Thread: Which B&D Workmate is this?

https://www.ereplacementparts.com/bl...4167_4340.html

Parts supplier seems to have a list of variants...

I found a similar kind of spare parts website for Workmates at
https://www.toolsandpartsdirect.co.u...es-spare-parts

This website has pictures on the main page of all the different Workmates.
Apart from some high-end models, they kind of all look the same to me. Differences must be there, but I'm not attuned to them.

Hi Gunnaduit

"The Workbench Book" by Scott Landis has a chapter on the history of the Workmate. NLA should have a copy!

The Workmates are incredibly useful, but in my view, a pair of them is three times more useful than just one.


Cheers

Graeme

I found a copy of Scott Landis's "Workbench Book" a few years ago at the Lifeline Bookfair. Had forgotten it had a chapter on the Workmate -- I hadn't imagined I might end up with one.

Anyhow, I seem to have either a WM535, 536 or 626. These are apparently similar enough that they all share the same assembly manual
http://service.dewalt.co.uk//PDMSDoc...626_t11_xj.pdf

Having found that out, now I've discovered that the WM536 is currently widely sold in Australia. So maybe I've got a 1990s or 2000s version of that. Also, pricewise seems I could have got a new one for about $120. Not sure if a beat up one is worth $60 but oh well.

The little plastic D-clips that hold the stub legs in place have all broken, it could do with a new set. I can't find anyone who seems to have Workmate spare parts, either real store in Australia or anyone on ebay shipping to Australia. Anyone have ideas?

Answering my own question here.

I noticed that at the bottom of the thread are links to similar posts, one of which is a post 12 months ago about Workmate spares in Australia
Spares for B&D Workmate

But the fella was after some little clips for his WM, cost $33. If my little clips cost similar, then I've bought a beat up item for $60, add $30 for clip doodads and I'm almost up to the price of a brand new Workmate. Bah. I'll just bear with floppy legs.

Originally Posted by Gunnaduit

...........But the fella was after some little clips for his WM, cost $33. If my little clips cost similar, then I've bought a beat up item for $60, add $30 for clip doodads and I'm almost up to the price of a brand new Workmate. Bah. I'll just bear with floppy legs.

Good Morning Gunnaduit

I would not worry about this.

Some early Workmates had cast aluminium bodies, others had pressed steel plate in a torsion box assembly, and so on. Over the years their product development has been absolutely focussed on making them cheaper, definitely not on actually improving the product.

If your Workmate is 20 or even 30 years old then it is almost certainly substantially better made than those currently avaliable. You have probably bought well.

A couple of years ago I bought a dozen of those little orange plastic clamping dogs from either Mitre 10 or Bunnings quite cheaply - so some parts may be available.

But a single Workmate is lonely!


Cheers

Graeme

Mine looks like the equity traders already got stuck into it -- all pressed metal and plastic. You'd think these things would be all over Gumtree but actually there's not much to choose from.

I'll team it up with a folding sawhorse and a couple of Bessey TG clamps.

Originally Posted by Gunnaduit

Mine looks like the equity traders already got stuck into it -- all pressed metal and plastic. You'd think these things would be all over Gumtree but actually there's not much to choose from.

I'll team it up with a folding sawhorse and a couple of Bessey TG clamps.

Glad we have that in writing err print, cause I'll wager that within 12 months theres another one in your shed/yard.

I recently picked up one the same vintage. Not the type 10 or 11 currently 'supported' on the B&D website but slightly earlier. My guess is mid-90s/early-00s

Still a good portable bench

Originally Posted by Tonto

Glad we have that in writing err print, cause I'll wager that within 12 months theres another one in your shed/yard.

Aah, that gave me a chuckle. Yeah, maybe ... so far my imagination isn't very stretched on how I'll use it. We'll see!

Originally Posted by dubrosa22

I recently picked up one the same vintage. Not the type 10 or 11 currently 'supported' on the B&D website but slightly earlier. My guess is mid-90s/early-00s

Still a good portable bench

Yeah, ok, if yours looks like mine in the photos, then that backs up my guess.

Tell you what though, I called a well known tool shop in South Melb about getting spares of the plastic latches that hold the four little stub legs in place. Actually I called twice because I thought the first fella hadn't got onto it. So that meant that they asked the supplier twice. Funny thing, well, firstly the price is unacceptable, but secondly how about this -- first fella calls me back, says each clip is $18. Second fella calls back a couple of hours later, I guess unaware that I'd already had a call about it. His price was $12 each. So the pricing seems fairly arbitrary. Pity nobody arbitrarily let me have them for $7 each, I might just have got them while muttering about the price. But at $12 or $18 each, its not worth it.

2 things.

I've had a couple of $20 copies for years. I use them surprisingly often and sometimes in quite butcherous ways, but they get the job done a treat.

Spare parts are a bizarre thing. I recently got the vacuum adapter from bunnings for my bosch ros for $7.50 or something. Ebay was $16. I looked EVERYWHERE I could think of and darn it if bunnings wasn't the cheapest. On the other hand it was $22 for the reversing switch on my bosch drill. Ridiculous, you'd just buy a new drill.

I seriously can not predict in any way where parts will be cheapest nor any logic in the pricing. Just look everywhere, ebay amazon different hardware/tool shops. It's insane.

Anyway good luck. I envy you, I'd like a couple of real workmates.

I have had a Work-mate since the middle to late 1970s when they first became available here and it is still going strong.
Before that I used to see them in an English magazine and wished I could have one as I was fitting out a house extension.

Originally Posted by Gunnaduit

spares of the plastic latches that hold the four little stub legs in place.

Are these the parts you need?
Not cheap, but cheaper than $18 or $12 each


https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F310408994235