On 23 Sep 2006 03:06:50 -0700, "Robatoy" wrote:

I do not think it is a very good design.
There is very little wood left between where the legs are attached to
the horizontal member.
The cleat strengthens that up a bit. It would be a much better build if
a piece of 2x6 was used for the horizontal bit.

Just a hunch.

I worked with a crew once that used a similar design that used 1x6
pine for the legs, and a 1/4" ply gusset on each end. Like you, I
thought it was a poor design, but I saw a whole lot of lumber piled on
those things time after time, and they seemed to hold up ok. As with
anything, the older ones were a little rough looking, but for the cost
of materials and the average use a saw horse gets, the design is a
good balance of cost and value.

That being said, my personal horses are all the steel folding type.
$20 apeice doesn't seem excessive for the convenience and load rating
on them. Having a small stack of steel boxes with 2x4s screwed to the
top takes up a whole lot less space than any other design I've seen.