Japanese Saw Horse Weekend Build
Building a pair of Japanese-style saw horses over a weekend.
Plans
These free plans build one saw horse from two 8 ft 4x4s. Build two for a pair. The parts join with mortise and tenon joints, with no screws.
The finished saw horse is 42” long, 22” deep, and 32” tall.
Cut list
All parts are 4x4 (3 1/2” × 3 1/2”).
| Part | Qty | Length | Joinery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | 1 | 42” | 2 mortises |
| Support rail | 1 | 38” | 1 tenon at each end |
| Leg | 2 | 32” | 1 tenon at each end, 1 mortise |
| Foot | 2 | 22” | 1 mortise |
Cutting the lumber
Cut the six parts from two 8 ft 4x4s:
- Board 1: foot (22”), leg (32”), and support rail (38”). This leaves about 4” spare.
- Board 2: foot (22”), leg (32”), and top (42”). These parts use the full 96”.
Board 2 has no room for saw kerf. Measure your board first; many 8 ft boards run a little long. If yours is exactly 96”, cut the top last and accept a slightly shorter top.
Joinery
Every tenon and mortise is 3 1/2” wide and 1 3/16” thick. Each tenon is 3 1/2” long, the full thickness of a 4x4, so every mortise goes all the way through.
- Leg: cut a centered tenon on each end. The two tenons turn 90° to each other: the top tenon lines up with the top, and the bottom tenon lines up with the foot. The 25” between the shoulders sets the height. Cut one mortise through the side, centered on the length, for the support rail.
- Support rail: cut a centered tenon on each end. The shoulders are 31” apart.
- Top: cut two mortises down through the top, each starting 4” from an end and centered across the width.
- Foot: cut one mortise, centered on the length and across the width.
Assembly
- Push the support rail’s tenons through the mortises in the two legs.
- Set each leg’s bottom tenon into a foot.
- Lower the top onto the legs’ top tenons.