The Complete Handbook of Saw Horses

This is a solid technical reference that does what it claims. Chapter 1 alone saved me from making a buying mistake—I learned why my old steel horses were wobbling and what load-rating numbers actually mean. The troubleshooting section is practical. My only gripe is that the business chapter assumes you already know basic accounting, so it skips over the actual numbers for a small rental operation. Still worth the price if you use these things regularly.

Finally, a book that treats saw horses like the serious tool they are instead of an afterthought. I manage crews for a framing contractor, and the section on multi-horse setups and spacing rules alone has already prevented two near-misses on my jobs. The material on synthetic alternatives and composite legs is exactly what we needed to evaluate our next fleet purchase. This isn't fluff—every page has something you can use Monday morning.

Helpful but not earth-shattering. If you're a professional, there's definitely value here—the chapter on specifications and why load ratings matter is clear and practical. But if you're just a homeowner or occasional DIYer, you're paying for detail you won't use. I also wish there was more on the actual numbers for rental businesses since I was hoping to use this to start that side of the business. Still, the maintenance section caught real problems I was missing.

The Chapter 1 explanation of how structural load actually works on a saw horse is worth reading alone. My team understands material failure modes now instead of just guessing why something broke. I do wish the business models chapter had actual case studies or names of real rental operations to study, but I understand why they kept it generic. Overall, this fills a gap I didn't know I had.

Exactly what I needed for my woodworking business. The selection chapter helped me understand why I was going through cheap horses so fast, and the maintenance section gives me a schedule I can actually follow. The troubleshooting for wobble and leg cracking is spot-on—I've had both problems. One minor issue: some of the technical specs reference jargon that the glossary doesn't cover, so I had to look a few things up. Otherwise this is the real deal.

Well-researched and genuinely practical, but I wish there was more comparison data between brands. The handbook explains how to choose a saw horse and what to look for, but it doesn't give you a straight answer about which ones actually hold up best in specific conditions. The maintenance chapter is excellent. If you want a technical foundation and don't mind doing your own brand research, get this book.