Black and Decker Workmate Restoration. Saved from Scrap. B&D Classic Tool Rescue! 

6? I've been out workmated by Roadking! Thanks Buddy. I missed one locally. I saw it in a back garden but it went for scrap before I was able to speak to the owner.

Nice to see your name here, Andy. is yours an aluminium one, or the steel type like my Uncle's?

@@MartsGarage My own workmate I've had since I got married and is like your dad's, except it's black not blue. The top is 21mm quality plywood. It is labeled Workmate 2. My dad's one is not aluminium, and I remember dad grumbling about this. The frame, is steel, is a different design to yours. The screw nuts, handles and top mounting pads are in aluminium, not plastic. It is heavy (37lb). It's top is good plywood, only 19mm thick but double thickness along the jaw edge. I'll email you a picture.

at first i was put off by the weight of a steel workmate, about 28 pounds. but then I realized its solid and doesnt slide around. So i see why it has a heft to it.

Thanks very much. Hope it goes well for you. Mart.

Thanks for the comment, EH. I had been thinking about a removeable larger table top. I didn't realise the one was heavier built until I looked and saw the ply was thicker. I think they must have gone through endless rounds of cost saving.

Cheers Rob. Great to see your name pop up on one of my vids. Yeah, no need to paint 'em. With the rivetted construction it would actually be quite hard to actually "restore" one properly. Sometimes it's good to do a quick fixit job. The projects can drag on a bit. Mart.

Yeah, P. H., that would be nice, but my core projects are my early Ford V8s. The workmate is just a tool and is perfectly serviceable just like it is. This was nearly 2 years ago. The Workmate gets used regularly. I picked up another one more recently and that is in great condition. Thanks for watching.

They do have a weight limit and I don't think it would stretch to that. I have had a Mini engine and box on one though.

I think the Workmate 400 is rated at 550lbs iirc. @@MartsGarage

Thanks Christopher. I'm always on the lookout for anything that might be useful.

Thanks Rich. I'm glad you liked the video. It was just a one-off for me, a side job to my normal content. Maybe I should do more stuff like this! Thanks a lot. Mart.

Just a born scrounger, Brendan.

Thanks Dave. I sorted out the limp leg problem with new D clips.

They are, aren't they, Mike. I really like 'em.

Thanks Eddie.

Ha ha yeah, Ralph. I suffer from horizontal surface-itis too. It was so bad at one stage I'd walk in with a cup of tea and couldn't find a 3" circle of clear space to put it down!

Yeah, thanks Leslie. You did watch THIS video, right? Lol. It's been proving really useful lately and I did clip it with the circular saw so probably good I didn't go mad on the wood.

It was, Art. A fun quickie. Lots of times a project can linger on for too long. It's nice to do something that can be done quickly for a change.

@@MartsGarage Amen to that Mart, I love me a good afternoon project! My 31 coupe/8BA project is ready to be pulled apart for painting the chassis and suspension, after some finish welding. I'm not looking forward to disassembly as it pretty much looks like a whole car at this point.

@@artpam You'd be surprised how quickly and easily things can be taken apart. It's putting them together in the first place that takes the time. All the little details on the final build can lead to a lot of project creep as well!.

@@MartsGarage Thanks for the inspiration, I got out there and pulled the body off!

Thanks for the comment, Helmut. Actually the Pallet wood, being "real wood" has stood up remarkably well. I'll be the first to admit I'm no woodworker. Actually it was not a lot of effort, and it was more of a rescue mission than a restoration. If you watch any of my other videos I do a lot of work on my old cars and the workmates are a very versatile addition to the workshop. Thanks for watching and commenting. Mart.

Hi Merc. It was just a bit of fun and outside my normal content. I could have done it like you say, but took a cautious approach. Didn't want to bend the metal of crack the plastic. Thanks for watching. I use the workmate a lot so the time and effort (which wasn't much) taken has paid dividends. I did pick up another that is mint by comparison and only paid a tenner for it. Cheers!

Hi Random. Yeah, that's Meggie our beautiful Weimaraner. Thanks for watching.

@@MartsGarage best dogs ever, I have 1 too

The 4th one is the vastly inferior "Bench n Vise" from Screwfix. I reworked it with a fixed top and used the screws off it to hold the garage doors open. Paint? What is that?

I'm sorry Andrew, I'm not a workmate expert. It was just a little video I did as a side job from my normal content. I think there are sites which do discuss the workmates. Have you tried googling?

Hi Jim, apologies, the emails are there but I don't regularly check that account. I will have a proper look and will reply.

..and Robert's your father's brother!

​ Fanny's your Aunt

Hi Paul, not that I know of. I have seen replacement top pieces for sale on ebay though. These were in the UK though, don't know where you are based, but they might be available where you are. I could get some dimensions off mine, if that would help. The overall dimensions and bolt holes would be easy, but the holes for the stops would make it a bit more complicated. Yours would need to be the same model, though, some are a bit different. Mart.

Try a search for Workmate. I found a ton of information, plans, parts,and photos when I was rehabbing an old 80s workmate. The history of these little tables is fascinating and it was fun trying to identify models, years, and plants where these were made.

Yes, they were very popular.

Maybe you also have been made on it?

Thanks Mike. In real life it don't look too bad in the weathered original blue. It's kept indoors so it hasn't deteriorated.

I think so, Brendan, I know the inventor was based in the UK.

Thanks Jean Paul.