A foldable sawhorse is disclosed having a main set of leg members with a beam across the upper edges thereof, and a shorter, supporting set of leg members pivotally secured to the main leg members. Strut members extend between the main and supporting legs on each side of the sawhorse, the struts being foldable as the sets of leg members are folded together, the legs and struts assuming a nesting relationship for presenting a thin, folded profile for storage and/or transport. The center support beam is vertically aligned with the midpoint of the open legs to evenly distribute the weight between the uneven length sets of leg members.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Sawhorses are often used for supporting items on which some work is being 
performed. For example, lumber that is being cut, or relatively large 
pieces which require some pre-assembly before installation, such as doors 
to which hinges are being added, are generally placed on sawhorses which 
have been arranged to support the work. 
In general, a sawhorse has a central beam mounted at each end on inverted 
V-shaped support members. There are variations on this central theme; 
however, few changes have been made to the general design. 
Sawhorses may be permanently secured together, i.e., the beam is nailed to 
the supports, or they may be of a modular design, such as those in which 
the beam is received in slots formed at the apex of the inverted support 
member. In either case the sawhorses normally take up much space in 
transporting the materials to the jobsite, but the space must be provided 
because the sawhorse is a very necessary tool. In some cases, more than 
one trip may be required just to transport materials, greatly increasing 
the time and costs required for a particular job. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is, therefore, one of the principal objects of the present invention to 
provide a sawhorse which can be quickly and easily folded between 
operative and transport positions, and which, when in transport position, 
is easily stored in a much smaller area than conventional sawhorses. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a stable support 
means for receiving items on which some work is being performed. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a foldable sawhorse 
which is easily and inexpensively constructed and which is durable to 
provide a long service life. 
These and additional objects are attained by the present invention which 
relates to a foldable sawhorse having generally opposed leg members 
connected by a central beam or support member. The individual sets of leg 
members are journalled together for pivotal movement between operative and 
transport positions. In the operative position, the leg members form an 
inverted V-shaped support structure and in the folded position the legs 
are disposed generally parallel to one another. Foldable strut means 
extend between and stabilize the leg members in their extended position 
and the sets of leg members may nest together in their folded position, 
thereby minimizing the required storage space. 
Any of a number of suitable materials may be used in constructing the 
present sawhorse, with a lightweight metal, wood, or plastic material 
being preferred. The invention provides substantial stability in use yet 
can be easily stored and/or transported between jobsites or moved around a 
particular jobsite. 
Various additional objects and advantages will become apparent from the 
below description, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now more specifically to the drawings, and to FIG. 1 in 
particular, numeral 10 designates generally one embodiment of the foldable 
sawhorse, shown in operative position for receiving an item on which some 
work is to be performed. By comparison, the folded or storage position is 
shown in FIG. 3, indicating the considerable advantage which the present 
invention has over conventional non-folding sawhorses. 
The device has opposed sets of legs members, each set having a main leg 
member 12 and a supporting member 14. Bracing means 16 extend between the 
two main legs and the two supporting legs. The invention is shown as 
constructed from angle stock, which is particularly well suited for the 
invention; however, other suitable materials may also be used, such as 
certain plastics or wood. One advantage of the metal stock shown here is 
that certain parts, such as the braces 16, may be easily secured by a 
welding. 
A cross or support member, such as bar 18, extends between the upper ends 
of the main legs 12 for receiving the item to be worked on. When in 
opertive position, the upper surface of the cross member is parallel with 
the base and directly over the midpoint of the distance between the legs 
12 and 14. When folded, the cross member assumes an angular disposition 
with respect to the base, due to its fixed securement ot the main leg 
members. This has particular significance in opening and closing the 
sawhorse, as will be explained hereinbelow. A nailer 20, preferably of 
wood, may be mounted on the upper surface of the support member if the 
present sawhorse is constructed of metal, the nailer serving to protect 
the working surface of saws or other tools. As shown in FIG. 4, the nailer 
may be bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the cross member 18, such 
as with bolts 22 and nuts 24. Any suitable size nailer may be mounted on 
the support 18, as indicated by the broken line projection of a common 
2.times.4, shown in FIG. 1. 
The set of main leg members 12 is connected to the set of supporting leg 
members 14 at two places, near the upper ends thereof and near the center 
portions thereof. The connection near the upper ends is best shown in 
FIGS. 3 and 4, the supporting legs being pivotally secured to the main 
legs with a suitable securing means, such as bolts 26 and nuts 28. As 
shown, the upper ends of the supporting legs are connected to the main 
legs near but not at the upper ends thereof. The connection and pivot 
point of legs 12 and 14 near the upper ends of the legs is a controlled 
and determined distance from the lower ends of the legs. The connection 
point is such that in the folded position, the distance from the lower end 
of leg 12 to the pivot point is slightly less than the distance from the 
lower end of leg 14 to the pivot point. This allows the legs to be 
disposed in a nested position when the sawhorse is in a folded position 
without any interference of the feet 52. 
The sets of leg members are also secured together near the center portions 
thereof, this being best illustrated in FIGS. 4 through 7. A foldable 
bracing means or strut 40 is pivotally secured at each end to the opposed 
leg members, one end being pivotally secured to the main leg member 12 and 
the other end being pivotally secured to a tab means 42 which is secured 
to the supporting leg 14. The strut is formed as two, generally parallel 
bar means which are pivotally fastened near their inner ends, opposite the 
connections to the leg members, and with the point of connection being 
generally in line with the axial center line of the nailer 20. The points 
of connection are thus centrally disposed so as to evenly distribute the 
applied weight between the opposed sets of leg members. 
It will be noted from FIG. 4 that one of the parallel bars forming the 
strut is longer than the other and that the strut is disposed at a slight 
angle relative to the base or to the upper surface of the nailer 20 when 
the sawhorse is in operative or open position. The longer bar 44 includes 
a stop means, such as tab 46 which, when the sawhorse is in open position, 
engages the upper edge of the shorter bar 48. The shorter bar is notched 
or indented slightly at 50 to receive the stop means 46 and to impart a 
slight V-shape to the strut when extended. This design allows the present 
sawhorse to be lifted by the top support member 18 or nailer 20 while in 
open position and moved to a different location without the legs closing 
as a slight tension is imparted to the strut means by the leg members, due 
to the V-shaped configuration. 
The securement of the strut means to the leg member 12, the tab means 42, 
and the connection of the strut bars is accomplished with bolts 26 and 
nuts 28; however, any suitable securing means allowing a pivotal 
connection may be used. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the connection points 
of the struts to the leg member 12 and the tab means 42 are offset from 
each other both horizontally and vertically. Thus, the strut can fold, the 
bars being in different planes, as shown in FIG. 7, without the elements 
thereof interfering with one another. 
With the present sawhorse in open position, the folding operation is 
conveniently accomplished by lifting the center portions of the strut 
members, preferably while the sawhorse is resting on the ground or other 
base. The struts can thus be placed in an inverted V-shaped configuration 
while all four legs remain on the ground. Then, as the central beam or 
nailer is lifted, the supporting legs 14 swing toward the main legs and 
enter into a nesting relationship therewith, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6. 
The sawhorse thus presents a very thin profile which facilitates storage 
and/or transport. These figures also illustrate a further advantage in 
using angle stock for the construction of the sawhorse in addition to its 
strength and the ability to have portions welded together. The angle stock 
also nests together in close relationship and provides a housing-like area 
in which to receive the folded strut 40. 
The sawhorse is supported on the ground or base with generally rectangular 
pad means or feet 52. The feet are secured to the lower ends of the leg 
members in any suitable manner, as by welding, and as shown in FIG. 3, the 
bottom ends of the legs and the pads are disposed at an approximate thirty 
(30) degree angle, so as to provide a substantially flush engagement with 
the base when the legs are in operative position. In the alternative, the 
feet may be pivotally mounted so as to flushly engage the ground of the 
base. 
In the use and operation of the present sawhorse, the design presents a 
number of mechanical advantages which are not found in prior art sawhorse 
designs. The disposition of the central support member 18 and/or the 
nailer 20 above and vertically in line with the midpoint of the distance 
between the main and support legs provides even weight distribution even 
though the supporting legs 14 are shorter than the main leg members 12. 
The difference in the length of the legs ensures that a thin, nested 
profile is presented for storing and/or transporting the sawhorse. 
Opening the sawhorse, that is, going from the position in FIG. 3 to the 
operative position of FIG. 1 may be accomplished with one hand by holding 
the device by the nailer 20 and tipping the sawhorse to one side, the 
operation being facilitated by the fixed angular securement of the cross 
member to the main leg members. This causes the supporting legs 14 to 
pivot away from the main legs and extends the strut 40. The strut locks in 
operative position due to its V-shaped configuration when open or 
extended, thereby keeping the legs separated for transporting the 
sawhorse, the strut means 40 are moved to an inverted V position while the 
legs remains on the ground. As the device is lifted by the center member, 
the supporting legs swing toward and nest with the main legs. The device 
is thus very convenient to use and to store, and provides substantial 
strength without attendant weight. 
A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 8 through 
10. A main set of leg members 12' are secured to bracket member 80 with 
suitable securing means such as bolts 82. This bracket 80 is integrally 
joined to cross member 18', which may be provided with a nailer 21, shown 
in broken lines. Supporting leg members 14' are held at their upper ends 
in bracket members 84 with suitable fasteners (not shown), the bracket 
members 84 having a U-shaped upper portion 86. Thus U-shaped portion is 
received between opposed tab members 88 which depend downwardly from cross 
member 18'. This connection is then pivotally secured with a carriage bolt 
90 and nut 92, the bolt extending through the tab members and the U-shaped 
portion 86 as shown in FIG. 8. 
Extending between the sets of leg members and secured respectively to the 
brackets 80 and 84 are strut means 40, their orientation and operation 
being the same as previously discussed in relation to the first 
embodiment. In addition, since the cross member is effectively fixed to 
the main leg members 12', the operation of opening and closing the 
sawhorse is essentially the same as discussed for the first embodiment. 
Thus, when in closed position, the cross member may be grasped and tilted 
such that the upper surface of the cross member approaches its operation 
position, parallel with the base. This causes the leg members to swing 
apart, thereby automatically extending and locking the strut means. 
This alternate embodiment shares many of the same features with the 
previous embodiment. Particularly important, however, is the disposition 
of the cross member 18' over the midpoint between the open legs for evenly 
distributing the applied weight, and the one-handed operability of the 
device. 
In addition, this embodiment is also very easy to construct, common 
2.times.4 boards being suitable for the leg members. The bracket assembly 
could be provided separately if desired, the user needing only to 
pre-drill holes for the connection of the leg members to the brackets, and 
to cut the bottom ends of the leg members so they reset flushly with the 
ground when the sawhorse is in open or operative position. 
An alternative embodiment of the present invention, designated generally by 
numeral 100, is illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. In this embodiment, the 
concepts of opening the unit with one hand and the ability to carry the 
sawhorse from place to place while opened, without its folding until 
desired, are maintained in a slightly modified version. Referring to FIG. 
11, it will be noted that the main leg members 112, the supporting leg 
members 114, and the central support member 118 and/or nailer 120 are 
basically the same as in the first-described embodiment. The members also 
have same spatial relationships with regard to the operative and folded 
positions. 
An added feature of this third embodiment is the provision of an operator 
bar 122 which extends transversely between the opposed strut means 140. 
The strut means 140 are also modified slightly in that the stop means on 
tab 146 is provided on the longer strut member 144 as in the previous 
embodiments, but is disposed between the point of connection of the strut 
member 144 to the leg 112 and the connection of the strut membrer 144 to 
the strut member 148. In addition, a well 149 is provided in legs 114 to 
receive the bolts 126 which are used to connect the strut members. 
The operator bar may be formed from any suitable stock, such as the tubular 
form 123 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, and includes generally flattened ends 
151. The flattened ends are connected to the tab means 146, respectively, 
with suitable connecting means such as bolts 153 and nuts 155. The 
flattened ends 151 engage each of the connected strut members on both 
sides of the sawhorse when the sawhorse is in its open position. The 
engagement of the bar 122 with the strut means arrests their movement when 
the sawhorse has reached its fully open position. The connection of the 
bar 122 with each of the tab means 146 allows one to close the sawhorse by 
lifting the operator bar upwardly, the folding or pivoting of the strut 
members serving to pull the legs together into a folded position. This 
arrangement obviates any need for the user to handle the strut members, 
thus providing a measure of safety in that the user's fingers can not be 
pinched by the strut members as they fold. The operator bar may also be 
used as a carrying handle when the sawhorse is in its folded position and 
can be used with any of the described embodiments. 
Opening the sawhorse 100 from its folded position is easily accomplished 
with one hand. As in the previous embodiments, the ends of the shorter 
legs are disposed lower then the ends of the longer legs when the sawhorse 
is folded. The longer legs are integrally connected with the upper 
transverse support beam. Thus, with the ends of the shorter legs serving 
as a base, a slight pressure applied to the upper beam along with a 
tilting of the sawhorse toward the side with the longer legs causes the 
longer legs to swing outwardly in an arcuate path. The flattened ends of 
the support bar engage the strut means to arrest further movement and the 
strut means assume their fully-extended and V-shaped configuration to hold 
the legs in opened position until the operator bar is raised. 
While an embodiment of a foldable sawhorse and modifications thereof have 
been shown and described in detail herein, various other changes and 
modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present 
invention.