Moxon Vise

[paul cottingham]

It's really easy to make one with the press screws from LV. Mine works very well. Not that I'm dissing the high price hardware from Benchcrafted and TWW -- just too much $ for me. If you want I can send a photo.

Would love to seea photo.

[Marko Milisavljevic]

I got a 1"x3' 4TPI Acme thread screw for under $40, nuts for about $8 each, and the 6" handwheels for under $10 each.

Russ, can you please describe how you attached handwheels to the screw? I have been trying to figure this out, but could not find any references online. They are not just threaded on, are they? All handwheels I find online seem to have much smaller hole than diameter of the screw.

[Russ Webb]

Russ, can you please describe how you attached handwheels to the screw? I have been trying to figure this out, but could not find any references online. They are not just threaded on, are they? All handwheels I find online seem to have much smaller hole than diameter of the screw.

Yes, sorry I should have mentioned this. One of the things I did not care for on the Benchcrafted design is that the screw is fixed and the wheel travels on the screw leaving the screw in your way. I preferred having the screw travel through a fixed nut let into the rear jaw so that the screw is out of the way of your work and your maximum capacity can be increased without leaving an exposed screw.

The attachment of the wheels to the screw in the wheels I bought is very simple - the screw fits into a recess in the back of the wheel and a hex nut is tightened onto the screw. It is quite solid. I considered drilliing and threading a second hole into the handwheel to provide for offsetting hex screws - one on each side of the screw at 180 degrees but found it to be unnecessary. There are a number of different types of wheels available and the selection is larger if you are williing to use a smaller screw or even a 1" screw with even a slightly higher pitch such as 6-8 TPI.

[daniel lane]

I am near finished with a BC moxon build - I bought their hardware and decided to follow their plan. I, too, was very happy to read of Derek's modifications, and intend to incorporate the beam and spacer. I have specifically been avoiding a benchtop bench design for the same reasons that Derek mentions, but hadn't quite figured an easy way to do something similar; his design looks ideal (thanks, Derek!).

Since I haven't finished the vise, I feel I can't really comment on the BC design or hardware other than to say they are nice, hefty, and I have zero regrets about buying them versus going with something cheaper. (Also, note that I am a fan of TFWW and like their design, but I bought my hardware before it was available, so they weren't even a consideration at the time - it wasn't a choice between the two.)


daniel

[Jim Matthews]

I built my first variant after seeing Derek's post.

I used pipe clamps, which proved the concept but were fiddly in application.
After pricing out my own sources for Acme threaded rod, nuts and wheels I just bought from Jameel.

The fit and finish make it a pleasure to use.

The version made by Mario and Alan was not available when I built mine - were I to do this again, I would just pony up the bucks for their version.
There's satisfaction to be had in making tools, and the Moxxon is THE most useful tool in my shop, but $170 for something that's ready is a bargain.

P1030662.jpg

[Maurice Ungaro]

I have done something similar to what you described. After looking at various designs, including the Benchcrafted, TFWW, and Derek's, I built my vise incorporating features of several and some of Derek's additions. I liked the double handwheel design of the Benchcrafted, though the TFWW hardware also has some nice design features. And, while I think the Benchcrafted hardware would be virtually impossible to beat in quality, I elected to order an Acme thread screw and a couple of zinc handwheels rather than the Benchcrafted hardware.

I got a 1"x3' 4TPI Acme thread screw for under $40, nuts for about $8 each, and the 6" handwheels for under $10 each. I lined the front jaw with leather, which I consider essential, and which is part of a piece I bought here locally in Anchorage from a scrap pile for $15. The vise is built of Canarywood, which I bought for another project but ended up not using. In total my vise cost maybe $100 and a little time, which I enjoyed. I've got enough screw, wood, and leather left over to make another vise so a vise could be made with a shorter (2') and smaller (3/4") screw for significantly less.

I did not like the Benchcrafted design and felt that both the TFWW and Derek's were superior in getting the clamps out of the way. My vise leans more towards the TFWW in terms of using 8/4 rear jaw with an 8/4 small shelf attached behind the rear jaw with a 4/4 front jaw. In retrospect I would more closely follow Derek's design with a larger base and better clamping area but still use 8/4 wood for the rear jaw. I also found clamping work to my small shelf behind the rear jaw (ala TFWW design) to be less than satisfactory and built the auxiliary I-beam fixture following Derek's lead. It improves useability significantly and raises the work @ 5/8" above the top of the vise jaws which, as Derek has pointed out, avoids scarring of the vise jaws while markiing out dovetails. I did not and would not recommend chamfering the front jaw for all the reasons Derek noted.

The 1" 4TPI screw provides quicker adjustment than the 3/4" 8TPI screw used by Benchcrafted. My cheap handwheels work just fine but are not as elegant as the Benchcrafted hardware. While I like the 8/4 rear jaw I find the 4/4 front jaw to provide all the clamping power I need though there is some flex in the jaw, which is to be expected with the heavy hardware I used. I could probably snap an 8/4 front jaw with it if I wanted to crank it down with the power provided with the 1" screws and I'm sure I could bend heavy steel if necessary. The Canarywood is more than sufficiently hard and stiff enough for this use. And, it has a unique and very pleasant aroma when being worked.

Overall, were I to build another vise I'd happily use the hardware and wood I used on this one but more closely follow Derek's design, particularly the larger base which will make the vise sit quite solidly on the bench - more solidly than any of the other designs I've seen. The I-beam support fixture is similarly a splendid idea.

Attachment 230134Attachment 230135

Russ,
what supply house did you use for your acme rod and hand wheels?

[Maurice Ungaro]

Just happened to revisit the TFWW page on their BOB. Looks like you can get the hardware alone for about $60: http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com//...tegory_Code=TL

Might be a nice alternative for those looking at a compromise in a DIW Moxon.

[Derek Cohen]

The hardware from Joel looks very nice. If I were building another I would give it serious consideration. The wooden threads I made, however, work very well. Another choice.

The TFWW bench-on-bench is a great idea except for the issues with the bench rear being at the same height as the top of the chop (as I detailed earlier in this thread).

The modification I would suggest is to glue a 1/2" high wooden strip to the chop. This can be used with a 1/2" high spacer at the rear of the BOB when transfering dovetail marks. Then flip the cop over to use it as a flat, coplanar BOB. The spacer could be left loose or hinged (as in my example) to fold it of of the way. I guess something similar could be done with the BC version as well.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Maurice Ungaro]

Derek, I was thinking of copying your set up, using Joel's hardware. Love your flip up spacer feature, well as the I-beam. As I recall, your I-beam can also be used as a support for long material when used lengthwise on the bench top. I'm not a big fan of the B.O.B. concept, as it looks too bulky to store conveniently.

[Joel Goodman]

Would love to seea photo.

Here's the LV press screw model -- it has the usual piece on the bottom out of view (you can see a tiny bit far left) to allow holdfasts to attach it to the bench like the others. I recessed some square washers on the front face so the screws wouldn't rub on the wood. I ended up having to add a washer as well as the back of the cranks (actually the metal on the back opposite from the knob side) tend to rub intermittently on the wood -- one of these days I'll get out a file and relieve them. The press screws work well. Just discard the piece on the end attached with a screw and reverse the nut with the flange (which goes on the back of the vise). A very quick, inexpensive and useful project.

[Randy Karst]

Adding my .02 cents: I ruminated for awhile about building a Moxon Vise (with or without BenchCrafted parts and with or without wooden screws) or purchasing a Moxon Vise ready made; in the end (never having settle on a style of build), I ordered the TFWW Moxon Vise (mainly due to price and the advantages already listed in this thread). I have had opportunity now, to use the TFWW Moxon Vise quite a bit; its very durable, strong, and yet light (portable). I'm not looking back at this point, it accomplishes what I want a Moxon Vise to do in spades and for less than half the cost of BenchCrafted. Further, I saved some money by not buying taps and dies that would be used for this purpose and probably little else and, in the end, would collect dust in the years ahead, had I opted to build my own using wooden screws (though I confess, I still find some romance in that notion).

[Jason Coen]

I struggle to see the reasoning in this bevel. It is a bad move.

It is a far worse move to compromise sawing mechanics instead of fitting the vise to your working habits, so I wouldn't simply dismiss it as a "bad move" for all circumstances.

I've never understood the reasoning in using a paring jig to clean dovetail waste as in my experience it is slower and more complicated, but I won't deny that it is a helpful crutch at certain times and works quite well for others.

I think that it is to make space to hold the saw more vertically (so as to follow two lines at once). But if you need to do this it says that your board is probably too low in the vise, or the vise is too low for your bench.

Or, it says that your natural sawing position won't allow you to make certain cuts without sawing the chop.

The flat edge of the front chop is a valuable guide when clearing out waste with a chisel. If you bevel it, you will lose the reference surface.

That's assuming that 1.) everyone clears out those small, final bits of waste in this manner, and 2.) beveling the chop removes wood such that a suitable reference surface is lost. In my instance, neither of this is true.

Like always, what works for me won't necessarily work for thee.

YMMV, JMHO, WWYPFI, etc., etc...