Black & Decker Workmate

[wolfcj]

Wow, that's a great example; thanks for the photos. That model is nearly identical to the first U.S. model, the 79-001 Type E. The only difference I can spot is that on the Type E, the plastic handles and the swivel pegs are blue rather than black.

Can you tell me how you identified it as a type 3; is there a marking somewhere? I have a copy of the UK manual for the WM325, and it shows it with a wooden footrest, rather than the galvanized one on yours (which is also on the type E).

 

[felixgogo]

Hi Wolf, the seller identified it as a Type 3, I'm awaiting delivery, so I'll have a close look when it arrives.

I'm also on the lookout for a steel based, aluminium riser later version here, I understand they were grey or plated in the US and blue here in the UK.

Cheers
Ian

 

[wolfcj]

Those models were all called 79-001 in the U.S. The type E was as I described above. The Type 1 would be the plated one you refer to, the type 2 and type 4 had the gray painted steel, and the type 3 had the same blue paint as the UK version.

 

[wolfcj]

I notice two other features on the U.S. 79-001 type E that differ from your WM325:

The painted lettering -- "Black & Decker, "Workmate", and "Dual-Height Professional" -- is blue rather than black, and the holes in the jaws all have steel liners.

 

[Chevota Guy]

I've had a Canadian produced Workmate 425 Type 2 since the mid 80's. I had forgotten what a great versatile bench it was. For many years it sat in a corner buried in my garage since it was difficult to store and had to rest against something when folded. It was also tough on the fingers to move around.

Then I decided to make a simple dolly that will store it upright and convenient to wheel to wherever I need it. Now after a thorough cleaning the 425 is getting used just as much as in the old days.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

I've had a Canadian produced Workmate 425 Type 2 since the mid 80's. I had forgotten what a great versatile bench it was. For many years it sat in a corner buried in my garage since it was difficult to store and had to rest against something when folded. It was also tough on the fingers to move around.

Then I decided to make a simple dolly that will store it upright and convenient to wheel to wherever I need it. Now after a thorough cleaning the 425 is getting used just as much as in the old days.

Nicely done!

 

[fartymarty]

I've had a Canadian produced Workmate 425 Type 2 since the mid 80's. I had forgotten what a great versatile bench it was. For many years it sat in a corner buried in my garage since it was difficult to store and had to rest against something when folded. It was also tough on the fingers to move around.

Then I decided to make a simple dolly that will store it upright and convenient to wheel to wherever I need it. Now after a thorough cleaning the 425 is getting used just as much as in the old days.

That dolly is a great idea! I think I'm going to make one instead of using the castors I had attached to mine.

Those orange swivel grips holding the boards in the first photo sure look different than mine. Where'd you get those?

 

[Chevota Guy]

That dolly is a great idea! I think I'm going to make one instead of using the castors I had attached to mine.

Those orange swivel grips holding the boards in the first photo sure look different than mine. Where'd you get those?

The orange saddle grips came from Lee Valley and take standard 1x3 or 1x4 material. They also have some for 2x4 material. The post is designed to fit both 3/4" and 20mm dog holes. Fit the workmate perfectly.

BTW, my dolly has two corners notched to allow some other tools that store nearby in the garage. Those compromise stability a tad, so a rectangular platform would be simpler and more stable.

 

[y'sguy]

Good idea on the Dolly!

 

[Vahispd]

The orange saddle grips came from Lee Valley and take standard 1x3 or 1x4 material. They also have some for 2x4 material. The post is designed to fit both 3/4" and 20mm dog holes. Fit the workmate perfectly.

BTW, my dolly has two corners notched to allow some other tools that store nearby in the garage. Those compromise stability a tad, so a rectangular platform would be simpler and more stable.

+2 The dolly is a great idea. Also, thanks for the info on the Veritas Platform Saddles - I'll pick some up when I visit the local Woodcraft store!

 

[Vahispd]

Re: Black & Decker Workmate

If you’ve made it this far in the thread, you owe it to yourself to get your hands on a copy of the 1998 book “The Workbench Book” by Scott Landis as he dedicates 10 pages to the history of the Workmate and it’s various prototypes. Fortunately, my local library had a copy.

Yes, a very good read. My wife bought the book for me in the late 90's and I learned a lot about what features I wanted or needed on a work bench.

 

[Legion Prime]

Aaaaaaand it's a Workmate 300 so the jaws don't fit. Oh well, I had a 1/2" project panel I picked up and I cut it in half because the nice thing is the 300 jaws are 24" wide rather than 29". I beveled the edges that are going to get glued together when I double them up. The only problem now is drill bits, all the ones I have are old OLD spades. I wire wheeled and painted them to take care of the rust but they're so dull they don't work very well and they're really not worth the effort to sharpen. I guess next week I'll just drop the $50 on a set of forstner bits. The 3/4 I used for the dog holes worked great! Maybe I'll post the other jaws up on CL or something. LOL

 

[Legion Prime]

So while not the best picture I have the first of the two jaws in the final stages. I got the Freud bits last night so today I picked up where I left off. I had cut the jaws to size and cut a small bevel on each so when glued together they'd form a small void for clamping. I then clamped an old jaw to one and transferred the locating hole since it went all the way through the jaw. I then clamped the two bottom halves together to twin the holes. I then inserted the mounting blocks and marked the center of the small hole for the mounting bolts and once again drilled through both bottom halves. I then paired a bottom up with a top and applied glue and clamps. The clamping jaw on MY workmate came in quite handy.
Up next will be drilling the rest of the hole for the mounting bolts. The 5/16 hole is recessed so the bolt head sits below the work surface (as if I'm telling you anything you don't already know) I'm thinking I will run a small pilot hole up from the bottom and use that to locate the larger hole drilling down. When I break through to the bottom where the preexisting hole is may be where I run into issues. Other than that it's just a matter of quadrupling that, taking out some dog holes and remounting them, maybe a bit of lacquer or something. I'll probably grab new mounting bolts as well and maybe washers, see what the clearances are.

 

[quincyqt]

Hi,just want to know the meaning of the type ? 1 2 3 4 ?

 

[fartymarty]

Looky what arrived for me today.
Thanks to Chevota Guy. Thanks also for the great idea of the dolly, I think I'll need to make one with a drawer on the bottom for all the extra s̶t̶u̶f̶f̶ workmate accessories I'm accumulating.

 

[Chevota Guy]

Looky what arrived for me today.
Thanks to Chevota Guy. Thanks also for the great idea of the dolly, I think I'll need to make one with a drawer on the bottom for all the extra s̶t̶u̶f̶f̶ workmate accessories I'm accumulating.

Looks like a nice haul. Even received the Lee Valley catalog in print. Say good bye to your wallet

 

[Chevota Guy]

Hi,just want to know the meaning of the type ? 1 2 3 4 ?

The "type" refers to different production changes through its long history. My mid 80's Type 2 was printed on the front label.

View media item 96937

 

[y'sguy]

Isn't there a spread sheet on this thread somewhere that shows the different models and types. Or maybe I just dreamed that?

 

[Stuart in MN]

Isn't there a spread sheet on this thread somewhere that shows the different models and types. Or maybe I just dreamed that?

Yes, there is - the link is in this post: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2972142&postcount=105

 

[McBrownie]

Looks like a nice haul. Even received the Lee Valley catalog in print. Say good bye to your wallet

LV free shipping just ended yesterday. I’m sure they’ll have another free shipping event prior to the holidays.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

This nice lil' guy is on ebay right now for $12.00:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hobby-Vice...078865?hash=item4445198e51:g:fmMAAOSw36tdaHHc

There's also another brand new one for $37.00

If I didn' t already have the 79-021 Drop Leaf I'd grab it.

Tommy

 

[Legion Prime]

While I finished the jaws a couple days ago I only got over to my friend's to install them today. I found some stain in the basement so I figured what the heck. Block sanded with 180 and then wiped it on with a rag and it really does look nice. She is thrilled with the new jaws and I showed her how the dogs work.

 

[y'sguy]

While I finished the jaws a couple days ago I only got over to my friend's to install them today. I found some stain in the basement so I figured what the heck. Block sanded with 180 and then wiped it on with a rag and it really does look nice. She is thrilled with the new jaws and I showed her how the dogs work.

Kewl! another back in service

 

[Outlawmws]

What a difference! Well done!

 

[Outlawmws]

This nice lil' guy is on ebay right now for $12.00:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hobby-Vice...078865?hash=item4445198e51:g:fmMAAOSw36tdaHHc

There's also another brand new one for $37.00

If I didn' t already have the 79-021 Drop Leaf I'd grab it.

Tommy

I have two of the hobby models, both missing the clamps for clamping it to the bench (but those are an easy thing to make...)

 

[Stuart in MN]

This nice lil' guy is on ebay right now for $12.00:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hobby-Vice...078865?hash=item4445198e51:g:fmMAAOSw36tdaHHc

Plus $11.60 shipping. Still, probably not a bad price for what looks like an unused one.

 

[wolfcj]

Yes, there is - the link is in this post: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2972142&postcount=105

The spreadsheet is a good start, but it does have errors and omissions, because they were only working from a limited sample of Workmates. Probably the biggest error was on the 79-001 Type 3, where they admitted they were guessing and got it very wrong. Black & Decker also sometimes made small changes in parts without changing the type number, so there are quite a few Workmates out there that do not match exactly the ones they documented even though they are the same type number. That's what caused them to misidentify the type 3.

 

[Bodj Built]

After cruising this thread a few times in the past, I finally bought one. Randomly stopped by a garage sale in my neighborhood and picked it up for $10. In the 3 weeks I've had it, I've already put it through the ringer by using it as a mobile fab station to modify aluminum boat railing (clamped my tube notcher to it, clamped lengths of tube in it to cut/weld...). I have earned that $10 back one hundred times in that one job. Way stoked with it.

 

[bargainhuntingking]

I agree Bodj, I picked one up a couple of months ago and love it. I put on new jaws and replaced some broken parts. With the legs folded up, it’s a great workbench for my 5 year old’s projects.

 

[MrDayne]

Here are my latest finds, a type 2 aluminum/steel frame and a 300 both with solid plywood jaws. Very happy with them so far. Estate sale and fb marketplace. Sold the little benchtop one, have no use for it....but took the black dogs for the type 2 because they were missing. The buyer was an old guy that had an original workmate and he was happy to have it for $10, plus he had spare dogs for it.

 

[Bodj Built]

I agree Bodj, I picked one up a couple of months ago and love it. I put on new jaws and replaced some broken parts. With the legs folded up, it’s a great workbench for my 5 year old’s projects.

I had folded my legs up as well. Brought it to a comfortable height to TIG weld while sitting on a small roller seat.

 

[The_Geologist]

The 79-020 should also have four rubber feet for the bottom corners and two threaded bent-arm clamps for securing the Workmate to a bench or work surface. But you did get the swivel pegs and the metal jaw protectors that are often missing and usually more useful.

I can't quite read the label in the photos. Is it a Type 1, or something else?

Thanks for the info. I kind of figured it had to have something to hold it down onto a benchtop. I went out and looked at it, and the label says it is a Type 2.

Now THAT would be useful. Put it on a bench and have it at a height that's actually useful!

It actually came in handy the first day I got it, oddly enough. Didn't have to pull one of my full-sized Workmates off the wall that way.

These are the hold-down clamps for it:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Decker-benchtop-workmate-accessories-parts-mounting-clamps/233323618727?hash=item36532be1a7:g:858AAOSwJqBdL2bX

Thank you!

 

[IMCA38]

I was hauling trash and tree limbs to the local dump yesterday. Someone was tossing this, so the attendant decided to set it aside to be adopted by another customer. I spotted the aluminum frame and decided it should come home and join my collection! It appears that the prior owner must have done a lot of router work. No biggie, a new top is fairly easy to make.
It is a model 79-004 Type 1. As noted previously, it does have a small power strip mounted on the leg. All four of the flip down lags have screw adjustable feet, and they are all still there and working.

 

[rick carpenter]

I picked this model 300 up last weekend for $25. I'm not sure of it's age but the previous owner took very good care of it. The handles and release buttons are black, not orange like I've seen on other 300s. All joints are tight and the top is in good shape with only minor dings. The mid-level feet are worn down some so I may need to check the availability of replacements.

 

[Bodj Built]

Set up my mobile fabrication station again on saturday. I have my tube notcher clamped to the top, and use the clamps to hold pieces of tube while they're being cut.
https://scontent-lax3-1.**.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/70920326_10157096684546501_3289899589586386944_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_oc=AQk9sgDDR2ZJhcw64QkaFadONXzjUFXiIDzwUatDW5qo3NTA4nYRoqtGKleILInRlqk&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.**&oh=2b02f74f0e06c5c9cdac57333ad9b0fa&oe=5DFE7DFF

https://scontent-lax3-1.**.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/70685902_10157096684591501_2471314694535643136_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_oc=AQkkiFWFgjixpxSGfCUEq7WgYuEiLh7blog3pWBPEwEdnC7ZCcjf9Wgs5YZpueZmDUM&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.**&oh=d0ea1e6a5d7fac7be4886725fdbb0d09&oe=5DF06ACF

 

[rick carpenter]

I'm going through this thread and enjoying the attention to details! The feet on my model 300 are non-adjustable. I'm considering replacing my worn mid-level feet with adjustable feet, and the legs with the ones with lower-level adjustable feet and relief holes for the mid-level adjustable feet. I can buy replacement non-adjustable mid-level feet, and I just may do that though since I don't anticipate much use at the lower height. Anyone have advice?

My second thought is about replacement tops. Mine don't really need to be replaced but since I want thicker jaw faces I'll go ahead and replace them. I'd use doubled baltic birch ply plus two more strips for thicker jaw faces and then glue on solid jaw faces. Should the faces be soft wood like pine/poplar or hard wood like oak? And what practical uses has anyone found for the v-grooves?

 

[wolfcj]

Have the non-adjustable feet been a problem? Which other model has replacement legs that will both fit the 300 and include the adjustable feet and the necessary holes?

As for the jaws, it's up to you. I would say that the stock jaws, whether the plywood or the particle board, are probably somewhat closer to the hardness of a hardwood rather than a softwood.

 

[Legion Prime]

My second thought is about replacement tops. Mine don't really need to be replaced but since I want thicker jaw faces I'll go ahead and replace them. I'd use doubled baltic birch ply plus two more strips for thicker jaw faces and then glue on solid jaw faces. Should the faces be soft wood like pine/poplar or hard wood like oak? And what practical uses has anyone found for the v-grooves?

Having just made some replacement jaws for a 300 I'm just going to tell you to take one of the jaws off and take a look at it for a bit. Take some measurements and see how everything goes together. Making them thicker is going to require either piecing bits together on the bottom or just plain not doing the whole width of the jaws due to the plastic mounting blocks. The other option is adding a layer on top, just make sure you have your mounting holes accounted for as they bolt on from the top and I don't think the dynamic jaw can be tightened down all the way without immobilizing it. You might even want to get longer bolts depending on what you decide on.
In order to hold everything together, in between the holes for the mounting blocks, I put in wood screws just to have something mechanical holding the two 1/2" layers I glued together. Putting them there means you aren't likely to ever see them. As for the V groove? Holding round stock, pipes, dowels, anything round/hexaganol for cutting/threading etc. Probably not something everyone is likely to use every day but damn handy when you do.

 

[Outlawmws]

Rick, I don't remember if the 300 has space for the double thick jaws without additional spacing, but you might/could simply add the extra to the existing jaws...

 

[rick carpenter]

Wolfcj - The mid-level feet aren't presenting a big problem, but they are worn to the point that when I use them they put a little tension on the folded-up legs.

Legion Prime and Outlawmws - A quick look without disassembling indicates room to have two layers of 1/2" ply for the jaws. But if I'm not able to use 2 x 1/2" then I'll stick with what I have. Only 2 x 3/4" jaw faces aren't worth the effort over stock and I don't think 3 x 3/4" will fit, so then I'll have to go to Plan B for more jaw surface.