Sectioned Mechanism for Workmate Model WM400

Sectioned mechanism as used in the production Workmate, Model WM400, c.1980. This demonstration model has been mounted to a plywood backboard and was intended for use during legal action in defence of the patents on the ‘Workmate’ as developed by Ron Hickman, demonstrating the movement of the vice jaws.

Ron Hickman and his company spent an enormous amount of time and money in defending the patent protection on the 'Workmate' combined workbench and vice. They built and commissioned numerous illustrative models for use during legal cases, and even advertised their abilitie in building such models to other companies whoc might have been prospective customers.

The Japanese ‘Kinzo’ bench was such a close copy of the Workmate WM400 that Black & decker were able to re-label and sell the confiscated stock after they’d won an out of court settlement against the manufacturer. The case against the Kinzo bench established the primacy of the Workmate patents secured in Japan.