B&D Workmate

[Jim Fancher]

Does anyone own one of these and if you do, do you actually use it?

[Dave Brandt]

I've got an old one I use all of the time. I usually keep mine "up" in my storage area, so a lot of the time it gets used as a shelf when I pulling stuff out to set up for a job. Of course when the weather permits, it goes outside for rough cutting, painting, etc. I even have a set of rollers that I clamp in its jaws for an outfeed table.

[Frank Pellow]

Does anyone own one of these and if you do, do you actually use it?
I own 3 and I use all of them. I purchased my first one about 25 years ago and that one is quite beat up and almost ready for retirement. I find them very convenient for offsite work. I confess that the leg collapse mechanism does, from time to time, give me problems but after some tweaking it always works.

[JayStPeter]

I have one. It sees much use when I'm doing something that requires a portable setup. It came in handy finishing my basement for example.
At one point, it was my router table. I had built a top that clamped in and let my router hang between the slats.
Right now, it acts as my planer stand.

Jay

[Bill Grumbine]

Hi Jim

I am on my second Workmate, on account of my first one wore out! Shortly after SWMBO and I were married in 1984, we bought our first house. That year my parents gave me a Workmate for Christmas. The house was a fixer upper, and the Workmate saw heavy usage in just about any way you can imagine - in the shop, every room in the house, in the backyard, front porch, going places in the back of my truck, etc. It even did double duty for about four months when we rehabbed the kitchen while I was in grad school. During the week we used it as a food prep counter, and on the weekends it was a worktable again!

In 1998, the thing got to the point where it would not stand up any more. The spring clips that held it up were so fatigued that it was not safe to use. I gave it to a friend of mine who is a welder, and he welded it up to stand permanently, and to the best of my knowledge is still using it today. I bought my second one at the same time, and it still gets very good use. We are in another fixer upper, and while it does not travel like it used to, it is still a great portable bench for all sorts of stuff.

I will say that this current one is not as heavily built as my first one (what a surprise!) and it will probably not last as long, but I would buy it again.

Bill

[John Pollman]

Heck yes !

Those things are the best thing since sliced bread. :) I've had one for years and use it all the time. I'm a builder but for the most part I do decks, flooring, remodeling, and general repairs. It's almost invaluable to me. It's a small lightweight and easy to set up piece of equipment that I couldn't do without. I especially like it when I'm doing work on doors. It's great to set it up in the "short position" and clamp the door in it on edge. I can then plane easily without the door wobbling around. Also when I'm routing out for hinges or machining a new door for the lock installation. I don't know what I would do without mine.

Is that a glowing enough endosement of the product ? ;) :)

[Frank Pellow]

Hi Jim
I will say that this current one is not as heavily built as my first one (what a surprise!) and it will probably not last as long, but I would buy it again.
Bill
I agree that they are no longer built as well as they used to be. My 25 year old one is built better than my 15 year old one and that, in turn, is built better than my 5 year old one.

[Jim Fancher]

Ok, I'm sold. Now which one do I get? :D

[Bob Winkler]

You bet I use it. I have one of the older cast aluminum base models that I've had since 1979, I think. First used it in my apartment after college to build wooden toys for my first child who was "on the way". Used it in my first house as a workbench. Now I keep it in my garage as occasional stand for my CMS or as a mobile bench to work on off-site projects (like that kid's house who was "on the way in 1979).


Boy, I just felt really old...

Bob

[Doug Shepard]

I've got 2 (one store bought & one garage sale bought) and use them both quite often.

[Jim Becker]

I've had one for at least a dozen years...I don't even remember when I bought it. I only use it occasionally, but it is handy sometimes. It's also portable, so it really is great for home improvement work or for doing something out in the driveway; woodworking or not.

[Charles Hans]

I also have the old cast aluminum base model and I love it and could not be without it, I use it all the time it's portable and strong It was a gift from my dad, so it also has special meaning to me. Charles Hans

[Jim Fancher]

Now I'm confused. What's the difference between the 225 sold on Amazon for $106 and the one Sears sells for $49.95?

The 425 project center looks nice, but I think it might be bloated. I like the portability of the 225.

[Ted Shrader]

Jim -

Absolutely. Use it quite frequently. Good as a portable workbench to take to the "job site" - read somewhere else in the house. Good as a tool bench to hold mechanics tools close to the vehicle. Clamp to hold large items vertical. Even as a step stool now and then - probably shouldn't, but I do.

Ted

[Mark Patoka]

I've had the 425 model almost 10 years and there's rarely a time it's not used. Most of the time I just use it as a work surface since it sits next to my TS in my garage shop. Otherwise it's the perfect size and height to clamp on my benchtop router table, planer or spindle sander until I make some roll-around stands for them.

When it comes time to replace it, I will most likely get one with the larger work surface since that's what I primarily use it for.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I have one that has seen it's better days, but it is still hard at work! Mine is my planner stand right now!

[Andy London]

I have two of them although they are pretty old, I think the first one was from a yard sale.....I use them all the time for something in the shop and find they pretty handy.

[Dave Carey]

Only Christmas present my mother-in-law ever gave me that I use! A 4x6 piece of plywood with a 2x4 cleat on the bottom to clmp in the jaws makes a great work surface for wall papering and a place to collect odds and ends in the shop till I'm motivated to actually put things away.

[Kurt Aebi]

I have 3 of them and would be lost without them!

(2) are the collapsable kind and the other is a benchtop style with a tool box under the clamping top.

I recommend it to everyone!

[Keith Christopher]

I used it when my temp table is being used and I need temp space or to support a long piece. Funny thing I at one time cranked it all the way open, mounted my router under a piece of plywood and used it for my router table for quite some time. it worked well, I truly only upgraded my routertable as my home made fence can't move accurately in 64ths



Keith

[Bill Marcheck]

I have a Wolfcraft model 6136 that I like better then the workmate. The Wolfcraft's table height is adjustable. I use this height adjustment all the time. The height adjustment also allows it to be used as an outfeed table. It also folds up nice and flat.

[Ellen Benkin]

I have one of the original Workmates. One of the BEST Christmas presents I ever got. It's been banged on, sawed into, and generally beaten a lot and it is still one of the most useful "tools" in my garage. I've looked at the newer ones and wondered why they had to become so big and complicated because I can't imagine any "improvements" that I would make to old faithful. It opens with some struggling and needs lubricating every once in a while, but generally provides a very stable, portable, horizontal space on which to work -- the clamping feature is just a bonus!

[Michael Stafford]

Yep, got one I was given as a gift by my father in 1976. Use it all the time. Treasure it also...

[Jim Dunn]

Have one and use it all the time!

[James Carmichael]

I use one on load from my dad, very nice, especially when you need to work outside. Harbor Freight (I can hear the groans) sells a knock-off that is almost permanently on sale for around $15. The consensus I've seen on another WW board is that it's an excellent value.

[John Pollman]

As other have said, the main thingI like about it is the portability issue. It's a very sturdy and safe work area. Beause I do a lot of "handyman" type work, it's great to be able to take it along to a customers house and setup out in the garage or outside if I need to cut something. I don't like making a mess inside the customers house if I don't have to. Saves me a lot of cleanup time. :)

[Bob Aquino]

Mine is old and ugly, really need to give it some tlc. Right now is holding a planer, but has been my portable miter saw stand for many moons. Wish I had invented the damn thing, I would have retired along time ago...

[Steve Ash]

Yep, I've had one for over 10 years. I put a different top on it than came stock and I use it for my miter saw when I am trimming out houses that I build. I adapted a shelf off to the side out of the way for glue, hand plane, extra pencils, and compass. Also a lower shelf for my palm sander, belt sander,coping saw, and any other things neccesary at the time. It really is a valuable tool for me.

[Fred Chan]

I've got one. They're great. I liked the older aluminum one better than my current steel one though.

[Chuck Connell]

I agree with Mark, I have had mine since God was a little boy, and have used it for all that Mark has suggested in addition to repairing, tricycles, bicycles, motorcycles, cars and anything else that I needed held still while both my hands are free. And the nice thing is it never gets bored helping me hold things LOL

[Bruce Delaney]

I bought a refurbished one at a B&D outlet for $35, couldn't tell the difference from a brand new one. I use it mostly for rough work out on the driveway (cutting panels, 4x4s) and does a good job, especially for the price.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have three of the Workmates. I have one about 25 yrs old of which I took and old table and made a solid top for it that I clamp my compound Mitre, my router, my bandsaw, and my scroll saw. I use the other ones one is 15 yrs and my newest addition is about a year old. I like the Workmate better than the one Sears has but that is just my opinion.

Bernie