Black & Decker Workmate

[wolfcj]

Very Cool

So do you have a favorite family member?

I suppose the Type E is my favorite; it has been a permanent fixture in my shop since I bought it four or five years ago.

However I've been thinking about a different but related question—which of these am I going to keep? I don't have room for all of them. I knew that in January when I started trying to acquire a full set, but I felt that I couldn't create the website that I wanted to create without them. I expect to sell off most of them starting next summer, or so. (And I actually have another one and a half Workmates not in the photos.)

I had four Workmates in January, and that's about where I will cut back to. I'm not quite sure which ones it will be.

 

[Bugeyed Earl]

I'm not a metallurgist but I would strongly suggest not using heat to work on spring steel. That is unless you can re-heat treat it back to original. I've not bent one of these particular springs but I have bent flat springs and they need to go seriously past where you want them to end up. But there is always the possibility that they will break since spring steel is hard. They will invariably break at the screw hole, or in this case the rivet hole.

I think the needle nose pliers are your best bet, just need more 'bending' to get them back to where they work. Use a crescent (adjustable spanner) wrench to help twist the pliers if necessary. Try to get it done quickly (in one fast bend) because hard steel only gets harder the more times it's bent. By one fast bend I mean just bend it once. Not a snapping type bend. Just bend it and watch how it's working closely, you might need to re-adjust where you have grabbed it with the pliers to get the best radius.

Another edit- It looks like this one needs to be lifted with the radius almost a smooth arc? I'd suggest not lifting any while bending it. Use the frame to hold the bottom of the spring steady and push down slightly while bending the kinked portion up. An alternative bending method would be to use as big of a crecsent wrench as will fit on the spring clamping the spring slightly between the jaws from the end or the spring and slipped on to the kinked area and then twist out and down. You might need to use both ways to get it right. The crecsent wrench will afford a lot of leverage.

Thanks for the advice. I think I might be more successful if I remove the rivets and work on it in the vice. It would be great if I could get the legs to fold in completely.

 

[Bugeyed Earl]

I've seen these fail in three different ways. Does one of these describe how yours behaves?
1) The end of the clip doesn't align with the slot in the leg, so the end of the clip hits the leg as soon as you start to close it.
2) The clip goes into the slot okay, but then the leg gets hung up when it tries to slide over the curve in the clip.
3) The legs slides over the clip properly, but then the end of the clip jams against the inside of the leg.
I hope those are clear enough; it's tricky to describe them.

It's the first scenario, the clip didn't align with the slot, but somebody tried to muscle it in anyway and bent two of the clips. I have two functional clips on this bench for comparison, so maybe I can salvage the other two with a little patience and luck.

 

[Outlawmws]

One key for those leg clips (Both spring steel and plastic) is lubrication. I use Door-Eze, which is very close to beeswax. The dry rubbing makes the springs catch and bend; they need to slide.

 

[DaveT]

I suppose the Type E is my favorite; it has been a permanent fixture in my shop since I bought it four or five years ago.

However I've been thinking about a different but related question—which of these am I going to keep? I don't have room for all of them. I knew that in January when I started trying to acquire a full set, but I felt that I couldn't create the website that I wanted to create without them. I expect to sell off most of them starting next summer, or so. (And I actually have another one and a half Workmates not in the photos.)

I had four Workmates in January, and that's about where I will cut back to. I'm not quite sure which ones it will be.

Yes I’m sure it will be a hard decision deciding which ones to keep. I currently have 3. One Type E, and two 79-004’s. It has been really nice having the two 79-004’s being identical which makes it great for holding long items at the same height.
Like this, and that bench that they are holding along with clamps is probably 300lbs. It was the perfect solution for clamping this up vertical.

 

[Outlawmws]

I thinned out couple of years ago (once I had 2 aluminum frame WM's) and sold 3 200's and a 400; one 200 and the 400 had been mine since new.

I still have five floor standers, and three of those are aluminum, including one original type E

 

[yeldogt]

Have two type 1's --- it's still the best design. Always wanted to find an all aluminum Type 1. The E --Don't think as good.

Bought and given away the later models ...most are junk up against the early models.

I mentioned this earlier. The year when they took off -- 74 or 75 .... there was an article in the NYT (late spring/ early summer) Family had a residence in midtown and my dad tried to buy one (I can't remember the now long gone well known store in Midtown) sold out due to the article. He went on the waiting list. My mother thought it would be a good idea to get my dad one for his birthday as my dad never mentioned anything he wanted. We lived in PA as well and we went to Two Guys (local big box store at the time). Sold out .... The workmate was such a "thing" that year that they had a drawing for the next 10 is my memory -- that came in. Think it was $25 per ticket for some charity. Anyway -- my mother bought a ticket and we went on the list as well. It was months later when they got them in and we had one of the 10 ...... plus .. another time passed before we got the one from the list. My mother gave it to my older brother (pissed me off) Interesting -- The first one came in a box showing the all Al frame --- and was actually the gray painted steel. The one we got some weeks later was the same model ...but the box now had the correct picture.

The all AL must have been short lived ...

 

[wolfcj]

It has been really nice having the two 79-004’s being identical which makes it great for holding long items at the same height.

Yes, I will definitely keep two that are the same height. As of a year ago, that was my Type 4 with steel H-frame, owned since new, and a near-mint Type 2. However, I now have a second Type 2 and another Type 4 with aluminum H-frame that are also that same height.

The two Type 4's make a great pair historically because they were made four months apart and are identical in all components except for the H-frame. The all-steel one is a sentimental favorite because it's my original, and it was a gift from my girlfriend (still together). However, the one with the aluminum H-frame is from the last month or so of production of 79-001's with that iconic feature. In fact, it's currently the final aluminum 79-001 by date that I have documented. I expect to eventually find some that displace it from that position, but it's a fun distinction to have right now.

The two Type 2's are also a nice pair because they demonstrate early and middle production for that Type, differing in four components. The mint-condition one has the current distinction of being the first one among my 160-or-so documented production codes to have the 3-rib step. The other Type 2 is also in very good condition, and has some of the unusual early features that differentiate it from all the others, such as the 4-corner hole pattern and the cone-shaped feet. (As you can see, I'm thinking like a documentarian now.)

Functionally these four are pretty close, including being the same height. The all-plastic vise arms are potentially a weak point for the Type 4's, but I've owned my original for 42 years without breaking a handle or arm, so it doesn't worry me too much. The Type 4's have the additional 1.5" of jaw opening compared to the Type 2's, but I don't really know how often, if ever, I've used that ability over the decades of ownership.

The Type 4's are slightly less adjustable at their full height, due to three slip-on feet on the legs, vs. four screw-in feet for the Type 2's. That could make it harder to get the Type 4's to match each other (or to match one of the Type 2's) exactly on an uneven surface. I wonder if I'll ever need that amount of precision in leveling however.

The weights of the four differ pretty significantly. The heaviest is the early Type 2 and the lightest is the early Type 4, differing by over four pounds. The extra weight of the heavy one is quite noticeable, and I don't like carrying it up and down the basement stairs, for example.

And then there's the Type E and the Irish-made blue Type 3 that would also be hard to give up. I don't really want to keep all six of these, but choosing is hard.

 

[RTM]

When bending the leg spring clips, I have had luck with two. To prevent damage to the mount, I tried to clamp the rivet down, forget what worked, but a bit of a kludge.

I used a crescent wrench to grip and bend, had to over travel about 50% to get it to spring back to where I wanted.

Lubrication was key to function, when I got it back, some bike chain Teflon lube made it work best.

Third one still needs work.

Does anyone know the science of making a crapload of these things? Seems that between the hundreds of Workmates that have been posted, we could find 3-5 that have un mangled clips, get the correct profile and dimensions, and figure out some way to bang them out. Maybe a contract shop?

 

[wolfcj]

Have two type 1's --- it's still the best design. Always wanted to find an all aluminum Type 1. The E --Don't think as good.

Based on your messages from a few years ago, you have early examples of the 79-001 Type 2. They would be extremely helpful to my Workmate documentation project, if you could tell me what the production code numbers for them are.

The production code is a 5-digit number stamped in ink on the bottom side of the wooden jaws. It would be something like "535 42". It would be like this photo, but probably more faded. I'd also like to know if yours has the "TYPE 2" stamp. Can you find those and let me know what they are? Thanks!

 

[wolfcj]

It's the first scenario, the clip didn't align with the slot, but somebody tried to muscle it in anyway and bent two of the clips. I have two functional clips on this bench for comparison, so maybe I can salvage the other two with a little patience and luck.

That should be the easiest of the clip problems to fix, at least initially. Try the crescent wrench method in RTM's message.

However, you may find that once the clip matches up to the slot, it then gets hung up one of the other two ways I mentioned. There isn't much leeway in the design for a clip that isn't nearly perfect in shape.

 

[yeldogt]

Just took a look ...

This is the bottom of the Two Guys contest workmate. The date of 11-9 if it is 9-11 could very well be correct. I can't make out the next -- it could be a 3 or 9 then a zero. If a 3 and it's the 39th week of the year ... think that's too early.

My memory is we picked it up later in the month of September. The 10 from the contest was coming out of the first shipment they got .. Two Guys was Varnado Corp and quite big in the Mid-Atlantic. Varnado is still around and became a RE company when they understood that the ground the stores were on could make more money not being Two Guys

I'm seeing maybe something above and to the left of the numbers -- but it's way too blurry.

This was used often and it got wet many times -- we had it at the beach. Frame still in good shape --- needs a new top. 9 holes .... wider foot rest ... all the little parts are metal including the handle center mounting.

It also had the larger rubber pads with screw adjustments -- all gone now and the best I coudl find were the hard plastic. Wish I could get good replacements

 

[wolfcj]

Well, that code has me stumped; I can't make any sense of it. From your description (gray paint, larger foot pads) your Workmate is from no earlier than October 1975, so the code should be like "546 **" where the 5 is for 1975 and the 46th week is mid-November. I have codes for Type 2's starting in June 1975, including six of them grouped late in the year, and they all follow that pattern.

Is there also a "TYPE 2" stamped under there? Any chance there's a second 5-digit number in a different spot?

You said you have two of these Workmates. Have you checked for a code on the other one?

As for the rubber feet, another owner found a great replacement that is a near-perfect match:
https://www.classicindustries.com/product/340999.html

 

[wolfcj]

I mentioned this earlier. The year when they took off -- 74 or 75 .... there was an article in the NYT (late spring/ early summer)

I have a flashback for you—the article from the New York Times is on my Documents page. The article is from January 26, 1975, but it seems likely that it's the one you remember. They show the Type 1, mostly steel version.

On that page, scroll to the last section, with the heading "Articles". It's the first one under that heading. (The PDF exceeds the file size limit for attaching here.)

 

[yeldogt]

That's interesting --- that's it's got the metal legs in the NYT article ? .... but, the timeline is correct.

My father was in NYC during the week and we would see him on the weekends in PA .... This was before I could drive ... remember seeing them in the store all AL. Not the real early one with the funny legs. Also -- they had a display with one "locked down" so no one could take or buy it. I was really disappointed when the box was opened and it had the steel legs. Thinking now, they must have put out an early one and just kept it there.

My dad must have not gone right over to the store in NYC when the article hit. You say October for mine ... that's very close ...my memory was later September .... but -- really I could be a couple weeks off. It's strange that I remember so much of it ... but, they were really popular. And -- my dad and I always had projects and we used it together all the time.

Also -- since this was one from the contest ... it was from the first batch they got. B&D was sold out ... it took a couple months for them to come back into stock.

 

[wolfcj]

yeldogt,

Here's a quick summary of the earliest Workmates in the U.S., with dates, up through your Type 2. See the three attached photos of the Type E, Type 1, and Type 2.

The Type E was first, from early 1974 up through fall 1974. I think that's what you refer to as "the funny legs". It was made in England and is the only all-aluminum one that was sold in the U.S.

The Type 1 was second, produced in Ontario, Canada from fall 1974 through spring 1975. It was a complete redesign, sharing no parts with the Type E. It is all steel except for the aluminum H-frame. The steel parts are not painted, but rather have a shiny plating, probably cadmium given the time period. The New York Times reviewed the Workmate in the middle of this period, and their photo is of the Type 1.

The Type 2 was third, also made in Ontario, from spring 1975 to June 1977. It has the same basic construction as the Type 1, all steel except for the H-frame. It was the first Workmate to have painted parts, starting with the feet and lower frame. That's the one you have.

 

[yeldogt]

Wolfcj: I'm thinking my early teenage eyes and brain did not understand that the type 1 on display was not all AL -- that it was fancy plated steel. When new the legs looked AL

My guess: to speed production and get them back in stock the plating was eliminated and replaced with paint .... the cost cutting begins.

 

[wolfcj]

yeldogt,
Getting back to your "contest" Workmate with the unreadable code, did you see my two questions about it:
Does it possibly have a second similar code in a different spot under the jaws?
Does it have another stamp under there that says just "TYPE 2"?
Thanks.

 

[yeldogt]

yeldogt,
Getting back to your "contest" Workmate with the unreadable code, did you see my two questions about it:
Does it possibly have a second similar code in a different spot under the jaws?
Does it have another stamp under there that says just "TYPE 2"?
Thanks.

As I said above .... there may have been something above and to the left of the numbers .... but -- it's very hard to tell. Nothing as big as "type 2"

No other marking that I can tell. The top is in poor shape from getting wet.

B&D clearly did not expect such a sales success --- it would be interesting to know how many of the plated ones they made. Knowing something about manufacturing -- my guess they had to halt production in order to switch to paint knowing they could produce more after. It's rare to have twin lines for something like this.

Too bad you never ran into anybody that worked for them .... most in management would be dead at this point

 

[wolfcj]

Thanks. You said you have two of these. Does the other one have any markings like these?

 

[yeldogt]

Thanks. You said you have two of these. Does the other one have any markings like these?

Will have to look .... it's at other property. It's a couple months later ...

 

[hopup]

Hi All,
Just bought my first Workmate Type-2. Thanks to UPS they managed to break one of the nice aluminum hand cranks in shipment. Any chance I might be ablle to find a replacement somewhere? Or will I need to build a new one;-(
Hopup

 

[Tostal]

In a house clearance a while back, I got a Black & Decker Workmate 536, Dual Height, made in England.

It's in it's original, never opened cardboard carton. Someone at the house reckoned the original purchaser had bought it at least 15 years ago.
The barcode label says:-

WM536, then 03 50 and S067. It's all black, including the legs with the usual wood jaws and red handle knobs.

So, should I sell it as is (un-opened) or just open and use it? Some say older items in original un-opened packaging are worth more...

Tostal.

 

[wolfcj]

In the U.S. a 15-year-old Workmate would not be considered an "older item" by most buyers. You'd probably have to go back to the original 79-001 models from 1974-1982 to see that sort of perceived status. So a 15-year-old one would not gain much measurable value by being unused in original packaging. Just my opinion.

 

[59apachegail]

Saved another type2 $30 at an estate sale.
No rust, paint and top are pretty good shape. I couldn’t pass it up.

 

[wolfcj]

Hi All,
Just bought my first Workmate Type-2. Thanks to UPS they managed to break one of the nice aluminum hand cranks in shipment. Any chance I might be ablle to find a replacement somewhere? Or will I need to build a new one;-(
Hopup

You probably know that replacement parts are not available any more from the manufacturer. No third party is making them either. Occasionally there will be used parts available on eBay. Or you could watch for a badly abused Type 1 or Type 2 at a low price that has handles that are still usable. Or, if the broken pieces still fit back together properly, have them welded? (probably not likely)

 

[wolfcj]

Saved another type2 $30 at an estate sale.
No rust, paint and top are pretty good shape. I couldn’t pass it up.

That sounds like a great buy!

Could you provide a few more photos of it opened up? I would especially like to see one from the side showing the upper frame pieces and the vise mechanism.

I'm pleased to be able to read the production code in one of the photos. It was made April 20, 1977, within the last couple of months for the Type 2. As such it's nearly identical to the the first Type 4's, with only two differences in components.

I'm also intrigued by the "TYPE?2", stamp; I don't think I've ever seen one like that. Ones from this period normally have a hyphen, i.e. TYPE-2. What is that character between the E and the 2?

 

[59apachegail]

Thanks WolfCJ,

It looks like a typical type 2 only the aluminum knob attachment are plastic. There is a “-“ between E and 2 looks like a messy stamp.
It has 8 adjustable feet and the aluminum pass through for the threaded spindles.
The previous owner hit the table top on one side and one of the knobs with a saw otherwise it is mint. There were 3 others at this sale. Two were the smaller type and one was the larger. Mine was the only aluminum one. None of them had dogs.

***Edit

Question how did you date the table top?
717 33 is there a code sheet?

 

[59apachegail]

I pulled out a type 4 and another type 2

The recent buy type 2 has steel spindles as compared to my other type 2. It also has plastic washers where the aluminum meets the steel (just like my type 4)

 

[Tostal]

Re:- Spare parts for B&D Workmates?

I found this U.K. Co. which seems to stock spare parts for many of the Workmate models, they also usefully show parts diagrams with part #'s on their webpage:-
(just type Workmate in the search box)

www.toolsandpartsdirect.co.uk/spare...ts/diy-tool-spare-parts/workmates-spare-parts

Hth,

Tostal

 

[wolfcj]

Thanks WolfCJ,

It looks like a typical type 2 only the aluminum knob attachment are plastic.
...
***Edit

Question how did you date the table top?
717 33 is there a code sheet?

Thanks, those photos showed the rest of what I wanted to see.

You can read about the codes on this page at my website:
https://h-frame.weebly.com/blog/a-breakthrough-on-production-dates

It's pretty lengthy, but the explanation of the code isn't far from the top, under the heading "Decoding the Date".

Could I then ask you the favor of getting the codes from your other two Workmates? I have about 170 of them now, but still need to fill some gaps.

 

[wolfcj]

I pulled out a type 4 and another type 2

The recent buy type 2 has steel spindles as compared to my other type 2. It also has plastic washers where the aluminum meets the steel (just like my type 4)

When you say "steel spindles" are you talking about the threaded rods that drive the vise mechanism? I haven't seen any of those that were not steel. Earlier ones were shinier, because of galvanizing or other plating, but they were still steel.

If you look at my page about the Type 2, you can see when each of the parts changes occurred, so, for example, the H-frame bushings you mention changed to white plastic in February 1977.

 

[Bugeyed Earl]

I took advantage of an unexpected gap in the honey-do list to fix the deformed spring steel leg clips on my Workmate. I tried using two sets of lineman pliers, but wasn't getting a smooth curve that way. I drilled the rivets and using a section of round bar stock as a mandrel, I hammered them back into shape. I realized that I probably could have done this without removing the rivets.

This is how two of them started out:

Here's one mangled spring and a reshaped example:

I cleaned up all the springs with steel wool and applied a coat of paste wax, and the legs open and latch more smoothly than ever. This is the first time the legs folded completely since I bought this thing a decade ago:

 

[wolfcj]

That is outstanding to know! Just to clarify, the problem with yours involved the clips that hold the legs folded, right, so you didn't have to do any fixing on the clips that hold the legs open? What was the diameter of the bar you used?

 

[PeteH]

Just wanted to thank the fine, knowledgeable folks in GJ. Ive read to page 84 or so on this thread, and soent hours reading the vintage tool and vice threads.
I have a WM new in 1991, that is well used with overspray on it, but sound condition otherwise. There is one broken plastic leg locking piece, that I just found a pack of four on ebay and ordered, thanks to a post awhile back.
Frame is black painted steel stampings, orange plastic cranks. No identification marks or numbers visible anywhere. Probably on the wood faces that are sprayed over. Have used it to hold marine lower stern drive unit, and had it set up for years with a plywood top to do leatherwork.
Thanks again for the incredible information!
Pete H

 

[59apachegail]

Thanks WolfCJ!

My old type2 had its top replaced so no dice on the number. I did the magnet test and the threaded rod are steel. This one has larger step with the 4 lines, one scratch guard left, it has the cylindrical bottom feet, handles have the aluminum inside and only the bottom is painted.

My Type4 is 735 22

Please let me know if you need any more pictures or info. For the sake of the forum I only posted small pictures but I can pm you large ones if needed.

You have a very cool site! Lots of great info.

I know of two other Aluminum work mates I can post info on those too.

 

[wolfcj]

Speaking of the threaded rod, I think I can see in the photos that your more recent Type 2 illustrates a quirk of the late-production Type 2's.

A new feature introduced on the Type 4 was an increase in the maximum jaw opening from 4" to 5-1/2". They did this by lengthening both the threaded rod and the guide slot in the upper frame pieces.

However, the factory must have used up their supply of the old shorter threaded rods early, and started installing the new longer rods on the Type 2. This was done from about April to June 1977. However, those Type 2's were still fitted with the upper frame pieces with the short slot, so the jaws were still limited to a 4" opening! (It's possible that they eventually started using the new uppers on the very last Type 2's, but I haven't seen one.)

 

[wolfcj]

I know of two other Aluminum work mates I can post info on those too.

Yes, that would be great.

I'm surprised that you say the top has been replaced on the Type 2 in those two photos. In the photos, it looks just like a factory top.

 

[59apachegail]

The guy must have been very good. No stampings, there is a pencil line to mark the lower part of the vise, and the screws. Or maybe this is something factory?

 

[wolfcj]

It looks factory to me. Screws or nails in those spots are pretty common. I'm not sure about a pencil line.