Great video! Loved that you did most of your operations with a radial arm saw. I learned woodworking from my father, and his RAS was the heart of his shop. I still have his original workmate that he got in the late 70’s (plus 2 of my own). Such a great workshop accessory!
I just finished mine. I have a B&D one and HF one. I salvaged the 3/4" marine grade plywood that I just replaced on my DeWalt RAS . Double thickness. I cut the v groove like you did. Thanks for the videos. JW
Thanks for posting this - straightforward and informative. Finished product looks great! I just acquired an old workmate with a very used (and abused) top. Coincidentally my brother just came across some scrap pieces of Baltic Birch that someone was throwing out. They are thinner pieces but I'm hoping to be able to laminate 3 of them together to do something similar to what you've done here. Nice use of the radial arm saw - I've got my grandfather's old Monkey Wards one and while it isn't nearly as nice as that one, I've found this type of saw to be versatile. Thanks, Matt
Brian, great video. A neighbor of mine, gave me an old Workmate same exact one you have in your video. This is on my bucket list to replace the tops. Using my old Craftsman RAS, need some maintenance. Thanks again for sharing your talents.
Completely brilliant!! My son scorched mine with a plasma cutter and I have left some saw marks in them too - this is a terrific guide to make replacements that to me, look better than the originals! Thanks.
Ah, steel bar inserts, what a great idea, thanks 🙂 (I'd picked up a cheap clone workmate from the side of the road, it had an MDF table. Naturally that had turned to mush, so I've some plywood to replace it)
The steel bars aren't necessary for a Workmate. However, I routinely use this technique to make strong, flat tables. If you search for "Mr. Sawdust" tables, you will find this construction is typically used to make flat tables for radial arm saws.
I love your use of the RAS! I still haven't gotten a chance to get the craftsman I inherited set up properly, hopefully I can do that while on lockdown haha, thanks for the video!
got my first bd workbench about 1978. worked it to destruction for app 10 yars. splashed out on an all singing and dancing new model and got a year out of it. theyd made the tables from mdf, swelled and distorted in no time, the first one was small and simple but had marine ply tables
super nice job. if you dont have the machinery to create such professional tops, you can buy replacement tops online. an entire new workmate is not that much more than new tops. the price of the tops is reasonable, but when you add in 25 dollars shipping the value fades.
Great job, Brian, and very motivational (for me). I carelessly left my beloved Workmate 400 outside one day and, of course, it rained. The top swelled up like it was suffering from edema. Rather than make a new top, I just purchased a Workmate 425 and I'm disappointed but not surprised in the way it's been cheapened. Looks like I'll be trying to follow your lead and make a new, substantial top for my WM 400. The sad thing is the required baltic birch plywood will cost about as much as my new Workmate did :-(
Great work. I have a little workmate and I think its a great tool, especially if you are working indoors. Ive shaped a knife blank, used it to secure a vice, and cut wood on it. Armed with a few G-clamps, and maybe a sand bag to weight down the bottom, it perfectly fills that whole between "workbench" and "nothing". Ive tried doing handywork with nothing, and its miserable.
Great video Brian, workmates are fantastic. Great upgrade. Mine are an older model that all have the V groove, but also a single vertical V groove that runs perpendicular to yours. Useful little feature.
Its funny how cheap you can pick up a workmates pro used. Ive got 2 of them. You know the rubber feet on them get brittle over time and fall off. I think a hardwood foot would be better with a felt Contact cemented on. Say somthing like Ipa or purple heart. The felt can always be changed as needed. Felt, carpet, whatever isn't going to mar a hardwood floor. Also new set of wooden dogs.
Liked this very much. Not having the tools at my disposal that you do, I decided to utilise 1 inch marine ply and used a pillar drill with a 19mm spade bit for the dog holes.........ho, ho, ho, the bluddy dogs have a diameter of ........yup, 19.5 mm.....sigh. Much sanding later, they are a very snug fit. Bastard thing is, a week later in Toolstation I found a 20mm spade bit......where the fekk was that when I needed it. Groan...... oh yeah, I left them unvarnished.......it's marine p,y after all...time will tell.
Thanks! Yes, I’m not surprised the dog holes are an unusual size. That’s one of the reasons I made my own dogs out of aluminum to fit the holes I drilled. I think you can see examples in some of my other videos:”Router table for B&D Workmate” and “ Portable assembly table”.
Thanks. I used 1/8” x 1/2” steel (half the thickness of this table). This is sometimes referred to as a “Mr. Sawdust” design-often used to construct flat tables for radial arm saws. If you search for that term, you’ll find more info about them.
The steel bars embedded and laminated between the two layers of plywood create a very flat and stable top that will not warp or bend over time. Overkill for a Workmate? Probably. However, if you search for “Mr. Sawdust table”, you will find this is a proven method to create very flat and stable tops.
My wooden vise jaws are 1"thick x 5"wide x 29" long. Can you make them in this size? And how much do they cost? I have a Deluxe Dual Height Workmate, No. 79-001, Type 7.
@@nathanrice1796 Sorry, I don’t have time to make things for other people. I provided a video so you can make your own! Just glue two pieces of 1/2” plywood together and cut to size.
No, the steel bars are not necessary for a Workmate. However, I build most of my tables like this. It’s often called a “Mr. Sawdust table”, named after Wally Kunkel who built them for his radial arm saws. It creates a very strong and flat table.
Probably overkill for a workmate. However, the purpose of the bars embedded in epoxy is to maintain a very flat board that will not warp over time. Look up a “Mr. Sawdust table”. It’s a proven method to build a very flat table top.
Thanks for the question. A router with guide or a router table would work with a V-bit. Maybe two passes on a table saw with the blade set at 45 degrees?
I used 1/8 x 1/2 inch flat steel bars that you can find in hardware or big box stores. I’m not sure what size the chain link stretchers are, but they may be suitable too.
I thinned the shellac for greater penetration into the wood. The purpose of the shellac is to seal the pores in the wood so the stain doesn't absorb unevenly. This helps make the stain finish less "blotchy".
@@brianweekley5700 I have seen several advertised on ebay, but i don't know how to know if they go sides ways such as yours? i will look to see if i can find the model you have.
@@anonymousperson4363 If you’re serious about getting a RAS, I suggest joining the “DeWalt Radial Arm Saw Forum” where you can find lots of good information. Also, order a copy of the book “How to Master the Radial Arm Saw”, which also provides information on what to look for when looking at used saws. Check Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace-good sources for used saws.
@@brianweekley5700 I have my dad's old craftsman and wanted to start using it. Newbie basic question. I noticed you pulled the blade towards you into the wood for the crosscut. Is that the proper method? Is that for all ras or just your style? I assumed you pushed outwards into the wood. Very meticulous build. Amazing what you can do with skill and proper tools.
@@joeloiacono3792 As explained in my video, I just glued together two layers of 1/2” Baltic birch plywood (you don’t need the steel bars-a little overkill, but I’m doing that for other reasons). Baltic birch plywood can be a little hard to find, but a quality cabinet wood supplier usually has it. They typically come in 5 feet x 5 feet sheets (about $30?). However, I just took a quick look and could easily find replacement jaws available online.
Thanks. Yes, maybe overkill, but I’m a belt and suspenders kind of guy! I have some projects planned for it-one that may put some stress on the center (mortising machine) so it won’t hurt having some extra strength there.
Nice video. One question. I didn’t see any screws holding the boards together. If you clamp down on anything in the V groove how well will the glue hold?
Thanks for the question. A glue joint is typically stronger than the wood. When the plywood is evenly coated with glue and clamped tight, you won’t have any issues.
@@SW-zu7ve No. Once laminated together under heavy weight, the wood glue is sufficient. On some of my larger tops that I make in the same way (seen in some of my other videos), I often use screws to hold the plywood together for cutting and alignment or to help hold them flat during glue up, but I generally remove them after the glue dries.
Thanks for your concern, but I’m not worried about it. I primarily use this workmate to hold my assembly table or router table. I’m always very careful when I cut anything on top of another surface. I make all of my tables this way. It originates from a design called the “Mr. Sawdust Table” that is traditionally used to build super flat and very strong tables for radial arm saws.
@Brian Weekley Hi Brian, I took a class with Wally K. in the basement of his home in New Jersey years ago. I have been addicted to putting steel bars in plywood ever since. I have also experimented with 6061 aluminum and works almost as good as steel.
Hi Brian! I'm wondering is there any differences between WMs? Am just about to make a router table based on yours but realized the opening on mine is far less than on yours.. (Yours is 6 inch, mine is 4-and speaking about the openings😂😂😂😂) Have you moved the ply on the frame farer apart or bolted back its original position, seems you used orig position..) Many thanks in advance and wish you a happy 2022...(bit belated). AB
B&D Workmate did manufacture a variety of models. Searching online, it looks like some have a reported opening of 4-1/2” and others 5-1/4” (mine). The Workmate I have is model #79-001. I did move/remount the wooden jaws to maximize the opening and was able to achieve the 6” needed to accommodate the router lift I used (and can still fully close the jaws too). Hope that helps. Good luck with your router table.
@@brianweekley5700 hi and yes that will be the case, just reach the the opening i need. Thanks for responding, great contents responses and ideas everytime! Regards AB
We must have been separated at birth. Workmates are another of my fixations. I have 4 of them. There's a channel called Workmate Guy or something close, he has all kinds of ideas to customize these things
I don't think using a saw and a router constitutes a million pound-equipped workshop. Without any tools, people can always just buy replacement tops. I just wanted to show how you can make a higher quality top than the original. Thanks for the comment!
Actually, all of the cuts he makes can be done on a relatively inexpensive job-site table saw or even with a circular saw or tracksaw. With proper technique they can be done with a handsaw! You don't even have to have a router. With the right setup the holes can be drilled with a hand drill.
Nice video but pointless. Show me how to use such a portable workbench device That would make sense. It can be super like this if you don’t know what it’s all about standing in the corner of the garage.
