How to Make a Wooden Barricade

A wooden barricade, commonly referred to as a "sawhorse" by carpenters, is one of the easiest types of barricades to make. They can be used in a wide variety of ways: as barricades to block street or driveway access or as cutting platforms for long planks of wood. Wooden barricades are durable and lightweight, so they can be easily moved and used around the house or on the street, depending on the circumstances.

Step 1

Mark the two-by-four pieces at 3-foot-long intervals and cut them with the circular saw. Cut six pieces for each wooden barricade you build. Save any scrap for leg braces to add to the structural integrity of the barricades.

Step 2

Center a 3-foot-long two-by-four on edge atop another two-by-four laid on its width, giving you a T structure that will serve as the top of the barricades. Nail them in place with the hammer and nails and make as many as you think you will need for your barricades.

Step 3

Cut a 15 degree angle on the top and bottom edge of all leg pieces. Mark a 3-foot-long piece of two-by-four material along the 4-inch width starting at the corner of the material and drawing a line with the carpenter’s square from the outermost corner down 15 degrees. Make the same mark on the opposite end of the leg. Cut four pieces of material for each barricade.

Step 4

Place the top so the T is inverted, with the base as the 4-inch-wide section and the other piece rising above it. Set a leg 3 inches in from the outside edge of the top and set it so that the 15 degree angle matches flat with the top and the legs angle outward with the opposite end of the leg flat against the ground. Nail it in place and repeat the process for the other three legs on the barricade. Notice that, because of the inverted T, the legs not only angle outward toward the outer edges of the barricade but also outward toward the sides.

Step 5

Cut scrap material down to size to make leg braces roughly halfway down each set of legs. Hold a piece of wood against a set of legs and mark it with a pencil, using the legs as a gauge. Cut the brace and use it as a gauge to mark additional pieces, making one leg brace for each set of legs. Nail them in place and use your barricades wherever needed.