Temporary workbench recommendations (Saw horses + 2x4 or otherwise)

[D_W]

Well, I was taking it that it was a quick and dirty site solution that was required. Other folk seem to have other ideas...

I guess it depends on what renovating means. If it's house work with a circular saw, it's pretty hard to make a case for the mass I'm talking about.

I stole my idea from my mother more or less, though - two drawer metal file cabinets with a door would be about 32" high (if it needs to be higher, it can be stuck on something), and they're free here all the time as they're removed from offices.

My mother has a semi-utility room, and she is desperately cheap (and maybe a little lazy like me) and threw together a couple of work tables with used solid core doors and free metal drawer cabinets. For someone wanting the setup to be knock down, the top can just be screwed into the file cabinets (who cares if they get mangled if they're free), but the whole setup ends up being pretty sure-footed and the cabinets can be ballasted with books later if a permanent solution is desirable.

My mother later turned her setup into a desk by refinishing the door surface and putting a skirt on it. (The height of just the door and the cabinet is just about dead on for a computer desk).

 

[WoodYewToo]

Well, I cut this piece of wood three times, and it's still too short!

Cut it again... and again.
Soon enough you'll have a systainer full of dominos.

 

[thetyreman]

I really like my timber frame style sawhorses

 

[Jameshow]

I really like my timber frame style sawhorses View attachment 123969

Yikes how tall are you?!!

 

[Cabinetman]

Very nice, personally I prefer the angled sort.
But don’t they have to have 4 legs to be called horses?

 

[Adam W.]

Bench in a day from scrap and a bit of slab.....

2 bits of wood.

Holes and pegs to keep it together.

Dog holes.

Legs and stuff

Beer.

Bench

 

[Jameshow]

https://www.gumtree.com/p/hand-tools-saws/toughbuilt-c550-sawhorse-jobsite-table-pair-/1410218655
Might be of use?

No sure where the op is???

Cheers James

 

[Jacob]

https://www.gumtree.com/p/hand-tools-saws/toughbuilt-c550-sawhorse-jobsite-table-pair-/1410218655
Might be of use?

No sure where the op is???

Cheers James

Coupla miles north of Derby.
Not cheap - check new prices?

 

[Jameshow]

Coupla miles north of Derby.
Not cheap - check new prices?

Ouch that's a bit cheeky!!!

 

[Jonm]

If you are using commercial saw horses one issue is width. The sturdy ones like toughbuilt tend to be about 1 metre wide so with an overhang a 1.2 metre wide board is ideal. If this is too wide then the lightweight plastic stanley ones are 700 wide so ideal for a workbench about 900 wide. If you go for these then look at charliediyte on YouTube.

My workbench goes in the middle of the garage but needs to be removable. 1.2m was too wide so I went for 900mm wide by 2.4 metres and used the plastic stanley ones. I attach some picture of it disassembled and assembled. It is surprisingly sturdy, care was needed with the knotches, bit of a fiddle to get them tight and beams horizontal with trestle squarely on the ground. I have cut the top in half for ease of storage.

edit
when I say “surprisingly sturdy” I mean relative to the lightweight trestles. Takes plenty of weight but no good for chopping and hammering. I have another smaller bench for that. This one is in the garage over my car inspection pit, hence portability. The two halves clamp together and I have locating dowels for alignment as I may drill a grid of holes.

.

 

[CMax]

Can anyone with the Toughbuilt saw horses tell me what they're like when used for planning wood? Do they rack too much? I'm about to start a workbench build and will likely need something to support my lamination pieces as I plane them flat and square.

 

[Sideways]

I have the toughbuilt ones. I don't use them for planing, but I'd say they are as good as portable trestles get.
To increase stability to resist the side force from planing you would need to put something heavy on top - in the spirit of a Japanese planing beam, or a simple sheet of 18mm MDF is pretty weighty. If you need more, loop a strap around each trestle and hang a builders bucket of water or sand under each. Mass is your friend just like it is on the bench itself.

(they'll take something like 700Kg a pair ? Just pile on the weight until they're solid as a rock )

 

[Lazurus]

Another vote for the Bora Centipede I got the 6 x 4 version and with a standard 8 x 4 sheet on top gives room for clamps and the like. Brilliant bit of kit

 

[CMax]

I have the toughbuilt ones. I don't use them for planing, but I'd say they are as good as portable trestles get.
To increase stability to resist the side force from planing you would need to put something heavy on top - in the spirit of a Japanese planing beam, or a simple sheet of 18mm MDF is pretty weighty. If you need more, loop a strap around each trestle and hang a builders bucket of water or sand under each. Mass is your friend just like it is on the bench itself.

(they'll take something like 700Kg a pair ? Just pile on the weight until they're solid as a rock )

Thanks mate. I was thinking of sitting the stock of boards for the bench on top for weight, so that might work out well. I'm trying to work out whether I should pony up the cash for the Toughbuilts or bite the bullet and make my own timber ones.

 

[Sideways]

Thanks mate. I was thinking of sitting the stock of boards for the bench on top for weight, so that might work out well. I'm trying to work out whether I should pony up the cash for the Toughbuilts or bite the bullet and make my own timber ones.

Timber trestles are nice if you have room to store them between jobs but toughbuilt are strong, stable and fold up to go in the car, van or the shed. I don't begrudge what they cost me.

 

[CMax]

Timber trestles are nice if you have room to store them between jobs but toughbuilt are strong, stable and fold up to go in the car, van or the shed. I don't begrudge what they cost me.

That's a very good point. I'm currently selling my house, so having them more easily movable is a good idea--and I'd likely make use of them in the new place when I'm there.