Free Pile Black & Decker Workmate Workbench 

Magdad, FYI, some models of the Workmates came with a vinyl strap that tied the two screws together. This enabled both sides to move together. The strap had equally spaced holes that ran over sprockets on both sides. The strap was cheaply made. But, it did work. It broke during one of our many moves. I was able to buy a replacement from a Black & Decker parts store. Nice job on the refurbished Workmates. There is an interesting history to the Workmates that is worth investigating. Bob

The bench turned out great, usable condition for sure!!!!!!!

Yep, these old Workmates are as handy as a pocket on a shirt... I pick them up at auctions and yard sales when I can get them pretty cheap. My ex-Mother-in-Law worked at the B&D factory at Baltimore and she gave me one of the very first production models ever made for Christmas. It has the cast aluminum sides and is generally just better made than most of the newer ones. I do have to make new tops for it though. Great find...

That came out great Bud!! I just had to replace the top on one of mine!! I went with a piece of 8ft 5/4 deck boards, they're a lil' heavier but they're weatherproof, ours take on alotta water at the shows plus they are only $7 a board!!☻

What a great find! Those workmates are absolutely fantastic... They make a few different models and they are all highly rated. Great stuff!!!!!!!

Nice save Magdad, that will come in handy for sure ! Timber prices are still high here too, I wonder if they'll ever go down again, like many things they only ever seem to go in one direction ! I have a similar model about 30 years old that I still use occasionally out in the garden and a couple of the spring clips have failed too, likewise I can live with it at that price !

It seems to me that your free piles, flea markets and garage sales are way better than the ones in my area. Nice job on the Workmate.

Looks fantastic Magdad! I asked Santa for one of those maybe 30 years ago. At the time, I was a little (secretly) disappointed that he got me a Craftsman brand but I don’t know what I would do without it. Probably use more than anything in my shop. Been wanting to give it a facelift. I’m not a patina boy and can’t bring myself to do it because It reflects my personal battle scars and history. Again, thanks for your awesome content. Happy New Year!!

That’s a really neat workbench (especially since it was free🤣)! All it needed was a little TLC to become a great table again. Well done Magdad!

Nice free find and nice work on the restoration. That looks like the same design as my B&D Workmate 400 which was purchased several decades ago. At the time I thought the front pivot feature would be useful. I found it cannot clamp with sufficient pressure so I do not bother pivoting, I just use normal clamps to hold items to the top. As you show, this may make a good size table if you add the boards. I have not added other boards - yet. I love seeing items rescued from the scrap pile or landfill. Dave.

I also have a roadside WorkMate. I was able to find the springs for the lower legs online fairly cheaply as I remember. I like the idea of the spacer board. Nice work.

Excellent resurrection! I remember when those came out and all the critics said it was a POS…don’t think I ever met anyone that they “couldn’t work without it! “ Great video!

Magdad you did a great job on that Black and Decker Workmate. I had picked up a Black and Decker Workmate 400 from my neighbor and the wood needs to be replaced. So now I know what needs to be done! Thanks.

Sweet find Magdad, very handy and versatile :-).

You did a great job. I did same but bought new boards here in UK £50.

👍you can’t have too many work surfaces and if they have a squeezy top it’s a bonus!!

Nice restore on that Workmate 400 and THANK YOU for reminding me what those black wheels are for. I have the same model which I bought at Hechinger in late 80s and used that feature to swing the front jaw up just ONE TIME -- and then plumb forgot about it!!! Too damn funny as I had to go into the garage to confirm that's exactly what those knobs do. Found you via ScoutCrafter a few months ago and now sub'd.👍

Nice restore.

Magda’s you can buy the plastic spring for the feet - I got mine from eBay - had 3 broken so got a four pack so I have one spare. The vertical feature makes it a 400 series. To mount the wood on top there are screws with a head that fits in the elongated slots on the top rails. You can adjust the space between the front and back piece to make a larger or smaller opening by removing the center board. These screws are also available to buy and so are the orange dogs that are on your other one in many styles and sizes. Mine is a 425 but they made 400, 450 and I think a 500 series. Great 250 dollar or more work bench for free. I think the holes in the top are 3/4 inch and you can add extra ones where you need it. I use mine as a font vice for restoring old Coleman lanterns and single burner stoves. Great restoration of a real work horse!

Nice job! The ol junk yard dog came out sweet. I have to say I thought for sure it was gonna get the mahogany on the wood. Looks nice and crisp with the fresh black and new wood.

You did a fantastic job on that free pile pick up. I think it is going to serve you well. It looks great and looks super useful. Hopefully it will be Chuck approved. 👍

The restoration looks great. The legs do look a little flimsy, maybe that is why the original owner welded them.

Nice save. I have a workmate for a number of years and have found it to be extremely useful!

If it’s free it’s for me. Your statement “ I guess wood don’t go trees anymore” caused me to have clean up a little coffee spray off of myself and my 2 little dogs sleeping on my lap from bursting out laughing with, you guessed it, a mouth full of coffee. Ya got me on that one😆😂😀, nice fix BTW, thanks for the video sir.

Came out nice. Always love free stuff.

I have a huge construction companies storage yard about a mile away. They set out all their old concrete forms for people to salvage! I stop and get the best pieces every time I see a new pile. It takes some work but I probably have a drop rack worth around $28,000 at todays current lumber prices.

Nice save Magdad, I mentioned you in a video I was making today with regards to a nice pointy thing I picked up. Looking forward to seeing your videos again this year. Cheers Stuart 🇦🇺

It looks a lot better now! Thanks for sharing this.

Big difference from my Workmate that I bought in 1978. It helped me through two remodels and a new construction, as well as everyday woodworking.

I really like my Black n Decker station. Even the knock off one I have. Such handy little clamping tables. Or little workbench’s. Nice refurbishment!

Great project! Repairing something that was thrown out yields tremendous satisfaction and as an example of resilience, that can't be beat! That is why I like the scrapyard repairathon videos of the TPAI channel. Do you watch that one?

I really like the flexibility of having a B&D Workmate. I need two more and they do come up on Freecycle now and then. I need to make a storage caddie for my two.

Nice job. I have a couple of the smaller versions. You can buy parts cheap on eBay like the orange inserts that let you clamp something above the wood surface. You may find a better deal on the leg springs there as well.

Nicely done! We gave my late dad one of those for what turned out to be his last Christmas in 1977. Bittersweet memories to be sure.

A nice table to put your new small wood lathe onto, to turn tool handles.

Looks good MagDad I have modified my workmate to accommodate my miter saw. Have to adjust the table to line up the bolt holes but it works great and it's portable!!

Great motivation to finally start on mine. I've gotten an early one out of the trash when we did up our house (they're blue over here). It served me so well just sitting outside in the rain and should get some love now. All I need it to find some cheap blue paint because I've got my boards already cut. Thank you!

i love free stuff! A little work and you have a useful tool.

Always had a Workmate around our house growing up, when I got my house I purchased one on the first month we were in it, I just picked up a second one (in good shape) at the fall Jacktown show for $25… at first l walked by it but a few minutes later went back for it

I'm envious and jealous since your 'free pile' is better than mine. 😉 Great job as usual.

Magdad does it again 👏. Time to go back and catch up with the rest of your videos

Great find, I have one of those too. I just use it as a table.

Good save on that table That air tank could have made me a nice BBQ or stove

Nice score M.D.. To bad someone beat you to the other pieces.. I had one of those Workmates and I loved it.. it was the basic model.. I believe it was the 100.. It really come in handy at times... Good job on the restoration...

I still have mine that I got probably 35 years ago. It’s in near perfect condition. Heavy as hell but a solid table

Great Find Magdad , Nice Refurbish Job Too ! Nice Start to the New Year ! 🙂

Beauty job! Now create replacement dogs for the top.Theyre expensive little buggers! Thanks for sharing...🇨🇦

It looks real good after renovation 👍👍

I bought one years ago that used to live in my work van. Once when we were on vacation, I think in Pennsylvania, we stopped in a Black & Decker outlet store and bought a drawer that fits just under the top yet still allows the unit to fold and some extra bench dogs. I rescued another one that someone was throwing out because one of the plastic catches that holds it in the unfolded position was broken.

That's a great refurbishing job. I'm looking for a used workmate myself, so this video was a useful tutorial to see the various ways it can be used. The way you rebuilt the work surface is interesting. Thanks for expanding a little time and energy to save a useful tool. You also got use from some castoff finishing products. Thanks for making good use of still useful resources.

Too cool! I have the three board Workmate. I’ve replaced the wood once with one inch plywood. Mine is very similar. That turned out awesome! I use mine all the time!

Good find!!

NIce repair MD. Too bad the compressor was gone! I have two of these workmates. One of them is the original design with aluminum brackets on the sides. These are really strong. I have used these as temporary bases for heavy tools such as old cast iron jointers. Some day, I may try and add a set of wheels to it.

Awesome

I pick up Workmates at estate and yard sales when the price is right. Hard to beat them for utility work surfaces.

That was an excellent find and looks real good after renovation 👍👍

Good Find At The Curb Alert!!! It’s Free And You Made It Functional!!!!

Good recovery!

I love those workmate tables, but for the life of me i have no idea where any of mine are. They are like 10mm sockets around my shop. Nice save. Cheers

Nice rehab job Magdad.

you can buy Rubber feet and where the wedding was where you grind the weld was, you have done a great job, Mate

Especially nice to have if you want.. or need to do a project outside on a nice day.

You can't beat the price of a free pile I always take advantage of a poor man's flee market

Awesome way to get a great workmate

As long as you only use it for "light duty" repairs, it should last a long time. Great vise for the hobbyist.

So Golden Pecan is not your favorite color, but I'll bet the price sticker has your favorite price. There is always something special when you get something for free, even if it requires a little work, our friend ScoutCrafter calls it the "poor mans flea market", I refer to it as "Curb Shopping" different names but same results, I have two workmates, I is mine and the other was my Dad's, I use them both often. I found an old coffee table or end table removed everything keeping the top, I added a cleat to the bottom of the top and just tighten in the vice and use it that way.

This is a great one. The top can be remade to resemble a European workbench top.

Great find! And very nice job looks great! Those are very handy!!!

Can't beat the poor man's flea market. Great find.

Great job as always.

Excellent I have been looking for one in the free pile for year with no luck, I ended up with a new one instead . Nice job Magdad

Nice going Magdad. You took a piece of junk and made it into a nice portable work bench.

GOOD STUFF, TANKS FOR SHARING...

Nice save Mate 🛠👍😊

I like those Black & Decker tables they're so handy I've been looking through my stuff that I got from my parents house and I didn't get everything from my parents house cuz went mine Dad passed I didn't get everything from my family lot was kept from me but I want to make another one just because me and my dad did it together he painted the car on the wood i think call him soapbox cars or something like that I would love to had his train or all his cars he had, the old one heavy metal car's but i t's ok I got his love that all that matters

Nice mod Magdad. Better than new! I can’t believe those are $119 new now. Wow!

Great program. Really enjoyed it. To bad there wasn't anything for chuck to polish.

great job!

I rebuilt mine about a year ago and ordered those little plastic hoops that make the lower legs snap open and closed. Can not remember where I got them and I only needed one but had to order four in a kit. If you need some I think I still have three brand new ones in my inventory someplace. You need some dog holes in the top and I have a bunch of surplus ones.. just contact me and I will send them.

Great score! I've been using a shopmate for years as my daily workbench. I have a 5 foot countertop with a cleat on the bottom clamped in it. I think all my feet clips are also broken. Might find a similar clamp design file for a 3D printer. Just thinking...

Nice job, Magdad. I've had mine for about 20 years or so and the one thing I made for it was a bench top. It's just a piece of plywood 24"x36"with a piece of 1x4 pine on the back. I've seen someone on YT that made a cart for his. Could have been good for you if you weren't able to free the legs. George

FREE is ALWAYS a great price!!!

I think that was a good $13 investment! I’m sure you will get $13 worth of good out of it 😂. Good video magdad. Thank You for sharing.

Nice job, magdad. Good luck, too! On the subject of spare parts, any ideas on making replacement feet? These are often more expensive than the springs. I have struggled to come up with a workable solution.

Nice save!

I’ve got one I was planning on putting a solid top on it and making a folding bench for my table saw and compound miter

Suddenly al that wood I have in my shop is worth more than gold.

Request another enterprising RU-vidr to 3D print you some new leg spring catches.

Turned out nice. You gave me ideas. This summer at auctions I picked up one for a dollar at another one I think I paid two. One all the wood was gone and the other one it was rotted. I'm going to rebuild the tops but I removed the wood because it was moldy. Didn't need the mold in my shop and I didn't have any ideas when I was going to work on them so I tossed the wood. Trouble is I forgot to measure the length. Do you know what length you cut yours? It woud help a lot. Thanks

The old saying If it's Free It's for Me LOL nice find in the free junk pile and a different type of restoration good one Mr magdad so what is next Sunday Video going to be??? you bring home a Iowa Class Battleship 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆 hey Take care and have yourself a nice relaxing Sunday

Trash to Treasure! Nice job, sir!

Nice job! Aren’t these increasing prices insane? I literally walked into a take-out restaurant last night and I was ordering, he said, just so you know we had to increase our prices. So what I was about to order at $11.99 increased to $13.99 right as I was about to order.

Lumber DOES still grow in trees! I live in Arkansas, our state tree is the stump. Most goes to China. What airport are you under the approach for? Nice job, I could see that to be a useful tool in my shed! The previous owner needed a welding table.

You can get a set of those leg catches for $18 on eBay.

Score!!!

Those airplanes come by so often you stopped paying attention I'm guessing....

Good find to bad about the compressor miss but... FYI...if you run your circular saw and cut 4 or 5 lines the length of the board it will keep it from cuping an example is on a new door jamb you will see the curfs I'm trying to explain...just my three cents... Also $13 for a 8 foot 1x...there ought to be a LAW...😡 🖖

Ok anyone else go run out and check theirs to see if they tilted as well. Neither of mine do.