On 14 Nov 2004 09:48:35 GMT, otforme (Charlie Self)
wrote:

WorkMate is Black & Decker's brand name for their folding workbench.

Anyone who has to build or fix houses _needs_ a Workmutt. They're a
very clever piece of design, and a really useful tool as a large
portable clamp.

As a workbench though, they're terrible. Too tall and spindly, too
light and just not stable for work with hand tools. Power tools work
fast, with light forces. Hand tools work slowly, with high forces. You
need a heavier and more stable bench.

Given what I think Sam's budget is likely to be, then he should either
borrow a Workmate or spend money on something else, but not buy one.


You need a workspace and a workbench. They're the basic tools of
woodworking and you don;t get anywhere without them.

If you can't get a workspace, make smaller things. You might end up as
a luthier, but you'll still get to do some woodworking.

If you can't get a workbench, then there are some ways around it.
Japanese techniques use low trestles and a planing beam instead of a
"bench". Carpenters use trestles more than benches, because theyr'e
working on things that are big enough to "become their own bench".
Green woodworkers might use a "shave horse" instead of a bench,


Generally though, you're going to want a bench. This should be as big
and stable as you can manage, and it may need to pack away somewhere.

Best way is to buy one. It's not easy to find them, but S/H benches
are a bargain. Old school woodwork benches can change hands for as
little as a tenner, and that's with a pair of cast iron vices on them!

A bench I used for some time was an old firedoor (solid timber, not
hollow) on a pair of trestles made from metal brackets and some 2x4
rough timber. It's now on its third owner. The idea of a loose top on
trestles has a lot to recommend it. I'm not saying "Go and buy a
firedoor", but when I saw a firedoor going cheap in a sale, I
recognised that it could be a bench and so I bought it. Keep your
eyes open.

Trestles themselves are a good thing, especially if you're working
plywood with a handheld circular saw or jigsaw. Make a pair from 2x4s
and plywood boxing around the ends. If you make one a little longer
than the other, they nest and stack in half the space.

If you're working in a garage, then you might need a bench that folds
away, but can be hung from a wall for support. A simple 2x4 frame and
a plywood top with dropdown legs isn't too hard to build.

Have you got your Axminster catalogue yet ? What about the bench
ideas in there ? There are £50, £70 & £99 benches in Machine Mart
that are a bit flimsy, but they do the basic job, are better than a
Workmate and already have a vice on them. It rarely hurts to have
two, so get one of these, then build something better in a while.

Your first bench will be upgraded before too long. Everyone always
wants a bigger and better bench.


There is some
competition here in the States, but I don't know about the UK.

Really ? There is _no_ competition for Workmates in the UK. B&D
have _ferociously_ defended the brand and the design. There are a
few vaguely similar machines, but nothing gets close. Wolf and Triton
have some large "machinery centres" that are static folding benches
without the clamping, and there are some very minimal Lucky WorkFriend
cheap "trestle clamps" with no worktop space on top. Neither is any
substitute for the Workmate.

If you ever get the chance, snap up an old cast aluminium H frame
Workmate - a bit nicer than the pressed steel versions.

--
Smert' spamionam