Popular Woodworking 2004-06 № 141, страница 78
Folding Sawhorses The entire weight of your project rests on these supports. Make sure they won't let you down. Photo by Al Parrish You might think this is an unusual product for a woodworking magazine to test, and so did some other members of our staff. But after some thought, the reality is that many woodworkers plunk down good money on folding sawhorses. Whether they're in shops or on job sites, these horses provide fold-away stable work areas. We wanted to make sure your money was well spent. We shopped at Lowe's, Home Depot and online for the most readily available horses in both metal and molded plastic. We limited the price to $60 a pair because, honestly, spending any more than that is silly. Testing the horses was tricky. All are rated to hold 1,000 pounds or more, which is more than adequate for woodworking. Short of parking a truck on them to see if they collapsed, we decided the more important test was for their stability, not their ability to support weight. To test for stability, we set up pairs of horses with a 6'-long piece of 1"-thick white oak clamped between. We then suspended a plumb bob from the center of the board and let the tip of the bob rest in a plate of fine sand to record any shaking or swaying. Next, we clamped a 2" x 2" piece of maple to the plank and got out our handsaw. The rationale was that handsawing - a very common force applied to horses - would be a good way to check stability. We're happy to report that all the horses we tested proved acceptably stable, moving the bob only 1" to 11/2" at most. The more telling evaluation comes from the horses' ease of use. Overall, we found that the metal horses fold to a smaller size. The plastic horses do store flat, but they're still an ungainly size. The Fulton TS101 horses close to a very tidy package that even offers a handle. We found that the plastic horses were a bit more user-friendly to set up. A single motion spreads the legs and drops the shelf into place. While the shelf needs to be locked into retaining tabs for maximum stability, it can be used without being locked. Closing the plastic horses also is a snap, while the metal horses required some contortions similar to setting up a card table. And the Ebco and Fulton TS21 have some sharp edges that made them almost dangerous. The Editor's Choice Award for the most stable horse goes to the Storehorse HD. You wouldn't expect a plastic horse to feel this rock-solid but it's a well-designed shop assistant. However, in the end, it came down to price. When you consider the price tag ($20 vs. $50) and the minor inconveniences between metal and plastic, the $20 Ebco wins our Best Value Award. Just take a file or some sandpaper to the sharp edges and save some money. by David Thiel Comments or questions? Contact David at 513-531-2690 ext. 1255 or david.thiel@fwpubs.com. 76 I Popular Woodworking June 2004 |
