POP Projects is a collection of new and classic projects from more than a century of Popular Mechanics. Master skills, get tool recommendations, and, most importantly, build something of your very own.
When I was a kid, carpenters built their toolboxes and a lot of their day-to-day work aids. I admit, it’s hard to beat the store-bought tool bags and parts organizers in wide use today. Wear-resistant fabrics, plastics, and extruded aluminum are all strong and lightweight. Score one for industrial designers.
On the other hand, when you make your own boxes, bins, jigs, and sawhorses, you get exactly what you want, not somebody else’s idea of efficiency. I built a pair of these light-duty sawhorses to fit in the trunk of my ancient Chevy Malibu to assist me as I take my act on the road. You can pick up each with one hand. The I-beam top gives them strength and rigidity while helping them withstand the occasional nick from a saw.
The Tools You'll Need
Titebond Ultimate Wood Glue
DeWalt 10-Inch 50 Tooth ATB Combination Saw Blade
Hillman Fasteners 8D Finish Nail
Let's Start Building
Crosscut the three 1 x 4s for the top. Tilt the table-saw blade to 73 degrees, and run one 1 x 4 along a 50-tooth ATBR blade to put the bevel on each edge.
⚠️ You reduce the width of the 1 x 4 slightly. You want to shave the bevel on it.
Leave the saw blade at 73 degrees and crosscut the legs to length using a miter gauge. Begin making the top subassembly by drawing lines that mark where the horizontal pieces of the I-beam will attach to the vertical piece. Use a sharp pencil and draw a line down both the top and bottom surfaces of both horizontal pieces, the length of each piece, 1 3/8 inch in from each edge. The lines on the inside surface help you position the horizontal and vertical parts. The lines on the outer surfaces (the top and bottom of your beam) tell you where to drill pilot holes for the finish nails so that the nails hit the vertical piece.
Align and clamp together the horizontal and vertical members of the I-beam, using the pencil lines to guide you, and make four 1/16-inch-diameter pilot holes through the top horizontal piece into the vertical piece. Flip the assembly over and repeat on the opposite side. Make a tick mark on the end of the assembly, spanning all three pieces, to be sure that when you glue and nail the parts together the pilot holes stay aligned. Unclamp everything.
Other Workshop Tools To Make Yourself
Work Triangles
Cut these out of scrap 3⁄4-in. birch or AC plywood, using the factory 90-degree corner. They’re great for holding a subassembly at 90 degrees as you drive screws into it. I make 6-in. and 8-in. models, but make them any size you like. Cut the opening for a clamp head using a holesaw, then use a jigsaw to make a flat surface parallel to the sides. I don’t get too attached to them. I saw into them, drill into them, or screw into them as needed. When they’re chewed up, I toss them and make another bunch.
Cord Wrapper
I cut these from scrap 3⁄4-inch plywood. The one here is 10 inches wide by 26 in. long. Its handholds are 2 in. wide by about 6 in. long, set 1 in. in from each outside edge. It easily holds a 50-foot 12-gauge cord. Mark out the pattern and saw it to shape with a jigsaw. Use a belt sander to knock off any irregularities, then run counter-clockwise around its perimeter with a rounding-over bit in a router. Do this on both faces to ensure nicely rounded surfaces that won’t damage the cord or give you a splinter.
Sandpaper Ripper
I built this from a scrap piece of 3⁄4-in. plywood to rip paper for an old-school rubber 3M sanding block. I designed it so that I hold and rip the larger piece of paper rather than the smaller piece. You can make your ripper with the hacksaw teeth facing the opposite way and rip the smaller piece. That weighty decision is your call, but either way I’ve found that an 18-TPI hacksaw blade is about right for a clean, fast tear.
Nail the top together. First, spread a small bead of waterproof wood glue such as Titebond III Ultimate on the top edge of the vertical part of the I-beam. Don’t overdo it. The more glue you spread the more slippery things get. Check your tick marks, then start an 8d finish nail in one of the pilot holes; bring the I-beam parts into alignment and partially tap in the finish nail. Check the opposite end for alignment and partially tap in a finish nail there. Double-check alignment, drive the two nails home, and finish with the center nails. Repeat on the opposite surface to complete the I-beam.
Fasten the legs to the sawhorse by marking 4 inches in from the ends of the I-beam. Fasten the legs to the I-beam with glue and No. 6 x 2 ½-inch wood screws. Mark and cut the two gussets on a miter saw. Attach each gusset to the legs with glue and No. 6 x 2 ½- inch wood screws.
Gently round sharp corners with a sanding block, including the bottom of the legs, which see the most abuse. Congrats, you're done. Now...let's build something else.
Roy Berendsohn has worked for more than 25 years at Popular Mechanics, where he has written on carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, electrical, woodworking, blacksmithing, welding, lawn care, chainsaw use, and outdoor power equipment. When he’s not working on his own house, he volunteers with Sovereign Grace Church doing home repair for families in rural, suburban and urban locations throughout central and southern New Jersey.
