A sawhorse is a sturdy frame that carpenters and builders use to support wood while they're cutting it or working on it. Picture an upside-down V made of wood or metal, with a flat board running along the top. The name makes perfect sense: it's a wooden “horse” (meaning a support or frame) that you use when sawing lumber.

Sawhorses usually come in pairs. When you need to cut a long board with a handsaw or circular saw, you rest the board across two sawhorses at a comfortable working height. This keeps the wood steady and off the ground, making it much easier and safer to cut. Carpenters also use sawhorses as temporary workbenches or to support doors and plywood sheets while painting or assembling projects.

You might see sawhorses at construction sites, in woodworking shops, or in your garage if someone in your family does DIY projects. Some fold flat for storage, while others are permanent fixtures in a workshop. The simple design has remained essentially unchanged for centuries because it works so well: two sawhorses and a plank can quickly become a worktable anywhere you need one.