Death of a Workmate

[Deleted member 174758]

Stunning! Got to hand it to the lass - she's a future wood butcher, and we coulld do with a few more lasses in this trade

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I'd never have guessed the chap who designed the 'mate was the mind behind the Lotus - that'd make a great quiz q.

Colin Chapman was actually the mind behind Lotus, especially the racing cars, but Hickman was the guy who gave Lotus their first three big sellers - the Elan, the Europa and the Elan +2. The styling of the Elan was very much influenced by the earlier (original) Elite, but Hickman refined that and introduced the iconic pop-up headlights.

The design/styling of the 1960s Elan was so good that in the 1990s Mazda effectively copied it in (but productionised it to make it practical) their MX-5 sports car, right down to the pop-up headlights (although Chapman's twin cam engine was missing, so it was somewhat less wild) - but when Mazda hit problems in pre-production testing with handling it was Lotus who sorted them out for Mazda.

Sorry to bat on, but I have driven both an original Elan and a twin cam Europa (both owned by a mate, sadly now deceased, who built both from kits) and I was an MX-5 owner for a while, too (about 20 years ago).

 

[conny]

A budding carpenter there Laurieo.

 

[mrrusty]

That plastic part is only the leg clip - not structural - push the pin back through the metal flange on the base and it'll be fine. Same as mine.

 

[Odds]

It Lives!​

Found all i needed here and more besides...a new spring to help lift the table without a struggle. A dash of oil here and a splash of WD40 there and if not quite 'good as new' at least fit enough to stand on its own four feet again

 

[nicam49]

Re the original 1972 Workmate, as pictured with aluminium frame, at that time, B&D made two versions, I had the cheaper blue steel framed version, and still have and use it regularly. I dislike the 'modern' version like the OP has got, 'cos I find the way the legs fold out annoying and the whole thing an inferior design. I guess B&D, to avoid paying Mr Hickman royalties, redesigned it (possibly)

 

[Koolpc]

I need one. Dont want to spend a lot though. Already put lots of saw marks on the kitchen chair!

 

[mattylad]

I passed a skip with on in the other day.
Meant to stop and have a gander another day but by the time I remembered to do that the skip had gone
I might at least have been able to get some of the plastic push in stops. lol

 

[big-all]

The original ones were late 1960s and lacked the fold down feet. We bought my dad one when I was a teenager - and I'm now pretty old! (so around 50 years back). His wasn't even a true original, but it had the aluminium H-frames, so reasonably early (1972 or so - the first year B&D sold them)


That's the type, a mark 2 - like this:

View attachment 270187

The guy who designed the original Workmate, Ron Hickman, also designed the original Lotus Elan and the Lotus Europa:

View attachment 270188

A true British genius

still have my dads original but the bolt heads have sheered so need to drill the bolts out the ally frames to fix rather than the heath robinson 2x1 timbers and 8mm bolts i have used to make it a general bum and material support

 

[nicam49]

Re the Ron Hickman designed WM, I saw a hybrid version yesterday that had the blue tubular steel body, but the aluminium legs. I told the owner of its Lotus heritage, thanks to this site...

 

[IJWS15]

I have one from the 80s, needed a new top so they went on the Xmas list. the parts from b&d were more than a new workmate so they bought me a new one!

It is crap, made new top for the old one out of a table top and it lives on.

 

[Johntheo5]

My "400" (still perfect) could support (or if it couldn't, it did) a VW Beetle air cooled engine.

 

[securespark]

So of course you patted her on the back and told her, "Like father, like daughter!"

 

[Chainsawcharlie]

Had mine 40 years this year

 

[JD2012]

Would you say then that buying a old Workmate not the modern plastic ones are better?

Discuss lol