Help identifying a workmate (not a man!!)

[Olderisbetter]

My old one had jaws made from 4x2 with a groove all the way down for holding tube, very useful back in the day.

 

[Wedg1e]

Ron Hickman, the inventor, got 50p commission on each one sold, they sold 30 million of them. This from Wikipedia

Not so bad for him then. My source probably predated WIkipedia

 

[Gragson]

Any reason you wouldn't just make them yourself? The wood looks good enough to use as a template.

Not a patch on the older alloy ones, but picked a pressed steel one up in a bit of a state for a tenner and replaced the truly knackered boards with 16mm ply for not a lot from B&Q using the old as templates.

 

[Arc Tourist]

I've got one of the Workmate's with the alloy frame which is in pretty good condition. Will have a look tomorrow to see if there is a model number on it.

Sorry for the late reply, but my Workmate appears to be a different model; only part of the framework is alloy, and there are no number markings.

 

[gerrymoore]

I've made a new 'top' out of 2 lengths of 45mm scaffold timber dowelled and glued together and put some thin galv steel over part of it. I only use this workmate (already have another) for cleaning my steel 'sculptures' with an angle grinder fitted with a wire cup brush. Used to put steel plates

over the top to protect the wood but now it's already there!! Very solid table now and cost me nothing as had the wood and steel already

 

[Farside]

that looks like the original workmate as it's cast, all the others are pressed steel i made jaws out of 3x2 hard wood for mine
much better than the original skinny ones mine must be not far off 35 years old dual height but steel

Indeed, the very first patentable ones were bits of timber...

 

[KemppiFrog]

Hickman worked for Lotus, designed the Elan. He tried to sell the workmate idea, but no go, so went it alone. B&D then woke up and took it over. Hickman did VERY well out of it.
I have the little 400 version, bought in early 80s. Wood is still OK.