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The trick here is height adjustability without any fancy hardware: each leg is a length of 5/8" all-thread running through a floor flange, with nuts and washers that let you wind the whole table up to desk height or down to a coffee table. Swap the rod length and you change the range. It's a genuinely clever, low-cost mechanism dressed up in a modern-industrial 2x sawhorse.
The woodworking is all in the 15° angle cuts. Read the cut list carefully — the eight main leg pieces have parallel ends (short-point to long-point measurement), while the shorter spacer blocks have non-parallel ends (long-point to long-point). Mixing those up is the one way to get sawhorses that don't sit flat. Set your saw to 15° once and cut all the same-type pieces before you change it.
Drill the all-thread holes before you attach the top supports — it's far easier to bore a clean, square 5/8" hole in a free piece than in an assembled leg. Mount the floor flanges to the underside of the top (or to the 2x6 caps) so the rod threads into them, and you've got a solid, adjustable base. The top can be anything flat at least 24" x 48"; the source builder laminated two layers of plywood for a chunky, industrial look.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x4 board, 8 ft | 2 each |
| 2x6 board, 6 ft | 1 each |
| 1x4 board, 8 ft | 1 each |
| Tabletop, minimum 24" x 48"Anything flat and sturdy — the source laminated two layers of plywood. | 1 each |
| 5/8" all-thread rod, 18"The adjustable legs. A different diameter works if the fittings match. | 4 each |
| Floor flanges to match all-threadThread the rod into these; fasten with screws no longer than 1-1/2". | 4 each |
| Nuts to match all-thread | 8 each |
| Washers to match all-thread | 8 each |
| Wood screws, 2" and pocket screws 2-1/2" | 30 each |
| Wood glue | 4 oz |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Legs2x4Both ends 15° off square, ends ARE parallel (short point to long point). | 8 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 16 5/8" |
| Top and bottom caps2x6 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 23 1/2" |
| Lower leg spacers2x4Both ends 15°, ends NOT parallel (long point to long point). | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 5 3/8" |
| Upper leg spacers2x4Both ends 15°, ends NOT parallel (long point to long point). | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 8 7/8" |
| Lower shelf slats1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 23 1/2" |
Buy 5 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
3 boards
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Set the miter saw to 15° and cut the eight leg pieces (parallel ends, short-point to long-point) first, then the spacer blocks (non-parallel ends, long-point to long-point). Batch by cut type so the saw setting stays consistent. Getting the parallel-vs-non-parallel distinction right is what makes the finished sawhorses sit flat.
Bore a square, centered 5/8" hole where each leg's all-thread will pass, doing it now while the pieces are loose — it's far cleaner than drilling into an assembled leg. A Forstner or spade bit in a drill works; back the exit side to avoid blowout.
Fasten the legs to the underside of the 2x6 caps, flush to the outside edges, with 1-1/2" pocket holes and 2-1/2" pocket screws. This joint carries the whole load, so glue it and don't undersize the screws — it's very sturdy done this way.
Attach the upper spacer support, then the lower one, keeping the all-thread holes aligned so the rod runs straight. Lay the 1x4 slats across the bottom support and screw or nail them down with 2" screws to make a lower shelf that also ties the base together.
Screw the floor flanges to the leg tops (or the underside of the tabletop) with screws no longer than 1-1/2", then thread an all-thread rod into each, with nuts and washers above and below to lock the height. Wind them to standing-desk height or down to coffee-table height. Finally fasten the tabletop to the 2x6 caps.
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