4 and quickly found the one
> little detail that I overlooked in my design. How do I cut the notch on
> the other end of the 2x4s?
>
> I fed the 2x4 into the blade to a depth of 5 1/2", removed it from the
> saw, and finished making the cut with a hand saw. Looks pretty good even
> tho' I haven't cleaned it up with a chisel yet. (the 1x6 leg will
> eventually be attached with construction adhesive and roofing nails.) Now
> how do I make the cut on the other end? I can't safely feed the board in
> from the back of the saw...
Assuming a through cut, can you turn the piece upside down?
>
> Several possibilities. I can measure with the saw all the way up, lower
> the blade, clamp the board to the back of the fence, turn the saw on and
> raise the blade to make a plunge cut.
This is a common practice for making the first through cut in a zero
clearance insert. You may want to clamp the board to the table however.
>
> Or I can feed the board from the back WITH A STOP CLAMPED TO THE FENCE in
> case it grabs the board and tries to pull it in. I don't like this
> because either I'm reaching over the fully-extended blade or standing at
> the back of the saw, but it might be OK with the stop in place. I could
> also stand to the side of the saw; will have to test how awkward that is
> (with the saw OFF, of course.)
NO NO NO
>
> Maybe I can use the little wedge scrap that I cut off as a shim under the
> 2x4 so I can cut the end notches using a dado? It looks like it would
> work.
Don't do what your gut tells you not to do.
>
> What say the experts? There's probably really easy solution, but I'm out
> of practice and can't see it. I'm liking the dado idea. A coworker
> showed me his missing fingertip to remind me to be careful. Thanks.
>
> Bob
zxcvbob wrote:
> Reposted from alt.home.repair
>
> I'm trying to make a couple of folding sawhorses. My own design. :-)
> (like there's not enough different sawhorses already.) Two 36" 2x4's for
> the top, fastened together along the bottom edge with a pair of door
> hinges. On each end of each 2x4, I'll cut a 20° angled notch 5 1/2"
> wide to inset a 30" long 1x6".
> I'm using a 10" tablesaw to make the cuts. The blade only tilts to the
> left for angled cuts, and the rip fence only attaches on the right of
> the blade.
This seems odd. My left-tilt saw allows the fence to be placed on
either side of the blade.
> I made a practice cut in a scrap of 2x4 and quickly found
> the one little detail that I overlooked in my design. How do I cut the
> notch on the other end of the 2x4s?
I'd use a bandsaw with the table tilted, or a handsaw.
> Several possibilities. I can measure with the saw all the way up, lower
> the blade, clamp the board to the back of the fence, turn the saw on and
> raise the blade to make a plunge cut.
This would probably be fine.
> Or I can feed the board from the back WITH A STOP CLAMPED TO THE FENCE
> in case it grabs the board and tries to pull it in. I don't like this
> because either I'm reaching over the fully-extended blade or standing at
> the back of the saw, but it might be OK with the stop in place. I could
> also stand to the side of the saw; will have to test how awkward that is
> (with the saw OFF, of course.)
Sounds like a recipe for danger. I wouldn't do it.
> Maybe I can use the little wedge scrap that I cut off as a shim under
> the 2x4 so I can cut the end notches using a dado? It looks like it
> would work.
This would also be fine, but you'd want two shims to support the 2x4
properly. I suggest taping the shims to the board so they don't shift.
Chris