How to Build a Painter's Horse

Build the Horse

• 1

  Use your tape measure, pencil and circular saw to cut your 2-by-4 inch studs into six 32-inch long pieces. Use your circular saw to cut eight more pieces to a length of 26 1/4 inches.

• 2

  Lay one of your 32-inch lengths of stud on the floor with the thin side down. Lay a second 32-inch stud on top of it with the wide side down. Use your screw gun and 3-inch drywall screws to fasten the two studs together. Turn the T-shaped studs over and lay another 32-inch stud on top with the wide side down. Use your screw gun and drywall screws to fasten it in place in the same manner you did the first. You should now have an I-shaped construction similar in appearance to a steel I-beam. Repeat the process to begin the construction of your second horse.

• 3

  Form the legs of the horse with your 26-inch studs. Place your 26-inch studs against the I-shaped beam so that the tip of the stud tucks beneath the top ledge of the "I," and the bottom end angles outward to the ground. Use your drill to make two pilot holes through the leg and into the lower ledge of the I-shaped beam. Use your drill to make two more pilot holes through the leg about 1 inch from the top. Use your screw gun and 3-inch drywall screws to fasten the leg in place. Repeat the process on all four legs of each horse.

• 4

  Build your painter's platform. Use your circular saw to cut your 3/4-inch plywood sheet to 30-by-96 inches. Lay two 2-by-4-inch studs thin side up on a flat surface about 30 inches apart. Place your plywood sheet down onto the studs so that one runs along the bottom of each edge. Use your screw gun and drywall screws to fasten the studs in place.

• 5

  Spread your two sawhorses from six to eight feet apart. Place your painter's platform on top of the horses and check for stability. Use your ladder to get up and down onto the platform.