Customer Reviews

Black & Decker WM225 Workmate 225 450-Pound Capacity Portable Work Bench

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

My Workmate "was" the handiest thing around. It folds flat, is quite stable, and is nicely adjustable. The problem is that the worm screw parts and table mounting brackets are made of cheap PLASTIC. It didn't take long, but one by one, they've all cracked and broken. The particle board surface also chips and splinters with use. I think B&D designed this product to die after a year or two. I would give it 5 stars if all the critical mounting parts were made out of metal. B&D needs to at least sell replacement parts which I haven't been able to find anywhere.

I currantly own two WM's I bought one of original and later a 225 (I think) These tools are like having extra man on the job. Have used as clamp for planing/pipe clamp/a sheet metal brake. I use them as temp mounts for bench mount type machinery. Jigs set up for routing table on site. These tools are used for everything and I am now going to add a third to my shop with the 425. I can see this as a great setup table for small projects. Bigger jobs with 2x extensions clamped and plywood work top (bench top). Perfect for site work, small shop and large shop too.

A B&D Workmate was the first workbench I bought, and it's still in use 12 years later. I've used it to make tables, cabinets and book cases, to hold pipe for plumbing work, to support powertools and a dozen other things as well. Mine is sitting at home supporting a miterbox I'm using to cut window jamb extensions.

I have owned one of these since 1978 and I've never looked back. If you own your own shop and never go on-site you will still want one. Because of it's versatility it is indispensible. I have my own shop and still use my Workmate daily. And when I didn't have my own shop, it folded up and hung out of the way with ease. I've used it to build fences, plane doors, hold odd shaped pieces for sanding, rebuild engines... There is not enough room to describe all it's uses. My mother sold my first one while I was in the service and as soon as I could I bought another and that one has been in service since 1991 without ever failing me.

Deserves a spot in the design hall of fame, this well-constructed foldable bench is responsible for saving thousands of dining room chairs and picnic tables from their accidental scaring and destruction. No longer will you drill through your wood project and into the kitchen countertops, gone are the days where you very foolished used you knee to balance the board you were cutting with the radial saw. The vise is very useful for clamping small glue jobs -- though often not wide enough anything larger -- and serves and an extra pair of hands when you need them most.

I received the B&D 225 today, Oct. 18, 2010, and just minutes ago finished assembly. I'm near 60 and have a nicely equipped machine shop at home and do welding, both gas and arc. I purchased the 225 to make a portable welding bench by adding a piece of 1/4" steel plate 24x36" that sits on an angle iron frame that raises the steel top about 8 inches off the 225 and that will be clamped in the jaws for stability.

My father bought one of the early aluminum frame Workmates, must have been in the 1970s, that just broke last year, 2009. I felt it was a valuable addition to my shop not only as a temporary tool platform for the planer or chop saw but also as a portable and versatile work surface. I've felt a little lost without it so it was time to replace it with a new Workmate.

I studied and read about the various models, including the 425, and decided for $70 delivered from Amazon that the 225 was exactly what I needed. Below is my immediate impression and feedback on the "Workmate 225 Type 5". No, I can't tell you what Type 1 through 4 were all about.

No where did I read that this 225 was as simplified as it is. There is no longer 2 movable jaws. Only the front jaw is movable. The rear jaw can be fixed in one of 3 positions against which the front jaw exerts clamping pressure. I thought about this for a few minutes and decided that simple was better. Simple means fewer parts. Simple means it does the same job with fewer parts. There's nothing negative about fewer parts as long as the tool does the same job, and it does.

In one of the reviews a buyer lamented at the "plastic" parts. Well, the only plastic parts are the crank handles, knobs, the 4 spacer blocks under the 2 wooden jaws and the 4 clamp dogs on top, which are larger and have Vee's for small round material. The female threaded parts for the vise screws are not plastic but appear to be cast nylon. These are the only two parts that would need replacement from Black & Decker. I say this because the crank handles, knobs, jaw spacers and clamp dogs can all be easily made of maple by the home wooodworker and the 225 would be all the better for this slight improvement.

The wooden jaws are 3 plies of laminated hardwood. Not OSB or fiberboard. When I say laminated I mean there's a lot of lamination going on.

The 225 has 2 practical heights. The legs folded in and legs extended with the top up. The top down position may be impractical with much weight. For use as a welding table 2 heights is very nice to have.

The one and only negative could be the lack of leveling screws on the extended legs and lack of adjustment on the 4 feet in the 'legs folded' position. The old Workmate had rubber footed screw adjustable feet on both those levels.

Otherwise the pressed steel frame certainly feels up to the job, far as I'm concerned. It does not feel inadequate as far as strength and ease of use. I'm glad I bought the 225 and I highly recommend it.

Shipping via FedEx was fast and there was absolutely no damage whatsoever.

My father has had a workmate for years. It had provided about 5 years of faithful 'moderate' to 'light' duty service. It's a must for space starved garages or workshops, and is fantastic for clamping. One of its drawbacks is its unwieldy center of mass when it folded up and placed on its side. It has a tendency to want to tip over if bumped, and in a confined garage that can be a problem. Alas, about a month ago it fell over and broke the plastic worm gear follower. It is a shame that they selected a thermoset plastic for this part. Because of its lack of ductility when it hit the deck it shattered into a several pieces. At first pass for the designers to make a part of this complex geometry out of plastic was the obvious choice, however, a die casting of the same part would have been much better.(...)

This is one of the most useful tools that I have owned in my 20 yrs in the carpentry trade.Most of the woodworking that I do is on-site and the Workmate is indispensible.A quality product!

Don't get me wrong - the Workmate is a very useful "tool" to have around - it's just that I have the "misfortune" of perspective: I also have an older version of the workmate (actually the model 200) to compare to. The "new" version uses metal that's *half* the thickness of the old Workmate, and the jaws are made from 5/8" bamboo vs. 7/8" laminated industrial board. The new version does allow for more adjustment in the jaws, but the mechanism for this makes the jaws feel flimsy. Like I said, the Workmates are nice to have around and pretty much worth the money - but it's just sad to see that time and technology have produced a less robust product. I guess that's just one more sign of the times....

This is one of the most useful tools I own. I use it's clamps for planing, gluing, cross cutting, drilling, pocket hole drilling, sanding and many more. Only thing I don't do is heavy duty nailing with objects placed on it. Two heights are useful. Sometimes I use also to set my table saws. While planing I press the table with my feet otherwise it may move. It is perfect for my very small workshop.