Smart

Krenov’s genius
didn’t stop
at furniture
B Y A N I S S A K A P S A L E S

A few years ago, after moving into

a small apartment, I needed a
desk—and fast. I had a big slab
of planed, live-edge walnut that would
make a perfect top—but what to put it on?
Then I spied the two sawhorses I made
while studying at the College of the
Redwoods, in the furniture-making
program founded by James Krenov.
Turns out, the horses balanced the
mass of the slab perfectly. And their
spare, elegant, and well-proportioned de-
sign actually made for a nice-looking desk
that got tons of compliments from wood-
workers and non-woodworkers alike.
But don’t let the good looks fool you.
These are real workhorses, designed to
be versatile and durable—holding up

No one-trick pony
Tall and lean.
The vertical
design lets you
work close to
bench height.
It also lets the
horses stand
very close
together with-
out creating
a gauntlet of
splayed legs.

Hold it up and hold it fast. The design Beasts of burden. The lower stretchers
creates a convenient clamping surface, provide an additional rack for lumber stor-
with the top stretcher acting as a caul. age either long-term or during work.

56 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: staff; drawings: Christopher Mills

COPYRIGHT 2009 by The Taunton Press, Inc. Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted.
 Sawhorses NOTCHES AT TOP
⁄
11 16 in.

ELEGANTLY SIMPLE
Made popular by legendary teacher James Krenov, this horse is made
from just six pieces of stock, simply joined. Choose an inexpensive but 1 in.
durable hardwood such as ash, hickory, or red oak.
⁄ in.
12

271 ⁄ 2 in.

Top stretcher,
13 ⁄16 in. thick by
⁄
13 16 in.
Upright, 25 ⁄ 8 in. wide
11 ⁄16 in. thick

by 27⁄ 8 in. wide 201 ⁄ 2 in.

WEDGED THROUGH-TENONS
Tenon, 3 ⁄ 8 in. thick
by 21 ⁄4 in. wide by
13 ⁄16 in. long
293 ⁄8 in. 283 ⁄4 in.

Base,
13 ⁄16 in. thick

by 27⁄ 8 in. wide

8 in.

Lower stretcher, Sawkerfs

13 ⁄16 in. thick by

27⁄ 8 in. wide Wedges,

⁄ in. thick by
38

⁄ in. wide by
7 16

10 in. 21 ⁄ 2 in. long

18 in.

BOTTOM TENONS
that desk is probably the lightest duty my These horses are light and have a small
horses have seen yet. And with straightfor- footprint. They are easy to move and the
ward mortise-and-tenon joinery, the horses long feet give the horses a wide stance
also are easy to build. The basic design that resists tipping. The upright design lets
was developed by Krenov, but students add you position them close together for small
Tenon,
their own flair, as I have to the feet and glue-ups or veneer pressing jobs. Tradi- 3 ⁄ 8 in. thick by

joinery. I encourage you to do the same. tional sawhorses with splayed legs won’t 21 ⁄4 in. wide by
13 ⁄16 in. long
cozy up as easily. This nesting ability is
Why these are better also great for stowing the horses when
Every woodworker needs a stout pair of you’re done with them.
sawhorses. They’re great for rough-milling Despite their sleek profile, these
lumber and assembling projects—and can horses can support hundreds of
even be used as a sturdy base for a tem- pounds. I often pile a big stack of
porary worktable. But these horses are lumber on top of them for stor-
different from the standard types, made age or milling. I attribute this
of 2x4s with splayed legs. Those clunky strength to the solid mortise-
designs can be hard to use and don’t store and-tenon joinery and an
very easily. overall design that carries

www.fi newoodwor k i n g.com NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009 57

 How to make a wedged through-tenon
RO UT THE M ORTISE S
ADD SOME FLARE

Flare the mortise

end here.
⁄
5 16 in.

A plunge router makes it simple. Rout all the Room to spread. These through-tenons are
mortises. For the through-mortises, use a backer wedged for strength and a decorative touch. Flare
board to prevent blowout. Take shallow passes the mortise ends with a rounded file so the ten-
using an edge guide and a spiral upcutting bit. ons can spread as you drive the wedges home.

stresses downward instead of out so the This joint is wedged, so I flare the mortises cheeks with an over-the-fence tenoning jig,
joints aren’t pushed apart. slightly, top and bottom, with a rounded also on the tablesaw. Then chisel and file
The stretchers not only add strength and file to accommodate the wedges. the tenons round to match the mortises.
stability, but they also are functional. The Now cut the tenons on the bottom of the Fitting the top, shaping the bottom—
lower stretcher can hold clamps and lum- uprights and the ends of the lower stretch- The notched top stretcher sits in corre-
ber. The top stretcher is notched into the er. Cut the shoulders on the tablesaw using sponding notches in the uprights and gets
uprights and screwed in place without glue. a stop on the crosscut sled, and cut the screwed in place through the uprights, mak-
It’s easy to remove and replace when it gets ing it easy to replace when it gets worn. The
worn. This top stretcher also can act as a distance between the inside shoulders of
caul during a glue-up. the notches should match the length of the
lower stretcher from shoulder to shoulder.
Building a pair is a half-day’s work Cut the notches in the upper stretcher us-
The beauty of these horses is their sim- ing a crosscut sled on the tablesaw. Because
plicity, and the materials and construc- there are only four narrow notches, I don’t
tion reflect that. They will get knocked bother with a dado blade; instead, I make
around and loaded heavily, so choose a series of cuts between stops. I do the
materials accordingly. Avoid softer same for the uprights, using a tall fence on
woods like poplar or pine. Hard- the sled. I hit the two outside edges of the
woods will last longer, but these are notch first and move the fence incremen-
just workhorses, so consider your wal- tally to waste away the middle area.
let, too. Ash, red oak, and hickory are The shaped base pieces are the design
low-cost options. element that changes most from maker to
Mortises and tenons first—After mill- maker, ranging from curves to angles or
ing the lumber, mark the upright mortises
in the bases and cut them using a plunge
TIP straight lumber. My bases have just an an-
gled cut (done on the miter saw) on each
router and edge guide with a spiral upcut- A STABLE PLATFORM FOR ROUTING end and a shallow cutout with the same
ting bit. Cut the through-mortises in the When routing the mortises in angle on the bottom (cut freehand on the
uprights for the lower stretcher the same the base pieces, gang them bandsaw and cleaned up with a scraper).
way, but use a backer board underneath to together to prevent the router Whatever the shape, this cutout on the bot-
prevent any blowout on the other side and from tipping. tom is important because it creates four
to protect the surface you are routing on. feet instead of just two long planks that sit

58 FINE WOODWORKING

COPYRIGHT 2009 by The Taunton Press, Inc. Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted.
 S AW TH E T E N ON S

Start tenons on the tablesaw. Use a crosscut Finish them at the bench. Use a chisel and
sled with a stop to cut the shoulders and nibble file (top) to shape the tenon ends to match
away the ends (above). A tenoning jig (right) the routed mortises. A pair of handsawn kerfs
makes quick work of the cheeks. (above) will make room for the wedges.

on the floor. Without the center area cut

out, the horses are likely to wobble.
Final details—Before glue-up, use a file
or block plane to break the sharp edges,
and use a handsaw to cut kerfs in the ten-
ons that will hold the wedges. Drill and
counterbore the top of the upright for the
screw that will secure the top stretcher.
Now dry-fit the assembly. Mark and trim
the through-tenons on the lower stretcher
so they protrude about 1⁄ 8 in.
Glue-up is easy—Glue the uprights into
the bases. Once they are dry, glue the lower
stretcher into the two uprights. When this
assembly is in clamps, glue and tap the
wedges (I used cherry) into place before
the glue sets up in the mortise. After the
glue dries, trim and file the wedge flush
on the end of the tenon. Screw the top
stretcher in place, and you’re ready to put
the horses to work. =

Anissa Kapsales is an associate editor.

Wedges complete the glue-

up. The wedges’ taper should
roughly match the flare you
filed into the mortises. Put a
dab of glue on the wedges and
be sure to drive them com-
pletely home in the kerf.

www.fi newoodwor k i n g.com