Mk3 Workmate

Made:
1980-91 in England

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

‘Workmate’ model 536, combined vice and workbench, by Black & Decker, 1980-1991. This design, otherwise known as the Mk3, was manufactured until April 1991. It was the primary design mark at the time, and was manufactured and sold internationally.

The 'Workmate' designed by Ron Hickman and later manufactured by Black & Decker has been a major design and export success, equipping many tradesmen and procviding a case study in the development and defence of a major consumer innovation.

This developed design incoporated a dramatic reduction in material content, reducing the weight of the dual height economy Workmate to only 7.75kg. The revised geometry also gave greater stability when erected, and improved ‘packaging’, so that each Workmate took up less space on the shop shelves, a crucial consideration when selling in bulk.

It was part of a family comprising both single and dual height ‘economy’ models (reflecting the economic outlook of the time), and also a dual-height ‘De Luxe’ version, purposely designed to suit a wide range of alternative/additional features, depending on the needs of local markets globally.

Details

Category:
Hand and Machine Tools
Object Number:
2020-121
Materials:
wood composites and steel (metal)
Measurements:
overall: 195 mm x 614 mm x 747 mm,
type:
workmate