Saw horse

[Billy Flitch]

Last week Custard asked some Questions about a splayed legged tresel and as per usual the guys came back with some really helpful advice. But there was some of it would really baffle any one trying to grasp the concept. Like using trigonometry really? on a saw horse, I`LL use trig on a roof but not on a saw horse.
Jacob posted a link to his site with a easy peasy list of instructions to a graphical projection that had sparks coming from my head, I think I`LL take that with the pinch of salt that I hope it was intended.

So i got to thinking about any one taking up wood working for a hobby or any body else, with the up coming summer who might want to make a couple of tresels fasten a board on top and work in the garden or back yard.

This post is not to show what a cleaver dick I`am because I`am not I was taught how to do this as a apprentice and in the mean time shown many an apprentice how to do it.
Going back in time when you started work by a new yard the first thing the GF said to you was make a saw horse,the idea was to see if you could do it, it was a sort of unofficial trade test once you did it he would give you a job to do and leave you to it.

I put this in the project section but if it does not belong here the mods please move it.
So, plenty of pics in this because they really help to make things clear, I only use a rule to take two measurements because experience has taught me the less measurements you can make the better.

I`m old school so I just use hand tools I just think its quicker, the sliding bevel is set to 15 degrees and a piece of three x two is marked face side and face edge as per pic

So 5 cuts = 4 legs at this stage all legs are the same I placed one leg on top of the other to show at this sage there are no left or right hands

Mark off the first leg, the first leg becomes the story rod for all the others. the top of the tresel is 75m/m thick so I set the square at just a bit over this and sit the square on top of the splayed top of the leg and square the line down this line becomes the plumb cut in the joint at the top of the leg and the small line becomes the seat cut.

Pick up the width of the birds mouth joint (small line)

Pick up top of plumb line and mark top of leg, the same two gauges are used to mark all legs.

 

[Billy Flitch]

So back to the bench in the pic No1 both legs where the same now turn one so the top becomes the bottom and now you have left and Right hands.

Fist tip, line up the bottom of both legs left and right hand.

The first leg is used to transfer the mark of the seat cut, so any difference in the length of the leg is now at the top of the leg and will be trimmed of later.

Cut Birds mouth. on the waist side.

 

[Billy Flitch]

Now with the bottom of the leg resting on the bench you can see that the square line is plumb and the seat line is level.

Birds mouth joint for both left and right hand cut.

The leg is now pressed against the top of the tresel and marked with a pencil and checked for 15 degrees.

Sorry I forgot to add the second measurement of the saw horse the leg is 15 c/m from the end.

 

[Billy Flitch]

With all the legs now marked and cut I set the gauge to register from the plumb cut and use this to mark the notch in the top of the tresel.

Because we are using soft wood try to make the notch really tight so it will be a tight fit believe me it will knock in.
Cut the notch into sections and it makes it easier to chisel out.

 

[Billy Flitch]

Now fit legs into notches and nail.

Nice tight joints.

Birds mouth (seat cut sitting nice and tight.

 

[Billy Flitch]

Now the brace to tie the legs together because we will be nailing close to the end of the wood here is an old tip.
Knock the head of the nail into the wood twice forming a small hole.

Set the head of the nail in the hole and flatten the point with a hammer, now when the nail is driven near the end of the wood it wont split it.

Ready to nail up.

All fast no splits.

Top of legs trimmed, one finished saw horse.

 

[Monkey Mark]

Very helpful. Well done for spending the time to do this.

 

[Baldhead]

Well explained, thanks for sharing

Stew

 

[Biliphuster]

A nice write up and an efficient method. Very nice saw as well, any chance of a picture showing the handle?

 

[paulm]

Thanks for posting that up Billy, good to see the tried and tested ways of going about things.

Cheers, Paul

 

[Mainman]

Thanks for that. Great write up and very clear instructions. I shall be making a couple very soon. (hammer)

 

[Jacob]

.....
Jacob posted a link to his site with a easy peasy list of instructions to a graphical projection that had sparks coming from my head, I think I`LL take that with the pinch of salt that I hope it was intended.......

It was straight from the book. It was taught this way. I did it on my course as a prelude to roofing geometry. But yes it does yer ed in!
In that other thread (I can't find it) someone had more or less replicated the "projections" by making a brass template (I think it was brass), which I thought was interesting.
And yes it's not the only way.

 

[bugbear]

A nice write up and an efficient method. Very nice saw as well, any chance of a picture showing the handle?

2 of the 3 saws shown have distinctly "custom" handles, very nice.

BugBear

 

[John15]

Thanks for the post Billy. I made one about a year ago from a drawing I had. The joints fitted perfectly but I got the leg angles wrong - it looks like it's doing the splits!

John

 

[Billy Flitch]

Thanks guys for the thanks but as said it is not my idea it was given to me freely and I`m pleased to pass it on, but I must say it took my a site longer to make the posts than what it took to make the saw horse, hmm technology.
Some things come to me after I had made the post like check the height of the top of the horse because when you set the square the leg is on a splay and this makes the birds mouth deeper than what you think.
Take the arras of the legs before you nail the legs up especially on the bottom of the legs.

Both Biliphuster and bugbear ask about the saws I used three saw on the horse two panels cross cut and rip and a tenon cross cut I made the totes for the three saws.

The cross cut panel is made out of cherry with a BLO finish and shellack on top, I like the tup on the front and the ides of a big ram forcing its way just pleased me, I think better caver would have made a better job of it.
The rip is made out of Plum and has a thumb hook on the top this style was a for runner of the Disston saw with the thumb hole.

The cross cut tenon has a tote from spalted cherry with a wax finish.

 

[Billy Flitch]

John I know what you are saying about the saw horse I`v seen a few like you describe and some that they looked like they where about to sit down on one end.
Angles have to be looked at from where they are coming from, when a carpenter says 15 degrees this is what he means.

Because he is talking about having the stock against the piece and the 15 degrees then comes on his blade but if you where to set this on a protractor you would be looking at 75 degrees or 105 degrees.

If you look at a chop saw, its just the same at 90 degrees the dial say 0 move it over to 15 degrees and that is the cut I`m talking about because the chop saw is working from the back of the stock.
Jacob raises a salient point there are many different ways to do the same job, as a apprentice I was taught that there are at least and I mean at least 3 different ways of doing the same job its up to you as the Carpenter to decide what method will serve you best.
Out side of that there is mathematical, geometry, and practical and I don't think that they are in conflict with each other just different tools.
Talking about tools I came across a German Carpenters square that they call an alpha square, its a square within a square and he will use it to mark out all his plumb and seat cuts his jacks and his valleys its just so simple that its pure genius marked out to .25 of a degree. Take a look.