Workmate 79-001 and Related Documents
This is the most comprehensive collection of historical documents that you will find anywhere related to the Workmate 79-001 and many other models from the period 1968-1982. Here for downloading are a variety of instruction manuals, catalog excerpts, brochures, parts diagrams, advertisements, and articles.
I search out additional documents and continue to add more to this page as I find it. If you have any scans or photos of documents regarding early Workmates that you would like to contribute so that I can preserve them electronically, please contact me.
I search out additional documents and continue to add more to this page as I find it. If you have any scans or photos of documents regarding early Workmates that you would like to contribute so that I can preserve them electronically, please contact me.
The top spot on this page rightly belongs to the earliest known Black & Decker advertisement for any Workmate. This is from page 12 of the London Daily Mirror for November 2, 1972, introducing the first Workmates manufactured by Black & Decker—the WM225 and WM325, as well as the WM275 conversion kit. Click on the image to read the story of Andy's kitchen remodel.
You may also enjoy my blog post about Ron Hickman and his company Mate Tools, where I have even earlier advertisements, articles, and photos from 1968 to 1971 that pre-date Black & Decker's licensing of the Workmate.
You may also enjoy my blog post about Ron Hickman and his company Mate Tools, where I have even earlier advertisements, articles, and photos from 1968 to 1971 that pre-date Black & Decker's licensing of the Workmate.
Instruction Manuals
Parts Diagrams
The parts diagrams below were scanned by Black & Decker and available on their web site for a while. Unlike the clean scans above, these are heavily marked up with various hand-written annotations, including the ambiguous and unreliable "discontinued" dates that I refer to in other parts of the site and which I discuss on the 79-001 Timeline page. Unlike the ones above, they were poorly scanned so that the top portion of every diagram is cut off.
Catalogs & Brochures
Mate Tools Publications
I have quite a few catalogs and brochures, so to save you some time I've put three of the most rare and significant ones first:
See my page about the Craftsman Portable Craft Center for more information about the lengthy patent fights between Black & Decker and Sears over the Workmate copies advertised in the catalogs below.
Advertisements
Articles
- Workmate 79-001 manuals
The instruction manuals for the Workmate 79-001 were never marked with the Type number they belonged with, but it's usually possible to figure that out from the content and/or the date.- 79-001 Type E manual and an insert from it - Form No. 882855, undated. The first U.S. manual was printed in the U.K. in A4 size, based on the U.K. manual (found below under "UK/European Workmates") that covered both the WM225 (sawhorse-height only) and WM325 (dual-height). The sawhorse-height-only model was never sold in the U.S. but notice that at the top of page 2 of the Type E manual, it still says "PROCEDURE BOTH MODELS RECOMMENDED OPENING", even though the manual is now for only one model. Also, at the bottom of the last page, the company is shown as "The Black & Decker Manufacturing Company, Townson Maryland", an error in the city name. This manual uses a couple of photographs, but has mostly line drawings that are based on photographs. On page 4, a note refers to "illustration 4 to 13" although there are only twelve illustrations.
- 79-001 Type E manual, v2 - Form No. 882855, undated. Later Type Es had a manual with the same document number, but some minor revisions. Most notably, they corrected "Townson" to "Towson". At least one other word was changed as well; can you find it?
- 79-001 Type 1 manual - Form No. 975248, undated. The manual for the first North-American-built Workmate was printed in Canada, now in an unusual 8-5/16"x10-13/16" size. It uses photographs instead of line drawings. If you compare this manual with the Type E manual, it's clear that the drawings for the Type E manual were based on these photographs. In a surprising change, they have added the thirteenth illustration that was missing from the Type E manual, so the note on page 4, which is unchanged, is now correct! However, the city name at the bottom of the last page has changed back to the incorrect "Townson". They also added the Canadian company address just below the U.S. one: "Black & Decker Manufacturing Company Limited, Brockville, Ontario K6V 4N8".
- 79-001 Type 1 manual (French) - the same as above
- 79-001 Type 2 1975 manual (U.S.) - (Also used for the 79-001 Type 3) Form No. 975396, undated. The manual for the Type 2 is only slightly changed from the one for the Type 1. One thing unchanged was the photographs, which still show a Type 1. Some of the illustrations and text on page 2 and page 7 are different. One of these changes now tells the owner that the feet for the sawhorse height are packaged separately, probably indicating that prior to this they were installed at the factory. Although this was still printed in Canada, the Canadian company address has been removed from the bottom of the last page leaving only the U.S. one.
- 79-001 Type 2 1975 manual (Canada) - Form No. 975396-01, dated 10/75. This one has only the Canadian company address on the last page. Pretty much the same as above, but they dropped the use of orange ink for highlights. Also note on the last page the Canadian spelling of "Centre", and the change to the term "warranty" (vs. "guarantee" in the previous manuals).
- 79-001 Type 2 1976 manual (Canada) - Form No. 975396-01, dated 3/76. This has the same number as the previous one, but has substantial changes. Most obvious is the size and shape, now a landscape format reduced to 8"x9". The situation with the photographs got really weird with this manual, which I will attempt to explain later when I have time. The company address is still Brockville, Ontario.
- 79-001 Type 2 1977 manual (Canada) - Form No. 975396-xx, dated 10/76. This is a low-quality scan from an owner's phone that cut off the last digits of the document number; it's probably 01 like the two above. It's printed on a single sheet of 16"x18" paper that folds to the same 8"x9" size as the 975396-01 dated 3/76. This was the manual provided with the Type 2 starting in March 1977 when they began shipping the 79-001 with the vise handles packaged separately, to be installed by the owner.
- 79-001 Type 4 aluminum H-frame manual (Canada) - Form No. 975396-03, dated 3/76. This retains the folded 16"x18" format. This was the first manual to include the model number 79-001, anticipating the expansion of the Workmate lineup to multiple models. The manual was updated to show the newly widened 5-1/4" vise-jaw opening. It also shows the newly reduced height of the Workmate (7/8" lower than the Type 2), a result of the change from screw-in feet to slip-on boot feet. Instead of taking new photos showing the Type 4, they used the Type 2 photos and drew somewhat crude black boots over the screw-in feet! The artist mistakenly drew these on all four feet, even though the right rear foot of the Type 4 still had a screw-in foot.
- 79-001 Type 4 steel H-frame manual (Canada) - Form No. 975396-04, undated. This is printed in Canada, with the Brockville, Ontario address and continues the folded 16"x18" format. The illustrations were changed back to line drawings, mostly very similar, but not identical, to those in the Type E manual. Oddly, there is a single section of ten lines in the middle of page 7 that is repeated in French.
- 79-001 Type 6 manual (Canada) - Form No. 975396-05, undated. This is printed in Canada, with the Brockville, Ontario address. This file is a scan provided by an owner of a very early Type 6. The content is nearly identical to the Type 4 manual 975396-04, except that they removed the references to the adjustable sawhorse feet. There is actually no mention at all of the feet for the sawhorse height, which would have been the new fixed bumper feet. Presumably this means that they were installed at the factory for the first Type 6's.
- 79-001 Type 6 manual (U.S.) - Form 976446, dated 2/78. This is printed in Canada, but now marked as "Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc., Towson, Maryland 21204". It has substantial changes, starting with a new size of 8"x10-1/2". The changes extend to a new layout, the return of some orange ink, all-new photographs, and numerous tweaks to the text. It now instructs the owner to install the rubber bumper feet for sawhorse height to the surface of the legs using the self-tapping screws. However, captions 4. and 5. on page 2 erroneously refer to the now-gone style of sawhorse feet used on the Type 4—here called "screw-feet" or "adjustable feet"—and to the clearance holes for them near the top of the legs. If you look carefully at the photos you can see the plastic top-release levers used on most Type 6's. This is the first manual that refers to the front foot rest as a "step" in a couple of places while telling you in another place not to use it as a step.
- 79-001 Type 7 manual (U.S.) - Form 976446-01, undated. This is still printed in Canada, with company name "Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc., Towson, Maryland 21204". The content of this manual is essentially unchanged from the one above, except for the way it refers to the Workmate and accessories. The text of earlier manuals consistently referred to the "the Workmate", but now that has lengthened to either "the Workmate portable work center and vise", "the Workmate Work Center", or "the Work Center". This change in terminology matches the change in wording on the crossbar label of the Workmate itself between the Type 6 and Type 7. They also changed the names used to refer to the Workmate accessories. In the photos you can still see the plastic top-release levers that had actually been changed back to steel for the Type 7.
- 79-001 Type 8 manual (U.S.) - Form 976446-02, undated. This is the same size as the previous one, with only minor changes. It's printed in Canada, but the company has changed to "Black & Decker (U.S.)Inc., Towson, Maryland". This includes instructions for installing the Type 8's new corner feet and deletes the erroneous references to the adjustable screw-in feet from the Type 6 and 7 manuals.
- 79-001 Type 9 manual (U.S.) - Form 978967, dated January 82. This is eight 7"x8-1/2" pages printed on two legal-size sheets and folded into a booklet. This has more extensive assembly instructions than earlier manuals, because the Type 9 was the first Workmate shipped without the wooden jaws installed. It's printed in Canada, but the company has changed to "Black & Decker (U.S.)Inc., Easton, Maryland". This copy has discoloration from water damage.
- Other U.S. Workmate manuals from the period
- 79-003 manual - Form No. 977549-01 dated November 1979. The 79-003 Single-height 23" model is the smallest floor-standing Workmate from the period of the 79-001. It was sold from about August 1977 to 1983, when it was replaced by the Workmate 100 (79-031).
- 79-004 manual - Form No. 977063 undated. The 79-004 marked Black & Decker's brief reintroduction of the cast aluminum H-frame in a slightly more deluxe model in 1979. It shared almost all of its parts with the 79-001's of the same period. See the Related Models page to learn more about the 79-004.
- 79-009 manual - Form No. 977421, undated, but probably 1980. The 79-009 was one size down from the 79-001, also dual height but with 27" long jaws instead of the 29" jaws of the 79-001.
- 79-020 manual - Form No. 740538 dated Feb 81. The 79-020 Bench Top Tilt Top 16" Workmate was sold from about October 1978 through 1986.
- 79-021 manual - Form No. 740372 dated February 1981. The 79-021 Drop-Leaf Workmate was sold from about December 1980 through 1985.
- 79-023 manual - Form No. 679067 dated July 81. The 79-023 Standard 16" Benchtop was sold from about November 1981 through 1982.
- 79-032 (200) and 79-033 (300) manual - Form No. 741416 dated SEP87. The Workmate 300 (79-033) was introduced in 1982, replacing the 79-001, and the 200 was its slightly smaller sibling.
- 79-035 manual - Form No. 740298 dated June 1979. The 79-035 Clampdown 35" model is the largest Workmate from the period of the 79-001. It was sold from about September 1979 to 1983.
- Sears Portable Craft Center manual and an insert from it - Part No. 976129-05, undated, but probably 1980. The Portable Craft Center was a Workmate 79-001 made by Black & Decker but relabeled for sale by Sears under their own model name and number. This manual corresponds to that for the 79-001 Type 7. The insert is a replacement page 2 of the manual that informs the buyer about the change in the feet that occurred with the 79-001 Type 8.
- Canadian Workmate manuals (sold in Canada, but not in the U.S.)
- 79-005 Type 1 manual - Form No. 976203 dated June 77. The 79-005 was the Canadian steel-H-frame model that was introduced when the aluminum-H-frame 79-001 was discontinued in 1977. It shared almost all of its parts with the later 79-001's from the U.S. market. See the Related Models page to learn more about the 79-005.
- 79-005 Type 4 manual - Form No. 237010 dated November '81.
- Jobmate 3980 manual - Form No. 976262-04 undated. This premium model kept the aluminum H-frame on the market in Canada, after the 79-001 was discontinued there. It shared almost all of its parts with the 79-004's from the U.S. market. See the Related Models page to learn more about the Jobmate.
- 79-008 Table Top Workmate manual - Form no. 976501, dated May '78. The Table Top Workmate 79-008 is a Canada-only model, sold from fall 1977 into the early 1980's. It is probably the most rare of the eight or so other sizes and configurations of the Workmate that were sold alongside the 79-001.
- 79-008 Table Top Workmate manual (French) - the French portion of the manual above.
- UK/European Workmate manuals
- Mate Tools Workmate manual - This is the manual for Ron Hickman's original Workmate, sold by his own company Mate Tools Limited. It is dated November 1968, but with a page of "Additions" that is probably from 1970. This was a couple of years before Black & Decker bought the rights to the Workmate. It is interesting to see how the inventor himself documented the original Workmate, in contrast to the manuals for subsequent models from Black & Decker.
- U.K. Model WM325 manual and an insert from it - (This is the same Workmate as the U.S. 79-001 Type E, but the differences in the U.K. and U.S. manuals are interesting. See this blog post for commentary on one aspect of the differences.) This was from Black & Decker's website and it looks as though the manual was on A4 paper but was scanned to 8.5x11", so the bottoms of pages are slightly cut off. As a result, there is no visible Form number or date.
- U.K. Model WM525 manual and an insert from it - Part No. 894889, undated. The first Workmate without a cast aluminum H-frame, never sold in the U.S.
- U.K. Model WM625 E03 manual - Form No. 723137, from an owner in the UK.
- Dutch Model WM625 E05 manual - This scan was contributed by an owner of a WM625 in the Netherlands.
- Accessory manuals
- Gripmate 79-011 manual - Form No. 976201-00, May 1977. This includes instructions about the 3/4" and 20mm adaptor bushings, including what I believe is the only time Black & Decker ever mentioned the Type numbers of the 79-001 and told owners how to determine their Type number! It recommends mounting the Gripmate in the double-layer part of the jaw.
- Gripmate 79-011 manual - Form No. 976201-03, May 1977. Revised version. The 3/4" adaptor bushing for the Type 1 is no longer included.
- Clamp 79-016 manual - Form No. 3097756501, September 1991. Unlike the Gripmate manuals above. this manual from 1991 no longer mentions the double-layer jaw, which was last made in 1978.
- Mitremate 79-012 manual - Form No. 976206, June 1977.
- Mitre & Saw Guide 79-012 manual - Form No. 977566, undated. Other than the change of name and a reduction in size, I don't see any difference between this and the one above.
- Routermate 79-013 manual - Form No. 976205-03, March 1989. Includes mounting instructions for the B&D 7600 and 7604 routers that "are equipped with 3 evenly spaced routermate mounting holes"!
- Router & Shape Guide 79-013 manual - Form No. 977568, undated. The mounting instructions for the 7600 and 7604 were removed from this later manual, probably because those routers had been discontinued.
- Guidemate 79-015 manual - Form No. 976540, July 1978.
- Guidemate 79-015 manual (French) - The French portion of the manual above.
- Horizontal Clamp 79-018 manual - Form No. 688115-01, February 1987.
- WM 110 Universal Extender Arms manual - Form No. 897620, undated. An accessory sold in the U.K.
- WM120 Metal Vice Claddings manual - Form No. 899140, undated. An accessory sold in the U.K.
- WM140 Saw Table Instruction Leaflet and Addendum - I am missing an image of the reverse side of the instruction leaflet.
Parts Diagrams
- Type E - This is my scan of an original parts diagram that was included in the manual for the Type E.
- Type 1 - This is a scan from an owner of a Type 1. As far as I know, no parts diagrams were included with any of the later Workmate 79-001's.
The parts diagrams below were scanned by Black & Decker and available on their web site for a while. Unlike the clean scans above, these are heavily marked up with various hand-written annotations, including the ambiguous and unreliable "discontinued" dates that I refer to in other parts of the site and which I discuss on the 79-001 Timeline page. Unlike the ones above, they were poorly scanned so that the top portion of every diagram is cut off.
Catalogs & Brochures
Mate Tools Publications
- Ron Hickman's original Workmate - undated. This 4-page flyer was used to promote the original 1968 sawhorse-height Workmate manufactured by Mate Tools, Ltd. It also features the Team-Mate portable bench-height add-on, the Wallmate brackets for hanging the Workmate for storage, and the Tidymate canvas floor sheet for keeping a clean work area.
- Mate Tools Toolmate offer - undated. This is an offer sent to Workmate owners promoting the new Toolmate accessory, "the ideal tool cabinet, tool box, and tool carrying tray combined."
I have quite a few catalogs and brochures, so to save you some time I've put three of the most rare and significant ones first:
- 79-001 Type 1 - I believe this is the very first appearance of the Workmate in print for the United States, with a printing date of 10/74. This is the inside back cover from Black & Decker catalog 287 "Power Tools" January-December 1975. Note the big black emblem at the top of the page proclaiming the Workmate as "new". Also, note the error, listing the weight as 24 lbs. This would have been correct for the earlier all-aluminum Type E, but the mostly steel Type 1 is about 9 lbs. heavier.
- 79-001 Type 1 - Form 0401, an almost lavish (by tool marketing standards) four-page color brochure introducing the Workmate to dealers, undated from late 1974 or early 1975. The first three pages are pretty standard, and could pass for a brochure aimed at customers. The highlight is page four where it tells retailers how the Workmate will be marketed, including the lyrics to the song used in TV ads!
- 79-001 Type 2 - Very similar to the brochure above, but now featuring the Type 2, and aimed at buyers. Form 0437, dated 10/75. As far as I know this is the most deluxe promotional piece that B&D ever published for the Workmate, part of the first big U.S. marketing push for the Workmate. It has many of the same photographs as in Form 0435 shown below. They corrected the weight in this one.
- 79-001 Type 1 - from Black & Decker "Automotive Power Tools" Canadian catalog, Form #Auto 75. The first appearance of the Workmate in a Canadian catalog. Notice the alternate spelling of "centre" and "vice".
- 79-001 Type 1 - A one-page stand-alone flyer (Form 0401A) that is very similar to the page above from catalog 287. The photos are the same, but the text is somewhat different. Undated, but probably from late 1974 or early 1975.
- 79-001 Type 2 - from Black & Decker catalog "Husky Tools for Heavy-Duty Jobs", Form 0435, undated, probably 1975.
- 79-001 Type 2 - The next edition of the "Power Tools" catalog that leads off this section. From Black & Decker catalog 293 "Power Tools" JANUARY/JUNE 1976, printing date of 10/75. Now the Workmate 79-001 Type 2 takes over both the front and back covers. The photo on the back cover is used again in catalog 295 for JULY/DECEMBER 1976, as well as PE-6 and AU-9 that follow.
- 79-001 Type 2 - from Black & Decker "Heavy Duty Power Tools for the Professional" catalog PE-6 dated 1-1-76. (A later edition of catalog PE-6, dated 4-1-77, has the same pages.)
- 79-001 Type 2 - from Black & Decker "Automotive Power Tools" catalog AU-9 1977, printing date of 10/76.
- 79-001 Type 2 and more - from Black & Decker "Power Tools" catalog 302, July-December 1977, printing date of 4/77. This has four pages devoted to the Workmate, including the new 79-002 and 79-003 models as well as the first three Workmate accessories. It uses photos of the 79-001 Type 2 which was current when this was printed, but the Type 4 was in stores by the time the catalog was released.
- 79-001 Type 2 - from Black & Decker "Automotive Power Tools" catalog 1978, printing date of 10/77. It uses the same photo of the Type 2 from catalogs 293, PE-6, and AU-9 above, even though the Type 4 was in stores at this time.
- 79-001 Type 4 and more - from Black & Decker "Consumer Products Catalog" 310 dated 4/78. This is the first catalog to show the 79-001 with steel H-frame. The 79-002, which was introduced a year earlier, had already been dropped from the catalog. The 79-020 Bench Top Workmate is "NEW", shown in a black and orange color scheme that I have never seen. I would guess they used a photograph of a prototype that didn't make it into production.
- 79-004, 79-001 Type 6 and more - from Black & Decker "Consumer Products, First Half 1979, Catalog 315" dated 9/78. This is the only catalog I have found that shows the 79-004. The 79-004 shown differs from the actual production model in its feet and the location of the electrical outlet. A close examination reveals that they don't appear to have their marketing quite worked out. In the catalog text, the 79-004 is described as the "Deluxe Dual-Height Workmate", the name previously used for the 79-001. In the text, the 79-001 has been demoted to simply "Dual-Height Workmate", yet the crossbar label visible on the 79-001 still says "Deluxe Dual-Height Workmate". The 79-020 makes its second catalog appearance, this time in its actual production version.
- Jobmate 3980 - from Black & Decker "Heavy Duty Power Tools for the Professional" catalog PE-7, undated but probably printed in 1978 for sales year 1979. This is the only appearance I have found for the Jobmate in any B&D U.S. catalog. The Jobmate was a standard consumer item in Canada, just like the Workmate, but in the U.S. Black & Decker tried to market the Jobmate as a professional tool by selling it through their Industrial/Construction division.
- 79-001 Type 4 and more - from Black & Decker "Consumer Products Catalog" 323, with a printing date of 1/82. 2 pages for the Workmate, showing the final lineup of models in the 79-001 family. They were still using a photo of the Type 4, which had been discontinued several years earlier, rather than the Type 8 that would have been on the market in 1981/82.
- 79-001 Type 8 - from Black & Decker "Consumer Products Catalog" 344 for 1981-1982, with no printing date. This is the cover only, showing the 79-001 Type 8.
- 79-033 (Workmate 300) and more - from Black & Decker catalog Form 323, Rev. 5/83. 4 pages for the Workmate, but the 79-001 is no more as the catalog shows the new models (with a new numbering scheme) that replaced the 79-001 and other first-generation Workmates. The 300 was the direct successor to the 79-001 and had much in common with the 79-001 Type 9.
- Gripmate/Mitremate/Routermate brochure (undated, probably 1977)
- Gripmate/Mitremate/Routermate/Guidemate brochure (undated, probably 1978 or 1979)
- UK Complete 1975 tool range - Form BD874.200M (presumably from 8/1974). Depicts the WM325 and WM525 plus "the first of a range of attachments". These four attachments are entirely different than the U.S. Workmate accessories that would be introduced a couple of years later.
- UK Workmate attachments announcement letter - a letter sent to Workmate owners in the UK in October 1974 announcing the new WM110, WM120, WM130, and WM140 attachments.
- UK Workmate attachments flyer - Form 898715, 1974. The UK flyer advertising the new WM110, WM120, WM130, and WM140 attachments.
- Spanish Black & Decker catalog - date unknown, probably early 1976. Includes rare photo of the WM325 Type 4, plus the WM400 and now five attachments for the Workmate, with the addition of the WM190 universal baseplate.
- German Black & Decker catalog - dated October 1976. Shows the WM625 Type E01 and the WM190 universal baseplate.
See my page about the Craftsman Portable Craft Center for more information about the lengthy patent fights between Black & Decker and Sears over the Workmate copies advertised in the catalogs below.
- Craftsman Porta-Bench - from the Sears Craftsman Power and Hand Tools 1976-77 catalog. Touted as "Our exclusive design", this was Sears' first copy of the Workmate, with all major parts made of wood. The resulting lawsuit against the manufacturer of the copy upheld Hickman's U.S. patent.
- Craftsman Portable Craft Center - from the Sears Craftsman Power and Hand Tools 1977-78 catalog. Only a year later and the Porta-Bench is gone. "New at Sears" is their properly licensed version of the Black & Decker 79-001 Type 4, but with no brand markings shown in the catalog photo. Note that it is "Made in Canada", referring to Black & Decker's Brockville, Ontario factory.
- Work Buddy and Craftsman Portable Craft Center - from the Sears Craftsman Power and Hand Tools 1978-79 catalog. One more year and the catalog now features, "Only at Sears", the Work Buddy copy of the Workmate. This was cause for a second successful patent infringement suit by Black & Decker. On the same page, it shows the same licensed Portable Craft Center as the 1977-78 catalog, now described as "Imported".
- Craftsman Portable Craft Center - from the Sears Craftsman Power and Hand Tools, Spring 1981 catalog. Now featuring an extensive lineup of licensed Workmates and accessories, including the single-height model and the Table Top model. Unlike the unmarked ones above, these carry the name "Sears Craftsman Portable Craft Center", just barely readable on the crossbar if you already know what it says.
- Craftsman Portable Craft Center - from the Sears Craftsman Power and Hand Tools 1982-83 catalog. Similar items as the 1981 catalog, but with the wall-mounted Workmate replacing the single-height model.
- WM325 UK Model, WM110 Universal Extender Arms, WM140 Saw Table - A page from the 1975-76 catalog from Argos, a major UK retailer. Item 2 on the page is the Workmate WM325 that was brought to the U.S. as the Type E, item 3 is the UK Workmate accessory WM110 Universal Extender Arms, and item 4 is the WM140 Saw Table.
- WM625 UK Model, WM110 Universal Extender Arms, WM120 Vice Cladding, WM140 Saw Table - A page from the Autumn/Winter 1976 catalog from Argos. It shows the WM625 E02 which was sold in the U.S. in small numbers as the 79-001 Type 3. Below it is the WM120 accessory metal cladding for the jaws, an option never sold in the U.S. but similar to the cladding that was standard on the Canadian model Jobmate 3980.
Advertisements
- October 23, 1974 - The first known advertisement for the Workmate 79-001, from the Montreal (Canada) Star newspaper. The Workmate pictured is the Type 1.
- November 29, 1974 - The first known local print ad in the U.S., including a photograph of the Type 1, from the Santa Cruz (California) Sentinel newspaper. Orchard Supply Hardware was offering in-store demonstrations by factory representatives at four of their stores.
- February 1975 - This is the first national print ad, showing the Workmate 79-001 Type 1 in Popular Science magazine in February 1975. The same ad also appeared in Popular Mechanics in March 1975 and November 1975 (source of this scan).
- WM625 Type E01 - from a 1970's French magazine advertising a European Workmate. Included because it is nearly identical to the U.S. Workmate 79-001 Type 3 (which is the European model WM625 Type E02). The only difference is the double-layer jaws.
Articles
- 79-001 Type 1 - review from The New York Times, January 26, 1975. The same review ran in the Chicago Tribune on January 25. It was syndicated and subsequently published in other newspapers.
- 79-001 Type 1 - short article from the Baltimore Evening Sun, January 31, 1975. Note that this has the same erroneous 24 lb. weight as the 1975 B&D catalog above.
- 79-001 Type 1 - review from Popular Mechanics, August 1975. This one also has the same erroneous 24 lb. weight as the 1975 B&D catalog above.
- 79-001 Type 1 - review from Popular Science, November 1975. Another with the same erroneous 24 lb. weight as the 1975 B&D catalog above.
- 79-001 Type 3 - Two pages from the book "Black & Decker Power Tool Carpentry", 1978. Too bad it's not in color, to show that it's blue.
- 79-001 Type 4 - from "The Next Whole Earth Catalog", 1980.
- Workmate Mark 2 from Design Journal, April 1973. The Mark 2 was nearly identical to the U.K. model WM325 that was brought to the U.S. in 1974 as the 79-001 Type E to gauge U.S. demand for the Workmate.
- Ron Hickman's home, Villa Devereux - an article from The Observer (London) May 11, 2003 about Ron Hickman, the history of the Workmate, and the home he built with his millions in royalties from the Workmate.