Support Bench Tools on a Workmate

This is my venerable 35 year old Black & Decker Workmate. I most often use it as a base for several power tools normally mounted on a bench. 

My workmate allows me to make better use of my garage workshop that shares space with our automobiles. Here you see my bandsaw mounted on my Workmate. The Workmate fits into a cramped corner.

This is my homemade router table. To use it I need only loosen the Workmate's jaws and substitute the router table for the bandsaw. If I need more space for handling the work I am routing, I can move the Workmate into a more open area, or even take it outside the garage.

Almost two years ago I published an Instructable on a quick conversion table for making accurate cuts with a circular saw. See it here. I use my Workmate to mount this quick conversion table. I could also use two sawhorses.

I bolted a cleat at least 2 x 2 inches in size under each of the tools I want to support for use on my Workmate. When I place a different tool onto the Workmate, I must open the jaws enough to fit the cleat on that tool. Then I tighten the jaws so they grip the cleat on the tool as evenly as possible for the best possible grip. 

The router table and the saw table both store upright against a wall. The bandsaw is usually in my Workmate, but if I need to support it while it is out of the Workmate, I can use a couple of pieces of 2 inch lumber as shown in the photo.

I have a small Chinese drill press of the type that is exported all over the world. A few years ago I made a welded stand for it. But, I could mount it on my Workmate. Notice the two mounting holes identified by the two yellow text boxes. I could use these holes to attach a 2 x 2 cleat like is on the other tools. If I did use this drill press on my Workmate, I would need to use some 2 inch lumber to store it like those seen in step 5. I do like to use my drill press on the stand I made because the height of the stand makes it easier to use than it would be on my Workmate.

The idea of using cleats on the bottom of smaller power bench tools so I can mount them on my Workmate has allowed me to make available workshop space more versatile and useful. It is a cheap and easy solution for anyone with a Workmate.