Black & Decker Portable Work Bench and Vise

Why this portable bench has a permanent spot in my small shop

Space is tight in my garage, so anything that folds, rolls, or stacks earns my attention. This portable bench hits that sweet spot between compact and capable. It’s a folding clamping station, a light-duty work surface, and a stand-in sawhorse when I need an extra pair of hands—without demanding permanent floor space.

After a few weeks of projects—planing a 2×4 flat, sanding small cabinet doors, cutting down trim, and clamping odd-shaped parts for glue-ups—I have a clear sense of where this bench shines and where it asks for a bit of patience.

Setup and first impressions

Assembly took me about 15–20 minutes at an unhurried pace. Most of that time went into installing the wooden jaws, handles, and the four clamping pegs. The instructions are primarily pictorial and not always intuitive; you can build it from the booklet, but a quick video reference will save some head-scratching.

Out of the box, the legs fold and lock positively, the frame feels stout for the size, and the clamping mechanism moves smoothly. My unit arrived with one top jaw slightly out of parallel. A few minutes loosening and re-tightening the fasteners brought it within acceptable alignment, but it’s worth checking before your first project.

Build and design

The frame is heavy-gauge steel, which gives the bench a reassuringly solid feel. At roughly 28 pounds, it’s light enough to carry one-handed but not flimsy. Folded, it’s about 3.5 inches thick, so it slides against a wall or under a shelf without fuss. The dual-height legs give you two working positions—roughly 24.5 inches and 32.6 inches—which matters more than you’d think. I use the lower setting for planing or when I want to put body weight over a piece; the higher setting is better for sanding, assembly, and detail work.

There are no wheels, and I did miss them when shuffling the bench across the shop. That said, the fold-flat mechanism is quick enough that I usually just collapse it and carry it to the next spot.

Clamping and workholding

This is where the bench earns its keep. The split wooden top acts as a vise with independently adjustable jaws. The front cranks advance the front jaw while the rear jaw adjusts via knobs, letting you dial in parallel clamping pressure on stock up to a few inches thick. The four plastic swivel pegs drop into holes along the jaws to support wider panels or to pinch irregular shapes.

Practical notes from the workflow:
- For edge planing narrow boards, the pegs and jaws hold firmly without marring the surface.
- For sanding or routing small doors and drawer fronts, the pegs create a steady support at multiple points.
- For cutting miters and crosscuts on trim, clamping the work reduces chatter and improves accuracy.

The jaws aren’t cabinetmaker-flat out of the box, and the wood has a printed graphic that can scuff under abrasion. Before my first glue-up, I lightly hand-sanded the jaw surfaces and wiped them down to remove any loose pigment. Since then, I’ve had no transfer issues, but if you’re clamping freshly finished parts, put down a scrap or a bit of kraft paper.

Rated capacity is 450 pounds. I didn’t load it to the limit, but it handled a stack of hardwood planks and a tabletop glue-up without drama. Under heavy downward pressure (planing or chiseling), the frame feels planted and the legs don’t rack excessively.

Stability in use

Stability is good for the footprint. On smooth concrete the feet stayed put; on a slightly uneven deck I needed to rotate the bench 90 degrees to bring it into its most stable stance. Any folding bench will have some flex when you’re really leaning on it, and this one is no different, but the steel frame keeps the movement minimal. I’d describe it as “confident light- to medium-duty”—ideal for DIY, trim carpentry, and small furniture components, less ideal for hammer-heavy metalwork.

Ergonomics and adjustability

The dual-height legs are the standout ergonomic feature. Being able to lower the surface for aggressive hand-tool work makes a difference in control and fatigue. The cranks on the jaws are smooth, and the spacing allows you to tighten with both hands without knuckle collisions. The top surface area is compact; that’s the trade-off for portability. For cabinet-size assemblies, I use it alongside sawhorses as an auxiliary clamping station rather than the main bench.

One note: some edges on the leg stampings were a bit sharp on my sample. I ran a mill file lightly over the worst offenders. It’s a five-minute tweak that makes the bench nicer to handle.

Portability and storage

Folded, the bench is slim, and the carry is balanced. It lives on a wall hook in my shop and is quick to deploy. Because there are no wheels, moving it across longer distances means carrying it or setting it on a dolly if you’ve got other gear in hand. For apartment workshops or anyone sharing space with a car, the compact fold is the real value proposition—you get a proper clamping surface that disappears when you’re done.

Fit and finish quirks

No tool in this category is perfect, and a few nits are worth calling out:
- Jaw alignment may need a touch of dialing in during assembly.
- The printed graphics on the jaw tops can transfer if abraded aggressively; a quick sand/wipe fixes it.
- Pictogram instructions are serviceable but not great; a video reference makes assembly easier.
- Some metal edges benefit from a quick deburr.

None of these were deal-breakers for me, but they’re worth knowing so you can address them on day one.

Use cases it handles well

• Clamping and sanding small panels and doors
• Trimming and crosscutting stock with a handsaw or jigsaw
• Edge planing boards with firm support
• Light assembly tasks and glue-ups
• Acting as a third hand next to a miter saw or drill press
• Serving as a portable staging surface on jobsites

It also fills in as a single sawhorse when space is tight; paired with a second bench or a conventional horse, it can support larger sheet goods.

What I’d change

If I were sketching the next revision, I’d radius the leg edges from the factory, include clearer assembly instructions, and apply a more durable finish to the jaw graphics—or skip the graphics altogether. Optional clip-on casters would also make sense for shop users who move it frequently.

The bottom line

This portable bench is a practical, sturdy addition to a small shop or a DIY toolkit. The steel frame inspires confidence, the dual-height legs make it more versatile than fixed-height knockdowns, and the clamping system—with its split top and four pegs—covers a lot of real-world workholding needs. It’s not a replacement for a full-size woodworking bench, and it has a few fit-and-finish quirks, but it consistently saves me time, space, and frustration.

Recommendation: I recommend this bench for anyone who needs a compact, fold-flat clamping station that can act as a vise, sawhorse, or small work surface. It’s strong enough for most home and light professional tasks, easy to store at about 3.5 inches thick when folded, and adaptable with two working heights. Be prepared to spend a few minutes on setup—check jaw alignment, knock down any sharp edges, and wipe or lightly sand the jaw tops—and you’ll have a reliable, portable helper that earns its keep project after project.