Thread: Moxon Vise

Good stuff, VikingCode. These "moxon" vises are mighty handy devices.

I had a bit of a stability problem with the first one I made, too. My first concept was to use long bolts that went through the dog-holes at the front of the bench:holddown bolts.jpg vise screws.jpg
These worked fine, & held the vise quite firmly, but it was far too much of a rigmarole to mount & de-mount the thing. So I tried just clamping it between dogs: d_tail vise.jpg
That was ok for light sawing, but the base wasn't really wide enough, and there was some give even when using a small dovetail saw. The next idea was to cut out a couple of notches at either end, in which the dogs could snuggle firmly: dog notch.jpg
This was reasonably satisfactory, and I used it that way for a year or two, then decided I wanted a longer model with more room between the screws. I started out to make a very low bench-like arrangement which I could just lift on & off the bench, but it morphed into something a bit more ambitious, and ended up with it's own set of legs that sets it higher than the main bench, at a good height for dovetailing.

So now I have a wide Moxon that is steady no matter how hard I saw on it, and it's always set-up & ready to go. Very happy with the result (for the moment, anyway.... )

Cheers,

Thats an interesting evolution Ian! I think the bench-bench is a little bit too much for what I need it for though, hah!

How have you found hubs-with-handles? I've seen many people complain that the handles get in the way on moxon vises. Like everything though, ask 5 woodworkers a question and get 10 different answers.

Originally Posted by VikingCode

... I think the bench-bench is a little bit too much for what I need it for though, hah! ...

V-C, it's much more than I started out to make, too! You start thinking "wouldn't it be handy if...." and before you know it, the whole project just went its own way. Not that I'm always entirely in charge with any project, but this one definitely strayed from initial conception.

Originally Posted by VikingCode

... How have you found hubs-with-handles? I've seen many people complain that the handles get in the way on moxon vises. Like everything though, ask 5 woodworkers a question and get 10 different answers.

Good point. No problems with handles getting in the way as far as I'm concerned. I made sure the knobs of the handles don't extend above the top of the jaw when the handle is hanging vertically - l long ago learned what a nuisance that can be, with my tail-vise. The main advantage of having handles is that it's much quicker to wind in or out vs laboriously screwing the boss with your hand, half a turn or so at a time!

I thought I'd built enough vises by now to know what I'm doing, but I did make a small error of judgement. The hubs (or bosses, whichever name you prefer) shoud be long enough that you can place the handles well clear of the front of the jaw. Otherwise, you'll constantly catch your fingers on the top of the jaw (or 'chop' as the Schwarz & Co. call them) as they whiz by. I was trying to keep my bosses as short as I could so that they don't stick out & make a nuisance of themselves (can't tell you what length, & I won't be in a position to measure them until the weekend after next). Well, I put the handle holes a wee bit close - another 15-20mm further out would've been perfect. It's not a big deal, just a minor irritation, and the soft moulding I applied to the edge of the jaw means no injury is sustained. After about 13 slight finger-catches I now automatically keep them clear!

Cheers,