Build a Traditional Sawbench for Hand Tool Woodworking
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- In this vintage Popular Woodworking video, Christopher Schwarz walks you through the steps of building a traditional sawbench, from rough stock to finished form. This time-tested design is useful for all kinds of shop tasks, including sawing stock by hand, and it's a great project to get started in the world of woodworking. Build yours today!
Get plans to build this bench here: www.popularwoo...
Learn about workbenches, woodworking and more at www.popularwoo...
It is hard to overstate Chris Schwartz's genius for taking a simple project and applying - literally - all of the foundational elements of hand tool working to them. This video captures all of that. He is a God.
Oh please sheep boy
I made the nesting pair of saw benches from your plans in 2010 for a Scouting merit badge (Carpentry) 2 two weekend clinic. Five of our local MWTCA members helped with each skill station (sawing. planing, drilling, etc) and each boy got to take home a small handtool project. These saw benches have been an indispensable part of my shop and home remodeling projects since then. Re-watching the entire 1 3/4 hours reminds me of the importance of precision training, even for a utilitarian project. Thanks Chris!
Not only a great craftsman, but an even better teacher!
This video is chock-full o' golden nuggets. I've watched a lot of very good UA-cam instruction, and this has to be the best teaching of fundamental practice for beginners and hobbyists. Bravo!
Roy Underhill is The Pope and Chris Schwarz is The New Pope of woodworking 😆
Thank you for posting this - Chris Schwarz IS the man!!
Chris;
Love your very subtle sense of humor
This is fantastic. So many tricks of the trade in a simple project
Thanks Chris I finished my first one today I used oak dowels instead of nails and a (popsicle stick looking ) long stretcher with BLO for finish a joy to watch and make this shop tool.
Thanks for the upload. It’s always a treat to see “the schwarz” in action.
Great teacher. Saw a few things not seen anywhere else. Subscribed. Greetings from U.K.
Extremely happy to see a new video from Sir Schwartz!
It's all in the details; I've learnt a few new tricks, thank you for that!
Loved this and I have an improvement on yours. Roland Langford was a carpenter in La Grande, Oregon who taught me how to build one fast. It’s legs were splayed as a compound mitre at 10 and 7.5 degrees, which created a stable parallelogram as opposed to a rectangle. The shin busting stretcher was eliminated and a plywood triangle was mortised into dados under the top and the cross brace to the front and back of said parallelogram. I built a pair to fit me, and then a pair for dad’s masonry horses at a higher 30 inch height. He had those until after he retired. Now Roland had a beautiful set in his cabinet shop. Instead of plywood supports, he had hickory supports with splayed wedged through tenons. You can stand on the ends without tipping it and the top of it will never sag. I have a 20 year old picnic table with same concept-extremely sturdy and light. These horses are easily stacked in the truck to move to the next job.
mikeshoops Now how about a video, Mike? YOU did all the the talking and got us want to know more. So how about it?
Excellent comment . Shinbusters ha ha haNo need for a video . It's obvious you know . 👍
I'm from La Grande!
I loved the step by step and clear instruction. Thanks.
Ghg
Czci
Thajk you for this Christopher
I can't wait! Once I have my bench, I can hopefully make a chair within the next 6 months, assuming I don't pass out, pull a hammy, or throw these handsaws out my garage! Yaaa true woodworking!!!
If i see first time in your book of woarkbenches i build two peases and i love them !🤘🤘🤘
well done - learned a lot of basic layout and how to cut and finish them. I like the cleanup portion. I would think that you would have done all for legs at one time to ensure the angle is consistent on all the legs.
Enjoyed the detail in which you went with each feature needed in the design and assembly of the saw bench. Only additional thing I would have added to the class is to champher all the edges before assembly. I would like to have a class by you! Like your delivery! Columbus Michigan
Thankyou for the video much appreciated real workmanship for actually working
Nice presentation.
One set of suggestions I'd make from an English Carpenter's perspective - while maintaining the 10 deg set of angles - would be to bevel the legs in two directions; A simple change to what is known as a double bevel trestle. A design that's been in use since before the 1900's
a) Deepen the cut to half the thickness of the legs, so - once fitted - the top edge of the leg rests flush with the outer edge of the worktop
b) Additionally angle the legs (Again at 10 deg) so each pair splay toward each end of the sawhorse/bench. This is the second bevel.
c) Trim each end of the work top so it draws level (Lengthwise) with the toe of the legs and set the depth of the V-notch so it rests approx 0.25" short of the stretcher beneath. Trimming the ends level prevents the user from accidentally tipping the bench if resting one's weight on the very end of the bench.
d) Raise the height of the lateral stretchers to within 6" of the underside of the work top and the lengthwise stretcher can be discarded, because the additional angle literally locks the legs into position.
e) Adjust finished height so the horse stands level with the top of your knee-cap.
The sawhorse/benches remain traditionally English, but are now easily stackable and transportable and extremely strong. It's the most common design used in British work shops and on construction sites.
This is a great segment. Very clear and detailed. I really wish woodworkers would stop using term, "trick". These aren't tricks. They're techniques that someone developed.
Semantics. It comes out of an true amazement, not disrespect! Of human ingenuity. And collective conscience of this craft, trough out the ages.
That's what makes us humans.
So awesome. Thank y’all for uploading this.
I know it’s an old video but feels good to see you and ear your humour:))
Fantastic - many thanks for making this freely available. I'm just about to make a couple of saw horses myself, and although they won't be made like these, I will definitely take some advice and pointers from the video.
Great project, thanks!
Very useful! I will probably build one soon!
How many things to learn. Thanks so much.
Thank you
Awesome glad I found your video
9:07 i have been wondering what that symbol was for the past year! THANKS FOR THIS VIDEO ❤️❤️❤️
I believe that it is half of a cursive lower case "f", for "face". Typically a tick mark in the form of a "v" is used on the reference side, not two "f's", towards the f. The face side is almost always the wider section and the reference the narrower, or edge side.
Learned a ton. Thank you!
GREAT GUIDE VERY DETAILED THE LIVE CLASS WORKED VERY WELL, HOW CAN I GET THE PLANS AND INSTRUCTIONS
Nice work sir please keep it up
Nice build. One suggestion: after the legs are cut to length, the bottoms should be chamfered all around. This will help avoid splintering when the saw bench is dragged across the floor.
Pick it up.
@@bobbg9041 Saw benches move when you're working on them, too. Kind of hard to work on them when they are picked up.
EXACTLY
great video.
Amazing video learning hand tools I love it , thank you 😊 .
Thank you Very much, I wish i would off pay attention in woodworking class!
Nice to see he cut the vee in the top for shooting doors etc.Most do not see that nowadays
Que marca de Serrucho es ese y cuantas pulgadas tiene muchas gracias
exelente enseñanza,.
So if you keep the waste at your waist, how do you cut the second side?
Good video. I’m too busy with power tools, a repairing junker houses, but one day I’ll brake out a hand tool and build something. Very informative video. I’m wondering if a relief cut into the notch would have facilitated chunking out the chisel work? It is an extra step...it’s hard to see at 480 resolution what’s actually happening? So take my remarks as noise from the peanut gallery.
Many thanks for sharing this. Does anyone know what is the brass Shoulder plane Christopher Schwarz is using. it looks great.
Tony Loi I believe it’s a Bridge City Tool Works HP-7 Shoulder Plane. $599.00
Pls more of this.
The thumb nail of this video looks like Christopher Schwarz is taking a nap because he is so tired form all his labors.
Even the Japanese think this character is too much. 6 months later they all finished their saw horses...how encouraging.
Having first found the plans online, I came here looking for the initial part of "from rough stock to finished form". The video and plans talk about using a single 2 x 6 board - but from the cut list only the top is made of 2 x 6. The legs, bracers, etc are made of 2 x 3.
So, presumably after cutting off the length for the top, the remaining board was ripped down the center. There seemed remarkably little dimensioning needed if that was done with a hand saw.
l assume using 2 x 3 from the outset and edge gluing two together to make the top would have been too weak to take the weight.
2x3 nominal. Where a 2x4 is 1 1/2 x 3 a 2 x 3 can be 1 1/2 and whatever you have after ripping a 2 x 6 down the middle. What is important is whatever the dimension is all the boards are the same. It doesn’t make a lick of difference whether you use 3” 2 1/8” 2 1/2” 2 11/16” or 3.2” as long as you have 4 legs that match up you are golden. And this is a great thing to remember in all your woodworking. And why a divider and a marking gauge are such useful tools in this trade. They are practical only because when woodworking precision is relative not absolute.
What is the brand of the floor mat you have in this video and where did you get them, thanks
Sorry Dont take it personalLOL now you know what a Taylor has to go through every day good thing you and I picked Woodworking Careers ! Good video on the bench
Chris: "your bone is bigger than my bone..."
In the start he makes quite clear that you should have the waste side of the workpiece face you. He then makes the first saw cut. Then however, it's not him turning to the other side in order to keep the waste side facing him, but it's the workpiece that he turns around (23:12). Why is it that it is no longer important to have the waste side face you?
Its nothing like a traditional British saw horse , the legs on a British saw horse are angled outwards from the front and rear and from the sides , there isn't a brace along the centre but there are plywood boards across the front of the legs.
Certainly it's different to the more common version. He called this a saw bench not a saw horse - is that significant? I think of saw horses as being made and used on site less so in the workshop.
I'm new to this channel. Where are you getting those terrific nails?
He tells you in the video.
We call them saw horses here in old England, or bench .
Lot's of little tricks....very educational. Now I have to buy a router plane.
No se puede separar cortar madera con clavar madera.
aquellos que ayudamos a nuestros padre tios a construir sus casa, esta artilugio practico estaba presente.
A big thank you !
Seems like 'the Professor' has found a decent job now..
I'm not sure I'd term that joint connecting the long and short stretchers as "half lap." To me "half lap" means half of the thickness of each is nested down inside the other. ...which is how I would make those joints anyway, in order to achieve a flat, planar surface onto which could be placed a board, etc. But maybe I'm just being picky. Enjoyed the video, regardless.
This is a problem for those of us with bad knees especially for two bad knees
Where can I sign up for the class on Awls?
I heard its really awlsome!!!
I would have stuck a relief cut for setting the legs in place if chunking out the top with a chisel. Your the expert, but I follow Murphy’s law.
I can’t believe the guys lay the planes on the sides. 🤷♂️
Hi Host
Chris you turned out to be right. Good prediction.
Has anyone ever tried annealing masonry nails for clenching?
In the UK, we call these a Saw horse, Why? because they resemble the shape of a, you guessed it, A Horse..
We call them benches because we are tremendously fat and need to sit down often.
i see the students laying down their planes on the side, the way we were taught in shop class, protecting the cutting edge.
It does not protect it.
that was a very good lesson but I could see that your short stretchers were wanky on the video. But your save was outstanding.
I think some of the reason for the wonky stretchers was due to the way he laid out their position. If you notice (1:03:30) he marks the measurement on the outer edge on one leg and the inner edge on the other making it slightly off since the legs are splayed. This error may have gotten compounded if he also then marked them out the same way on the other legs. Great that he showed how to accommodate for this with the cross piece.
"Guard it with your life"- Ain't that the truth, there's always someone wanting to play with in-use bevel squares...
You are doing videos of them now !?
I had the org. DVD which has been lost forever.
From the good ol' days when PW created quality content...
I forgot that Megan @1snugthejoiner was a redhead!
Drywall nails are too brittle to use where stress can cause them to break and if you do not countersink them the head will spit the work. Just use a wood screw and a tapered drill to drill a pilot hole and countersink it.
So wait now I need to learn to knit?! Come on man I just finished french fitting eveything I own, my tool chest won't hold all of that.
480p -> who uses DVD?
This is only an English style saw bench according to thoughts outside England my saw bench (saw horse) look nothing like that, for a start they are supposed to stack so bracing the front legs to the back is out and the leg brace is way to low
This is a shop tool, stacking isn't really necessary. But in the end, the point was teaching hand tool techniques while building a traditional woodworkers unit. Not to build a modern construction workers sawhorse which is built with a circular saw, plywood gussets splayed legs for stacking, and seldom if ever is used with a hand saw, so is usually built higher for better ergonomics when running a circular saw.
@@markdoldon8852 The thing is, the point I was making is here in the UK we don't call them American or French, we just call them a saw horses and they come in lots of styles each one personal to the user. To me an English person, to call it am English saw horse or workbench to make them seem better or worse in some way is irreverent. one of the things that most portable saw trestles have is that they can stack and in my work shop that's how I have made them for the past 33 years and that is how the are depicted in every "English" wood working book I have read. One thing is they are the first thing an apprentices learns to make by hand even today, nomater what they call it.
Typically great work,,,,but a major design saw, especially for smaller shops. - Can't stack 'em. ' How 'bot a set that can be stacked,,,,,-Maybe one with a bottom shelf and the other one that goes over it?
Yes you can stack them the lower stretcher sits flat on the bench top
DVD!
was that tom silva?
That one lower stretcher wasn’t square
I saw that, too. I reckon that the long stretcher mainly functions to keep the horse from wracking and only needs one of the two inner surfaces to be perfectly matched to hold it in place so that the side walls remain engaged
I am HOPING that he did that intentionally in order to later demonstrate the process of transferring the wonky angle for the long stretcher. He was eying down it, even mentioned that it was off, so I can't see it being accidental. The visible twist would activate my OCD, I would see it every time I used the bench. But of course his was probably used for firewood when he was done.
Workbenches are very low. It makes you bow which is tiring and you also don't see as well as if you had higher body position. Possible small advantage for planing is not that great it is worth it.
I wonder if there is some historical background for low workbench? If there is you should remember people were much shorter back then
Strangely, we call these "Sawhorses" here; but then, we spell differently too: mitre, moulding, colour...etc. Traditional influence from Britain and France, I suppose.
There's a reason it's called the English Language (everywhere, worldwide :) )
Why do you call it a Rebate, a Rabbit 🐇, don't mean to be rude , just asking 🤔? , and thank you for your videos .
A - ha, we have a Brit in the room 😉
The English language word "rabbet" comes from the Old French language word "rabbat",meaning "a recess into a wall".
The term is not to confused with "rabbit" (the animal) and is rendered as "rebate" in Standard English
Don't draw with the rasp, it will dull the teeth. Unless you're merrily cleaning that notch.
Edited to add: Hey! Waste toward the operator!
the red hair establishes a terminus ante quem for the date of this class
NEVER hit anything with the palm of your hand you could break your scafoid bone very difficult to heal.
A las demaciado y actúas muy poco por tanto,desperdicias el tiempo ajeno y el mío es muy importante pues a mí edad es lo más valioso que tengo!
Looks wookie, I like wonkie!
Unbelievable bragging match: "My bone is bigger than your bone..."
Its like watching the Stooges in action
Almost every woodworking tool is a chisel in a jig or just a plain chisel.
"Cocaine is a helluva drug" Rick James.
My bone is bigger than all of yours. Very genius.
I'm a German-trained Journeyman. This is too fussy even for us. Save your $ and make a quick dirty horse at the right height for you to saw without hurting your back, done. Use your hard-earned skill for the jobs that pay your food bill.
yes, these students are clearly incompetent to not have trained in Germany for a few years so they wouldn't need this short class on hand tool techniques. Too many experts have forgotten how to distinguish the destination from the journey, man.
I’m a classically trained musician but the last thing I’d do is go on other folks’ videos and tell them they’re wasting their time. This is something an insecure person does. Especially because most folks watching these videos are not German-trained journeymen. What’s your excuse?
Some benches are just worth it and a traditional sawbench is.
Not enough women are in woodworking
1 3/4 HOURS WATCHING BUILDING A SAW HOARSE NOT.........
This is lame. It's the equivalent of Pepper Boy for woodworking.