I've got two workmates (225's) and I use them all the time. Whether as a tool base or to support a workpiece they're great. They also make a great makeshift step stool. They fold up and store against a wall when not in use (i've also hung mine on a hook) so they don't take up a bunch of room. I've also made a larger top for one of them that ends up being an assembly table.

All in all I just can't say enough good things about them.

 

Yep… great to have in the shop. I've had mine for years. I don't use it very often since I made my assembly table so it is hanging on a hook. But… just yesterday… I'm working on a shelve unit and the assembly table is too high. So out came the workmate. It is invaluable when you need it.

-Bobby

 

I have a Workmate … don't know the model number … that gets used on just about every project. I have had it for years

It is especially handy when I am setting up out on the driveway.

 

I've used a few different Workmates. Right now I have a mini lathe set up on one. I think they are a great small work bench, and the fact that they are collapsible is an added bonus.

 

I have a Workmate I bought about 35 years ago. I still use it some. The only problem I ever had was the rubber feet coming off. If I had epoxied them on, I probably would not have lost 2 of them. If they are still the same quality (yeah, like that's a possiblity) I would certainly reccomend one.

 

I would say definitly stay away from the clones. I've never seen a good one with the kicked out step portion.

The ability to stand on that is what allows you to use it for heavy work. It also shifts the center of balance making it harder to tip over.

 

i find em useless….ur better off building a workbench customed the way you like it…i just buy 3/4" ply n build portable job boxes so you can work on them and use it for storage

 

I have looked at the newer models of the workmate and haven't been overly impressed. A buddy of mine has one that is about 20 years old that is awesome. They cut corners and the quality is no where near what they used to be. I was given a Craftsman version as a gift that I was quite disgusted with. I use it and it will work as a toolstand but the clamping features are totally worthless. I, of course, never expressed this to the gift giver. I have checked out the Husky X table a few times at Home Depot. There is a lumberjock review of it here. I think I might pick up a couple myself for temporary stands and assembly. It would be cheaper to get two of these and each is rated at 750 pounds.

David

 

I bought a work mate as a newlywed living in an apartment in 1970 and still use it regularly. I even refinished the wooden top several years ago. Does that make me weird?

 

I'm with David I have a X-table and I don't think you can beat it. As far as B & D goes I don't think that there is any thing that they haven't cheapened.

 

got one use it once been sitting in the corner ever since.
waste of money - make your own sawhorses or bench

 

The workmates look nice and they do not look like they have changed. With that being said, today, I would absolutely purchase a Jawhorse. I have used one for a chop saw stand out on a job, and I have used it as a stand for my mini-lathe. I also accessorized it with a workbench top that clamps into the jaws for when I need a small work surface on a job. I used the workbench top I made to use my Kreg Jig on Monday in fact.

 

Not exactly the same, but you may want to consider this one as well. It has integrated clamping, with bench dog holes, as well as an on board power strip. It's quite sturdy too.

Vika Quickbench

Hutch

 

I have a pair of old workmates that were my dads. I use them all the time. Mostly for tool stands, as saw horses, or as extra surfaces when I'm milling lumber.

 

I have a workmate with a slightly smaller top that I've used for probably 15 years. I pitched all 4 of the little rubber feet; if I had it to do again I'd glue or pin them in place probably. Anyway, its noticeably less-good as a tool stand than a real tool stand, and noticeably less-good as a workbench than a real workbench, and noticeably less-good as an outfeed table than a real outfeed table, and noticeably less-good as a stool than a real stool, etc., etc., etc. So if you only work in a shop that has all of the stands, benches, and clamps that you need, well then it probably won't get a lot of use. But my shop is not so well equipped, and sometimes I'm working elsewhere, and sometimes I'm doing something unusual. I've spent more time doing DIY projects around the house than woodworking. So if I didn't have one, I'd buy the sturdiest version I could find that was still collapsible.

 

I have a few of the B&D workmates and love them . Don't fall for the cheap imitations , they aren't half as sturdy . Mine are at 20+ years old and still work like the day it got them . You can find them on Craigslist all the time .

 

I've got one of the older metal ones. i don't use it in the shop but love it when I take my miter saw out to someone's house to do some work.

 

I don't know how old mine is…suffice it to say that one of the supports is cast aluminum (They haven't done that in a while). I find it invaluable as a small bench, chop saw and router table stand. Yesterday I took it to my daughter's flower shop and set it up with a tile cutter. The tool was designed with versatility in mind, and it has that in spades.

Urban legend has it that the inventor of the Workmate took the design to Stanley first, and they said "Nah, it'll never sell." Has anyone else heard that?

 

A lot of great advice, many thanks

1. Old WMs seem well made, lots of complaints about new ones breaking (more plastic, thin metal)
2. Never on Craigslist where I live

So I went with a Wolfcraft 6139 for $64.36. price is right and it's metal.

http://www.amazon.com/Wolfcraft-6139-4-Inch-Wheeled-Station/dp/B000HE6C5Q