A good pair of sawhorses gets used for everything from supporting lumber to creating a temporary work surface. But there's usually plenty of unused space underneath the workpiece. This simple sawhorse shelf puts some of that space to work.
My sawhorses were built from a design in ShopNotes No. 108. One of their distinctive features is a set of thick lower stretchers. Those stretchers add rigidity to the frames, but they also provide a convenient place to support a removable shelf.
RELATED ARTICLE → How to Build Heavy-Duty Wooden Sawhorses
Make a Simple Removable Sawhorse Shelf
The shelf is little more than a flat platform with two cleats attached underneath.
The cleats are positioned to fit around the lower stretchers of the sawhorses. Once the shelf is lowered into place, the cleats saddle the stretchers and keep the platform from sliding around. There's no complicated hardware or permanent attachment. When you don't need the shelf, simply lift it off.
Woodsmith Tip: Fit the Cleats to Your Sawhorses. This idea isn't limited to one particular sawhorse design. If your sawhorses have lower stretchers, size and position the cleats to fit them. Test the fit before fastening the cleats permanently so the shelf drops easily into place without excessive side-to-side movement.
Keep Small Tools Close at Hand
Once installed, the platform creates a convenient landing spot directly beneath the work area. It's a handy place for a pencil, tape measure, square, or other small tools that you want nearby without leaving them on top of the workpiece.
That makes the shelf particularly useful when the sawhorses are serving as a temporary workbench or assembly area.
Hang the Shelf on the Wall When You're Done
A pair of holes in the platform makes storage just as easy.
When the job is finished, lift the shelf off the sawhorses and hang it on the wall until you need it again. That keeps the shelf from becoming another loose shop accessory that needs its own storage space.
It's a simple addition, but it makes an already useful pair of sawhorses even more versatile.
Tip submitted by Jerry Christian, Clayton, North Carolina
Turn Your Sawhorses into a Workstation
A sturdy pair of sawhorses can do a lot more than support lumber. Add a worksurface and you can create a portable workbench that's easy to set up when you need it and put away when the job is done.
BUILD A SAWHORSE WORKBENCH → Sawhorse Workbench Plans
A set of sawhorses I made from a design in ShopNotes 108 has been sitting around my shop for some time. I recently decided to make an addition to them. The unique parts of these sawhorses are their thick stretchers.
The cleats of the shelf fit around the lower stretchers of these sawhorses. The platform offers easy access to small tools while your workpieces rest above.
These provide some extra rigidity to the frames, but also served as a place to saddle the shelf you see here. The shelf is a platform with two cleats beneath, meant to store a pencil, tape measure, or whatever else I might want on hand. I also added holes to let me hang the shelf on the wall. -Jerry Christian Clayton, North Carolina
