My Version of the Moxon Vise

[Greg Jones]

So I’ve been interested in the posts that Derek and others have made about their Moxon vises, so I thought I’d post pictures of the one (two actually) that I made in early summer. Mine is nothing fancy, but it extremely functional and after using it for the past 4 months I can say that I wouldn’t change a thing if I made it over again. The vices were made from a single board of 8/4 sapele, and originally I was only going to make one vise with 18” of capacity between the screws. The board I had was long enough to make a second with 24” between the screws, so since all the cuts were otherwise the same, I went ahead and made two.

The hardware is from Benchcrafted, and I bought an additional piece of crubber so that I would have it on the face jaw of both vises. While the 18” version will probably be sufficient for 99% of what I do, it’s nice to know that I have the 24” jaws should I ever need it. The beauty of the hardware is that it can be swapped between the jaws in just a couple of minutes. 

I made the fixed jaw so that it can be secured via holdfasts on the rear (my preferred method), but it is also wider than the movable front jaw, so it could be clamped to any bench, even to a dining table if needed. The fixed jaw is also wider than some Moxon vises I have seen, which makes it stable on the bench when removing the clamps or holdfasts. I also followed the Benchcrafted recommendation to make the moveable jaw taller than the fixed jaw, so that it automatically mounts flush with the face of the bench. I also planed the bottom of the fixed jaw with a toothed blade, so it’s extra grippy on the top of the bench. I added a shallow saw kerf on the top of the jaws as a center indicator when clamping stock in the vise. 

When dovetailing, I follow the same procedure as I would if using a face vise. I’ll place a block plane on the fixed jaw, mount the pin board flush with that, then place the block plane back on the unused fixed jaw (as the riser block) to place the tail board on to mark the pin board. Derek shows pictures of how he does something similar as example, I didn’t take any myself. My plan when I get more sapele is to make a small, dedicated riser block, as using the second fixed jaw for this purpose is cumbersome.

[hbmcc]

That looks very sturdy and functional. Nice. However, is there a way to build that does not have the screw protruding from the front?

[DaveR1]

However, is there a way to build that does not have the screw protruding from the front?

Build it like a twin screw vise--add a chain drive in the chop if you want.

[tablesawtom]

That looks very sturdy and functional. Nice. However, is there a way to build that does not have the screw protruding from the front?

Yes, protrude the screws from the back.

[Greg Jones]

However, is there a way to build that does not have the screw protruding from the front?

In addition to Dave’s suggestion, there are other options to address the protruding screws. One would be to capture the nuts in the fixed jaw and secure the hand wheels to the screws, similar to how most of the bench top benches are done, here’s a picture of mine. The downside to that is that the hardware is more or less permanent to the bench/vise, so it can’t be moved to a different set of jaws.

The other thing is to consider that as the screws are not fixed, they can be threaded further into the nut on the fixed jaw, which puts the protrusion on the back side. If you commonly worked with say 3/4 stock, the screws could be adjusted so that they are flush when securing the stock. It’s a quick adjustment-I just did it now to demonstrate.

[hbmcc]

In addition to Dave’s suggestion, there are other options to address the protruding screws. One would be to capture the nuts in the fixed jaw and secure the hand wheels to the screws, similar to how most of the bench top benches are done, here’s a picture of mine. The downside to that is that the hardware is more or less permanent to the bench/vise, so it can’t be moved to a different set of jaws.

The other thing is to consider that as the screws are not fixed, they can be threaded further into the nut on the fixed jaw, which puts the protrusion on the back side. If you commonly worked with say 3/4 stock, the screws could be adjusted so that they are flush when securing the stock. It’s a quick adjustment-I just did it now to demonstrate.

Sweet! Thanks Greg. I like both of your table top vises. I understand your desire for flexibility. I would guess that the wandering screws would pose issues with mismatched threading, at some point. But, I need to see how it works for myself. 

OTH, I'm not too thrilled about standing in one spot to do bench work. I think a comfortable stool is more my interest; and safer for reducing back pain.

[DaveR1]

There needs to be a like button.

[TheCabinetmaker]

Greg,

I built this one earlier this year, it has made life so much easier. The shelf on the back allows me to put a spacer  on top and clamp my tail board so I can mark out pins for DT. Years ago I purchased a 1 1/2" Beall Tap and Die set at a garage sale that was unused. So I made my own screws.

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[Treebeard]

Very nice Greg!

I'm curious who the maker was of the saws that are resting on your bench. Those handles look very nicely shaped.

- Mark

[Derek Cohen]

So I’ve been interested in the posts that Derek and others have made about their Moxon vises, so I thought I’d post pictures of the one (two actually) that I made in early summer. Mine is nothing fancy, but it extremely functional and after using it for the past 4 months I can say that I wouldn’t change a thing if I made it over again. The vices were made from a single board of 8/4 sapele, and originally I was only going to make one vise with 18” of capacity between the screws. The board I had was long enough to make a second with 24” between the screws, so since all the cuts were otherwise the same, I went ahead and made two.

The hardware is from Benchcrafted, and I bought an additional piece of crubber so that I would have it on the face jaw of both vises. While the 18” version will probably be sufficient for 99% of what I do, it’s nice to know that I have the 24” jaws should I ever need it. The beauty of the hardware is that it can be swapped between the jaws in just a couple of minutes. 

I made the fixed jaw so that it can be secured via holdfasts on the rear (my preferred method), but it is also wider than the movable front jaw, so it could be clamped to any bench, even to a dining table if needed. The fixed jaw is also wider than some Moxon vises I have seen, which makes it stable on the bench when removing the clamps or holdfasts. I also followed the Benchcrafted recommendation to make the moveable jaw taller than the fixed jaw, so that it automatically mounts flush with the face of the bench. I also planed the bottom of the fixed jaw with a toothed blade, so it’s extra grippy on the top of the bench. I added a shallow saw kerf on the top of the jaws as a center indicator when clamping stock in the vise. 

When dovetailing, I follow the same procedure as I would if using a face vise. I’ll place a block plane on the fixed jaw, mount the pin board flush with that, then place the block plane back on the unused fixed jaw (as the riser block) to place the tail board on to mark the pin board. Derek shows pictures of how he does something similar as example, I didn’t take any myself. My plan when I get more sapele is to make a small, dedicated riser block, as using the second fixed jaw for this purpose is cumbersome.

Nice work Greg. I think any of us would be very happy with the Moxon you have built.

It looks very stout - how thick is the chop and the rear?

Regards from Perth

Derek