The unofficial site for the original folding portable workbench and vise.
(not authorized by or affiliated with Black & Decker)
This web site is devoted to researching and documenting the Black & Decker Workmate, a tool that has been recognized as a classic of industrial design. A lot of the site focuses on the model 79-001, the original U.S. version of the Workmate. However, it also includes coverage of other related models from the same time period (1974-1982), including models sold in Canada, the UK, and Europe. It even has an overview of all 36 models that have been sold in North America from 1974 to the present.
If you have a Workmate 79-001 and you already know what Type it is, you may want to start with the Workmate 79-001 Type Study. If you have a Workmate 79-001 or 79-004 and want to know what Type it is, you should start with the Type ID flowchart. The Black & Decker Workmate folding workbench/vise was created in England in the 1960's by independent inventor Ron Hickman. Eventually Black & Decker acquired the rights to manufacture it, and in 1974 introduced it to the United States. In spite of the high price of $89.99 (equivalent to $498 in 2020!) it got great reviews and do-it-yourselfers flocked to buy it. By 1993, the Ottawa Citizen newspaper reported that "the Workmate is in 16 per cent of Canadian homes and four per cent of U.S. homes." The story of Ron Hickman and the development of the Workmate in England is quite interesting. You may enjoy a brief look at the first commercial Workmate from 1968 in one of my blog posts. But First, A Request If you are the owner of a Workmate 79-001, I would like your help. Please read the first few paragraphs of my page about the Brockville Production Codes, and then participate in this crowd-sourcing effort by sending me the production code from your Workmate as requested. I would really appreciate it! |
Model 79-001
The first Black & Decker Workmate sold in the United States in 1974 was the model 79-001. Over the next eight years, production of the 79-001 went through ten versions under different "Type" designations; the first was the Type E, followed by Types 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
The H-frame
The iconic feature of the early 79-001 Workmates is a pair of pivoting metal frames, shaped like the letter “H”, that support the wooden vise jaws. On the Type E through the Type 5 the H-frames are made of cast aluminum, with a very striking design. Part way through the production of the 79-001 the H-frames were changed to a much plainer design of stamped steel.
Because the aluminum H-frame is part of Hickman's original design, because it is more attractive than the steel H-frame, and because it was manufactured for only about five years, Workmates with this feature are considered by many to be the most desirable.
All of the 79-001 Types E, 1, 2, 3, and 5 were made with the aluminum H-frame. The first Type 4's have the cast-aluminum H-frame; later Type 4's are all steel. All of the 79-001 Types 6, 7, 8, and 9 were made with the stamped steel H-frame. One other U.S. model of Workmate, the short-lived 79-004, also used the cast aluminum H-frame, as did the Jobmate 3980 in Canada, and the WM225, WM325, and WM625 in the UK.
This Site
My goal is to collect in one site as much information as possible about the Workmate. Most of the information is organized under the top menu item "WORKMATES". An overview of its content is presented below. The "BLOG" portion of the site will present other relevant information and commentary, so be sure to check it out as well.
Workmate 79-001 Type Study
This part of the site is the most useful for many owners. It consists of ten individual pages that describe each of the Types of the Workmate 79-001 in chronological order, noting the similarities and differences between them, and including numerous photos and interesting facts about each one. It also offers a downloadable Excel spreadsheet that provides a side-by-side comparison of the characteristics of all ten Types.
Type Identification Flowchart for the Workmate 79-001 (and 79-004)
If you own an early Workmate or are examining one that is for sale and you want to figure out quickly what Type it is, this eleven-question flowchart will do that for you.
Brockville Production Codes
This explains my research into dating the 79-001, and the breakthrough regarding the code numbers found on most of them. It includes another spreadsheet, this one comprised of data on hundreds of individual Workmates that now establishes the dates of production.
Workmate 79-001 Timeline
This page explains all on one page what I have discovered about the production/sales dates for the various Types of the Workmate 79-001.
Identifying Marks and Labels
This page explains and illustrates all of the various ways that the Workmate 79-001 was marked and labeled.
Family Portrait
This is a fun showpiece that you won't find anywhere else—Ten of my Workmate 79-001's covering the range from the Type E to the Type 9, all together in one photo shoot.
Other Related Workmates
This is a set of pages describing a number of other early Workmates, some sold only in Canada, that were made at the Brockville factory and are very closely related to the 79-001. Every Workmate fan should read about the generally unrecognized historical and market significance of the 79-004!
UK and European Workmates
This is a set of pages describing the closely related, yet distinct, Workmates that were sold in the UK at the time the 79-001 was on the market in the U.S.
Complete Model History
This is a lengthy page that documents (mostly in images) the 36 different Workmate benches that Black & Decker has sold in North America, each with the approximate years that it was on the market.
Accessories
This is a set of pages that illustrate and explain the accessories that Black & Decker sold for the Workmate 79-001.
Documents
This page has the most comprehensive collection available anywhere of downloadable documents related to the Workmate 79-001, including instruction manuals, brochures, catalogs, parts diagrams, advertisements, reviews, etc.
Parts/Repairs
Advice for owners wanting to repair their Workmate 79-001.
Links
This is a compilation of useful links about the Workmate.
The H-frame
The iconic feature of the early 79-001 Workmates is a pair of pivoting metal frames, shaped like the letter “H”, that support the wooden vise jaws. On the Type E through the Type 5 the H-frames are made of cast aluminum, with a very striking design. Part way through the production of the 79-001 the H-frames were changed to a much plainer design of stamped steel.
Because the aluminum H-frame is part of Hickman's original design, because it is more attractive than the steel H-frame, and because it was manufactured for only about five years, Workmates with this feature are considered by many to be the most desirable.
All of the 79-001 Types E, 1, 2, 3, and 5 were made with the aluminum H-frame. The first Type 4's have the cast-aluminum H-frame; later Type 4's are all steel. All of the 79-001 Types 6, 7, 8, and 9 were made with the stamped steel H-frame. One other U.S. model of Workmate, the short-lived 79-004, also used the cast aluminum H-frame, as did the Jobmate 3980 in Canada, and the WM225, WM325, and WM625 in the UK.
This Site
My goal is to collect in one site as much information as possible about the Workmate. Most of the information is organized under the top menu item "WORKMATES". An overview of its content is presented below. The "BLOG" portion of the site will present other relevant information and commentary, so be sure to check it out as well.
Workmate 79-001 Type Study
This part of the site is the most useful for many owners. It consists of ten individual pages that describe each of the Types of the Workmate 79-001 in chronological order, noting the similarities and differences between them, and including numerous photos and interesting facts about each one. It also offers a downloadable Excel spreadsheet that provides a side-by-side comparison of the characteristics of all ten Types.
Type Identification Flowchart for the Workmate 79-001 (and 79-004)
If you own an early Workmate or are examining one that is for sale and you want to figure out quickly what Type it is, this eleven-question flowchart will do that for you.
Brockville Production Codes
This explains my research into dating the 79-001, and the breakthrough regarding the code numbers found on most of them. It includes another spreadsheet, this one comprised of data on hundreds of individual Workmates that now establishes the dates of production.
Workmate 79-001 Timeline
This page explains all on one page what I have discovered about the production/sales dates for the various Types of the Workmate 79-001.
Identifying Marks and Labels
This page explains and illustrates all of the various ways that the Workmate 79-001 was marked and labeled.
Family Portrait
This is a fun showpiece that you won't find anywhere else—Ten of my Workmate 79-001's covering the range from the Type E to the Type 9, all together in one photo shoot.
Other Related Workmates
This is a set of pages describing a number of other early Workmates, some sold only in Canada, that were made at the Brockville factory and are very closely related to the 79-001. Every Workmate fan should read about the generally unrecognized historical and market significance of the 79-004!
UK and European Workmates
This is a set of pages describing the closely related, yet distinct, Workmates that were sold in the UK at the time the 79-001 was on the market in the U.S.
Complete Model History
This is a lengthy page that documents (mostly in images) the 36 different Workmate benches that Black & Decker has sold in North America, each with the approximate years that it was on the market.
Accessories
This is a set of pages that illustrate and explain the accessories that Black & Decker sold for the Workmate 79-001.
Documents
This page has the most comprehensive collection available anywhere of downloadable documents related to the Workmate 79-001, including instruction manuals, brochures, catalogs, parts diagrams, advertisements, reviews, etc.
Parts/Repairs
Advice for owners wanting to repair their Workmate 79-001.
Links
This is a compilation of useful links about the Workmate.