An Old Project Done

Sometimes, I buy stuff for a project and never get around to it.  Sometimes it is funny just seeing the stuff sitting around for months or even years, thinking "I really need to get that done:.  Sometimes, it is really annoying, like when I look at a bag of bolts and hooks or some stuff and have no recollection what I intended to do with them.  And sometimes, I know what they were for, but I did something different to solve the same problem.

At least THIS time, I knew what the parts were for and still wanted it done!

Twentyfive years ago, when I was building the fence around the backyard, I needed sawhorses.  I bought these cheap aluminum brackets you screwed 2"x4" boards into, and the sawhorses were flimsy.

Ten years ago, I bought some sturdier-looking brackets with a unique way of attaching boards.  And they sat around at the back of a shelf every since.

Hang in there, there WILL be pictures...

Yesterday, I looked at them and decided to just "get them built"!  The poly-something brackets are nicely designed.  They are specifically molded to accept both 2"x4" or 2"x6" boards, and you can bolt wider tops on if you choose.  The bracket is also molded to hold 2"x4" legs at a proper angle with heavy-duty poly wedge blocks that are ridged to dig into the boards a bit.  The box even has a convenient chart to tell you how long to cut the legs to get about a dozen possible heights.

So yesterday I went to the DIY store I went for a 2"x6" top.  The 2"x4" pressure-treated boards  (P-T boards because they are for outside use - I have fancier adjustable stuff for shop use) I found there were JUNK (twisted or bowed)!  I chose the best I could find.  But when I went looking for the 2"x6" board, I discovered better quality 2"x4" boards next to them.  So I returned the junk boards to the bin and selected the good ones.  $1 more per board...

So with my perfectly straight boards, I went home and and cut them to length.  That was enough for the afternoon and I had other things to do.

Today, I went to assemble the parts.  The first thing I discovered was that the 2"x6" top board didn't fit in the pre-molded slot.  I had tested a bracket with a regular 6" board, but apparently, pressure-treated wood gets a little bit swollen in the process.  So I had to shave off 1/8th" from the ends using the table saw.  Same with the 2"x4" legs.  Its a bit ugly, but it's just a sawhorse.  If I had it to do over again, I would have just ripped 1/16th" off both sides.  And it actually would have been easier.  Ahh, "hindsight"...

But everything fit eventually.  I marked the spot where the 6" top needed a 5/16" hole drilled for a carriage bolt to attach the top through the poly wedge to hold the legs in place and set up my drill press to get the holes perfectly straight. 

And then discovered they should have said an 11/32" because I had to hammer the bolts through the board to get them through.  Well, I suppose they figured not everyone has an 11/32" drill bit.  I do, but hammering was easier than drilling all the holes slightly larger.  I do not object to "brute force" on rough projects.  And carriage bolts are designed to be hammered into place.  They have a 1/8" square shape intended to be pushed into the wood to keep them from turning.

Holding 2 legs AND placing the poly wedge was a bit tricky while I placed the large wing nut of the bottom of the carriage bolt, but a shoulder was a sufficient "third hand".  I have gotten used to doing things that require 3 hands, LOL!

Tightening the big wing nut between the sawhorse legs took some creativity.  I finally figured out that using a large screwdriver as a lever got 1/3 turn and a large pliers got another 1/3 turn, repeated over and over.  There are some things that are hard to describe but obvious when you try them.

Anyway, I finally got that wingnut so tight that The Hulk couldn't pull those legs loose.  And even then, I might put a couple of 2" screws through through the poly bracket and into the legs. 

And the instructions suggested that added crosspieces of wood across the middles of the legs would improve stability.  Naturally, I did that.  But the legs are at angles.  So, feeling a bit "perfectionist", I wanted the crosspieces to match the angles of the legs and not stick out. 

One little tool I love is an angle tool.  It is nothing but 2 pieces of metal with a wing nut tightener at the connection.  You loosen the nut, set the 2 pieces to match the angle you want, and bring it to the tablesaw to match the angle of the miter gauge to the saw blade. 

It worked perfectly, and I even used scrap PT 1"x3" wood (intended for but not used on the compost bin project).  After I screwed THOSE on the insides of the legs, I sat of the sawhorses and they didn't give at all!

Now, finally, PICTURES...

The 2 sawhorses...

The poly-something bracket...

The leg crosspieces (showing how nicely the angled cuts match the legs...

 They don't exactly "nest" on each other, but can be stacked...

The box info.  The brand is Crawford and the model is #90.   I looked them up on Amazon and they are up to #90-6, so maybe there are improvements.  And there are similar products from another brand.

Very worth it for outdoor sawhorses.  These might outlast me.