Derek's Moxon Accessory

[DonSlaughter]

Much credit to Dr Derek!  This added fixture only took a short time to create and it 1)saves time, 2)improves accuracy 3) makes dovetailing easier.  I still need to work on my vice more but it was fun doing this project.  I made the 'bridge' fixture the exact size of the moxon and can elevate it with a piece of the stock I am using and get a perfect fit.   Thanks Dr



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I see the tails....but where're the doves?


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[Mike Brady]

Using the bridge arrangement, how do you set the height of the workpiece in the vise and how do you hold the tail board in place to transfer the marks to the end grain?

[DonSlaughter]

Using the bridge arrangement, how do you set the height of the workpiece in the vise and how do you hold the tail board in place to transfer the marks to the end grain?

I bring the workpiece to the height touching the tailboard while it is laying flat on the 'bridge'. I use a square to insure the workpiece is square in the vise and a strait edge to align the tailboard to the side of the workpiece. Once the workpiece is aligned, the tailboard will be resting flat on the bridge & workpiece and hand pressure is sufficient to hold it while marking with a knife.  Then I remove the tailboard and use a mechanical pencil to punctuate the knife marks. I, then, raise the workpiece enough to avoid cutting the vice.

[Derek Cohen]

Using the bridge arrangement, how do you set the height of the workpiece in the vise and how do you hold the tail board in place to transfer the marks to the end grain?

When I first made the I-beam to raise the work above the chop ...



... I used a loose spacer to set the height of the pin board ...




Later, I added a hinge to the spacer, so that it was available when needed, and could swing out of the way when not ...



The latest version incorporates a sliding dovetail ...



... which can use a clamp to hold boards in place  ...



... if necessary. Just flip the spacer away if not. You will note that the I-beam has also been simplified ...





Regards from Perth

Derek

[Chuck Nickerson]

OMG. I know others will label this a gadget but I'm adding it to my Moxon this weekend.

[DonSlaughter]

When I first made the I-beam to raise the work above the chop ...



... I used a loose spacer to set the height of the pin board ...




Later, I added a hinge to the spacer, so that it was available when needed, and could swing out of the way when not ...



The latest version incorporates a sliding dovetail ...



... which can use a clamp to hold boards in place  ...



... if necessary. Just flip the spacer away if not. You will note that the I-beam has also been simplified ...





Regards from Perth

Derek

Really a 'cut above' my humble doins!  I like the "flip up/down" height support...I may do that.  I wonder how folks store the moxon when not in use.  I hung a cable from the ceiling and hook it there to hang in the corner of the shop.  Save floor space and I don't have to bend over and lift it....dang than gets heavier every time I get on 'net'!

[Mike Brady]

Thanks Don.  Your vise looks good.

[Greg Jones]

Using the bridge arrangement, how do you set the height of the workpiece in the vise and how do you hold the tail board in place to transfer the marks to the end grain?

As another perspective on doing this, I mark the pin boards the same way I always did before I made a Moxon vise. I put the pin board in my face vice, flush with a plane on its side, move the plane back on the bench top to support the other end of the tail board, then mark the pins. To me, the beauty of a Moxon vise is in the cutting of the joints, not in the layout.

[Alan S]

Another option is to use a simple block of wood instead of the I-beam arrangement and hinged gauge.  The width of the block is such that it supports the work.  The thickness of the block acts as the gauge to set the height of the work in the Moxon vise.  The idea is simple and effective enough that it should surprise nobody that it came from Mike Siemsen at one of the Handworks.  I've found I can show him how I do almost anything, and he'll show me an easier way to do it.

[Derek Cohen]

Keep in mind that the beauty of the original Moxon vise lies in its simplicity. I subscribe to KIS, and the Moxon should be simple. However, in use, one needs to find other items to use with it ... a block of wood to use as a rest - since now the side of a plane is too low. Then, unless you want to eyeball this, there is a spacer for the top of the chop (to prevent it getting cut up). Ironically all the extra bits on mine developed out of the need to minimise the number of items one would need to search for.

One could simply return to a face vise and the side of a #4


Regards from Perth

Derek