Black & Decker Workmate

[Outlawmws]

I wonder if they broke a base and re-purposed, or simply had a special need for it?

 

[yeldogt]

Found a rare Workmate 79-001 Type 1 at an estate sale this weekend, but left it because of its bad condition.

The Type 1 is very much like the more common Type 2, but with a few readily visible differences. 1) the steel frame is unpainted, being galvanized or with some other light plating. 2) the small risers that support the jaws are solid pieces of aluminum (2nd photo). 3) the rubber feet have a cone shape, like the Type E, rather than a cylinder shape (photo 3). 4) The jaws have five holes along their mating edge, like the Type E, rather than four (photo 4).

I've been hoping to find a Type 1 to fill the gap between my Type E and Type 2, but this would have been too much of a project for me these days. It looks better in the photos than it actually is.

Interesting .... must have been short-lived (Type 1). I remember my mother getting on a waiting list ... my dad tried to buy one in NYC when they first hit the USA but they sold out in an instant. The store only kept the sample (all aluminum). They were impossible to get. She figured it would be a good Christmas gift as my dad was impossible to buy for. This must have been late summer or fall of 75. She paid for it in advance.

There was a regional home center chain -- Two Guys ... a new store was opening and I had heard they may have some for the grand opening -- they had a raffle and we won the right to buy one .. think they had 10 available. Huge crowd wanting them .... anyway, I was really bummed when I saw that the base was steel and not AL. When we got the one my mother prepaid for in NYC -- it was the same -- they were both the type 2.

Wonder if the type 1 was still made in the UK? The time between the all AL ones and the type 2 was only a couple months.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Going to Wildwood has been beneficial to your Workmate quests.

Congrats.

Still sick as a dog or I would have invited you over for "Coffee" on the way back.

You have still been the most beneficial!

Tommy

 

[PelicanPines]

My wife yelled at me after you left... Apparently... I didn't clean it well enough. The argument didn't last long... we curled up in the kitchen and nibbled FUDGE... making life well again.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

My wife yelled at me after you left... Apparently... I didn't clean it well enough. The argument didn't last long... we curled up in the kitchen and nibbled FUDGE... making life well again.

It's plenty clean. I've used it twice and haven't cleaned it up any more than ti was when I got it from you.

I will, soon.

Tommy

 

[engineer2]

Got an all-steel model 300 from an estate clean-out. Kind of dirty and well used but best of all it was free. It'll be a good winter project to clean it up. It could use new wood parts

 

[wolfcj]

Interesting .... must have been short-lived (Type 1). I remember my mother getting on a waiting list ... my dad tried to buy one in NYC when they first hit the USA but they sold out in an instant. The store only kept the sample (all aluminum). They were impossible to get. She figured it would be a good Christmas gift as my dad was impossible to buy for. This must have been late summer or fall of 75. She paid for it in advance.

There was a regional home center chain -- Two Guys ... a new store was opening and I had heard they may have some for the grand opening -- they had a raffle and we won the right to buy one .. think they had 10 available. Huge crowd wanting them .... anyway, I was really bummed when I saw that the base was steel and not AL. When we got the one my mother prepaid for in NYC -- it was the same -- they were both the type 2.

Wonder if the type 1 was still made in the UK? The time between the all AL ones and the type 2 was only a couple months.

According to Black & Decker, the Type E (the only all-aluminum one sold in the U.S.) was discontinued April 1, 1975, so that's consistent with your dates. The Type 1 was discontinued April 1, 1976, and the Type 2 was discontinued June 1, 1976. Unfortunately, they don't give introduction dates, but Popular Mechanics reviewed the Type 1 in August 1975. I have the November 1975 issue of Popular Mechanics with an ad for the Type 1.

The Type 1 was made in Canada.

 

[yeldogt]

According to Black & Decker, the Type E (the only all-aluminum one sold in the U.S.) was discontinued April 1, 1975, so that's consistent with your dates. The Type 1 was discontinued April 1, 1976, and the Type 2 was discontinued June 1, 1976. Unfortunately, they don't give introduction dates.

The Type 1 was made in Canada.

Interesting -- maybe the type 1 was typically sold in Canada? That would explain the rarity in the USA. Are all the holes metric -- for both 1 and 2?

We still have both floating around -- although the one I have needs a new top ... my brother has the other. used mine a lot -- i have a newer one as well -- the original design was the best ....

 

[wolfcj]

Interesting -- maybe the type 1 was typically sold in Canada? That would explain the rarity in the USA.

From what I have seen, almost all of the 79-001 and 79-004 Workmates sold in North America were made in Canada. This includes the ones with the aluminum H-brace as well as the all-steel ones. The exceptions were the Type E made in England, and the blue Type 3, made in Ireland. I have owned ten of these various models from the 1970's, and the majority of them still had the Black & Decker sticker on the top surface of the front jaw. Every one of those stickers said "Made in Canada". I have owner's manuals for two of my Workmates, and they both say "Printed in Canada".

When they transitioned from the 79-00x models to the 200, 400 and others in the 1980's I'm not sure where manufacturing occurred. I suspect production may have stayed in Canada until it eventually moved to Asia, with none ever made in the U. S. A.

In "The Workbench Book", Scott Landis confirms this: "Following its North American launch in 1975 and throughout the ten years that followed, all the larger Workmates for the U.S. and Canadian markets have been manufactured in Brockville, Ontario". He goes on to explain that at the time of writing (1985) B&D was moving production to Brazil, but I'm not sure that worked out. Has anyone here seen one that was made in Brazil?

Accessories seem to follow the same pattern. I have 79-011 and 79-016 Gripmate hold-down clamps in their original boxes with manuals, and they are made in Canada. My one exception is a 79-018 horizontal clamp from 1985 that is made in Taiwan.

 

[wolfcj]

Are all the holes metric -- for both 1 and 2?

In my experience, the 79-001 Type 1 is the only one that has 3/4" holes; all of the others are 20mm.

The 79-011 Gripmates that I have came with two different sizes of plastic adaptor bushings to hold the metal post of the Gripmate in the holes. The orange bushing is 20mm in diameter, while the black one is 3/4". The owner's manual specifically says that the 3/4" one is for the 79-001 Type 1 while the 20mm one is for "all other Workmates".

It's sort of odd that they started out selling the Type E in the U.S. with 20mm holes, replaced it with the Type 1 with 3/4" holes, and then immediately went back to 20mm holes with the Type 2. Maybe someone thought 3/4" holes would allow U.S. owners to use some other sorts of bench dogs or accessories designed for other benches, but then they quickly decided it was better to have all of their global production the same.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I just realized I never posted pics of my recent finds. Nothing is set up yet. If the rain holds I'm setting the PelicanPinesWM400 in the driveway and cutting lumber for the necessary supports to mount the drop leaf on my bench.













Tommy

 

[Andy Griffith]

Nice find Tommy, new in the box and everything.

That looks like it might be pretty handy being right there at/on the work bench vs dragging out the full fledged portable workmate to make just a couple of cuts or whatever.

 

[elguappo]

Dang, they look almost too good to use at this point...almost.

 

[PelicanPines]

I just realized I never posted pics of my recent finds. Nothing is set up yet. If the rain holds I'm setting the PelicanPinesWM400 in the driveway and make cut lumber for the necessary supports to mount the drop leaf on my bench.













Tommy

Didn't know you wanted one of those little tabletop... wall folding... workmates... if you noticed... I have one sitting on top of another workmate. Woulda made you a deal... New in box is nicer than mine tho…

 

[Stuart in MN]

It's funny...I've had what I thought was a Workmate for years (one of my neighbors gave it to me when he moved), but it wasn't until last weekend that I noticed that it's actually a Sears. However, it looks just like a Workmate - anyone know if Sears sourced their product from Black and Decker?

 

[denis4x4]

From a Hemmings blog this morning on Ron Hickman, designer for Lotus cars:

Afterward, Hickman pursued his idea for an easily transportable workbench and vise. With his wife’s encouragement, he established Mate Tools and continued to hone the design until he believed it was ready for market. The retailers and corporations he contacted disagreed, with one projecting sales of just a few dozen units. After displaying it at a home exhibition, orders began to trickle in, building volume as the word spread. By the time Black & Decker signed an exclusive agreement for the design in 1972, Hickman had sold 14,000 copies on his own; today, the number of Workmates sold totals somewhere north of 70 million, with Hickman (and, presumably, his estate) receiving royalties on each one.

 

[dmulk]

My god....I can't believe I read every post in this thread over the last week...

This past weekend I realized, after way too many years of doing it, working on my motorcycle projects on the floor of my tiny, one car, (but 3 motorcycles) garage *****...so the search for a portable / storable workbench began.

Enter the Workmate series...and my obsession with finding the right one by this weekend...as I have to pull the forks on one of my bikes and having a clamping table would be very helpful....

After watching some youtube videos I stumbled on this thread...this was on Monday.

On Monday, I ended up driving up from San Diego to Anaheim to have dinner with my brother and also pick up a NOS WM400 from a girl selling one about 5 mins from my brother's house. The box was in crappy condition but all the parts were there so I grabbed it for $50.

I also noticed that Amazon had a Cyber Monday deal on the WM425-M...for $70 delivered.

Now one might ask: Why would you want both? Well...I noticed that the WM400 particle board based jaws on the NOS WM400 must have been stored in some moisture because one of them has a bit of swelling...it's fine....and will work...but after more research it appears that the newer Bamboo tops of the 425 seem more durable....and it gives a larger working surface. It seems that the 400 Frame is more durable...and the youtuber I watched indicated that the 425 tops would work on a 400.....so my plan is to use the 425 as parts.



That said....as I come to the end of this thread and I see this question about Brazil...:

When they transitioned from the 79-00x models to the 200, 400 and others in the 1980's I'm not sure where manufacturing occurred. I suspect production may have stayed in Canada until it eventually moved to Asia, with none ever made in the U. S. A.

In "The Workbench Book", Scott Landis confirms this: "Following its North American launch in 1975 and throughout the ten years that followed, all the larger Workmates for the U.S. and Canadian markets have been manufactured in Brockville, Ontario". He goes on to explain that at the time of writing (1985) B&D was moving production to Brazil, but I'm not sure that worked out. Has anyone here seen one that was made in Brazil?

Accessories seem to follow the same pattern. I have 79-011 and 79-016 Gripmate hold-down clamps in their original boxes with manuals, and they are made in Canada. My one exception is a 79-018 horizontal clamp from 1985 that is made in Taiwan.

Well guess what....I can actually answer this question because my WM400 was manufactured in 1987 and it was manufactured in Brazil.

This WM400/425 combo will become my main workmate as I search for a pair of older, same height, aluminum models.

Thank you for all of the efforts to keep this thread relevant over the years for me to find.

<D>

 

[gtsgarage]

I did a lot of car restoration work with a work mate with a vice attached. It was a great set up. Heavy at time but so stable. I have it away when I got my new work bench setup. But it was a great tool.

 

[yeldogt]

My god....I can't believe I read every post in this thread over the last week...

This past weekend I realized, after way too many years of doing it, working on my motorcycle projects on the floor of my tiny, one car, (but 3 motorcycles) garage *****...so the search for a portable / storable workbench began.

Enter the Workmate series...and my obsession with finding the right one by this weekend...as I have to pull the forks on one of my bikes and having a clamping table would be very helpful....

After watching some youtube videos I stumbled on this thread...this was on Monday.

On Monday, I ended up driving up from San Diego to Anaheim to have dinner with my brother and also pick up a NOS WM400 from a girl selling one about 5 mins from my brother's house. The box was in crappy condition but all the parts were there so I grabbed it for $50.

I also noticed that Amazon had a Cyber Monday deal on the WM425-M...for $70 delivered.

Now one might ask: Why would you want both? Well...I noticed that the WM400 particle board based jaws on the NOS WM400 must have been stored in some moisture because one of them has a bit of swelling...it's fine....and will work...but after more research it appears that the newer Bamboo tops of the 425 seem more durable....and it gives a larger working surface. It seems that the 400 Frame is more durable...and the youtuber I watched indicated that the 425 tops would work on a 400.....so my plan is to use the 425 as parts.



That said....as I come to the end of this thread and I see this question about Brazil...:



Well guess what....I can actually answer this question because my WM400 was manufactured in 1987 and it was manufactured in Brazil.

This WM400/425 combo will become my main workmate as I search for a pair of older, same height, aluminum models.

Thank you for all of the efforts to keep this thread relevant over the years for me to find.

<D>

I'm not sure how long they made the 400? -- the particle top is a weak point. I have a 425 that I bought at some point. The original series is still the best .... I guess they could never figure out away to make it profitably .. or at least the profits they wanted. They were expensive when they came out

 

[Outlawmws]

Did you actually mount the vise to the WM, or to a mounting plate and then clamp that in the WM?

I'm big on using a WM and mounting plates for bench tools... I need to mount up my new(ish) to me sliding miter chop saw...

 

[Outlawmws]

Never really believed I'd find one of these... Starting with a teaser: Those in the know, know what these go to!

Yep! an aluminum Frame B&D Workmate! Ten Bucks! I did NOT negotiate!

Only THIS one is the first edition with (mostly) all aluminum construction! Very rare and I've been looking for one (or more) of these for a LONG time! With this one, I'm back up to 5 full sized WM's; two more aluminum frame but steel base WM's, one All steel but early version with the good Marine ply doubled jaws, and a modern one with the over-sized triple table. (Good for large projects).

Its ALL there, the dogs, (Blue) the feet for both the folding legs and the solid base, even the steel liners in the wood jaws. The jaws have minimal damage! Not perfect, but well taken care of when its clearly been used a lot!

If I ever get a second one of these, I'll probably sell the all steel frame one. this one got my attention immediately as its LIGHT. much lighter that the steel versions, so this one will be my primary "go to" unless its a particularly heavy project...

 

[Shootinok]

Really nice score outlasmws !!


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[wolfcj]

Yep! an aluminum Frame B&D Workmate! Ten Bucks! I did NOT negotiate!

Great get!

And now that you have a Workmate with the steel sleeves in the top, I'll be interested to hear your experience with them rusting (or not rusting, as the case might be)! I can't tell from the photos whether yours came fully rusted like mine did

 

[dmulk]

Well....ending a week with a score. Found my first aluminum WM. It's a type 2. Missing the short position feet and 3 of the legs don't seem to want to fold completely in (need to look at that in the morning). For $20 I couldn't pass it up. The tops are useable but in rough condition so I'll likely replace them as I plan to use it regularly. Now, all I need to do is to find one more and I have my 3 which is the most I'll ever need for the types of projects I do. Cheers and thanks for all the good info.

Dan

 

[Outlawmws]

There is some rusting, but it's mostly spotty. I'll try to get some pics in daylight.

And Thanks Shoot and Wolf!

 

[Elvisidal]

I was looking on my local swap page and someone posted black and decker workmate $20
Show up expecting the black number dual height thing and the woman pulls this out from behind the door ...

 

[jgromada]

I had an old one and it starting looking really crappy and was missing a few things. My wife convinced me to get rid of it and she would buy me a new one for Christmas. No fault of hers but the new one *****. I am always looking at garage sales hoping i will find an old one to restore. ---heavy sigh

 

[denis4x4]

I bought the new one and found it very useful. However, I keep the old one in my shop and the new one at the vacation cabin

 

[Shootinok]

Made a little top for mine.
It just has a board on the underside to clamp on to and it stays there.
Also put some slats in the base for an extra shelf.

When I work out of town this will be my little leather work and reloading bench.



Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[trijeff]

Real nice, Shoot

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

[Outlawmws]

I like that shoot! Very nice! The lower slats were a nice touch!

 

[wolfcj]

I was looking on my local swap page and someone posted black and decker workmate $20
Show up expecting the black number dual height thing and the woman pulls this out from behind the door ...

Cool to see one of such a different design! It looks like it's in great condition.

The 600 was never sold in the U.S. Do the legs fold up, making it a simplified dual-height model (as compared to the 79-001)?

 

[cubevandude]

Watch out you're next.

 

[Elvisidal]

Cool to see one of such a different design! It looks like it's in great condition.

The 600 was never sold in the U.S. Do the legs fold up, making it a simplified dual-height model (as compared to the 79-001)?

The legs fold up yes but they sit slightly proud so it’s for storage not as a dual height.

 

[lafester]

Hey guys, these just popped up on my FB search.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1691414934292789/

Maybe he'll ship... $30

 

[Elvisidal]

Today’s acquisition from the used sale pages ...

 

[Outlawmws]

That is like the 400 I sold last year.

 

[Farmallgray]

Are the new 425 models any good?

 

[Outlawmws]

The 425 is fine.. It's essentially the 400 with a third piece added so it can be used as a portable bench. the only reason I sold my 400 was I had way too many and I like the aluminum riser versions, and I have a 550 for large "bench" use.

They are heavier than the older aluminum frame workmates and even compared to the 200/225's, but with more flexibility.

 

[Elvisidal]

Workmates? I'm out
Ryobi's effort is tops

I used to make vertical jaws myself but this (yeah its sloppy) design had me sold in a heartbeat.

I also picked this up

And while I guess it's portable I haven't moved it for 5 days