Moxon / Dovetail Vise

[Greg Parrish]

I have a couple sets of of moxon hardware. Cast hand wheels. Derek has a pair from me. Springs are not a big deal they just go in between the jaws. Most good hardware stores have them. PM me if interested

Tom, I sent you a follow up PM with a question or two. Thanks, Greg

[Tim Andrews]

I work out of my garage shop with limited space where a traditional workbench and vise are not an option, so my Moxon vise gets a LOT of use. I built mine based on Mike Farrington’s video. The back shelf is very useful. I also installed springs and recommend them.

[Greg Parrish]

I re-read Derek's build a few times and have decided to follow his lead with a Moxon vise with adjustable height rear support. Just waiting to hear back from Tom on his available Moxon hardware, but realize it's a holiday week here in the states.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Yes, buy Tom’s set. The beauty of it is the iron hand wheels with the Acme threads. Those are the parts Benchcrafted charges a high price for, because most of us can’t tap a 3/4” Acme thread. Tom has made the investment in tooling.

If you think you want more capacity, you can buy longer Acme screws from McMaster Carr. They’re pretty inexpensive compared to the entire assembly. Mine are one foot, if I remember correctly. I’ve never run them out to gain more capacity. I have about three inches as it’s set now.

[Greg Parrish]

Got Tom’s kit today. It looks great. Will try to get my moxon vise project started over the coming weeks. Thanks everyone.

[Bob Jones 5443]

It’s a fun project and a great tool to have. I pulled mine off its hanger the other day to gain close access to a 42” board’s end grain. In the Moxon, it only stuck out a few inches above the vise instead of a foot above bench height.

I opted for 8/4 maple for the jaws. They’re visually more appealing than laminated parts.

Enjoy the project!

[Greg Parrish]

Thanks Bob.

I'm hopeful to use some white oak that we cut and milled ourselves. The piece I had planned is currently 1.5" thick and 5-3/8" wide. That said, it appears to have developed some twist across its 7 foot length. I'm hopeful I can joint two pieces out of it that are flat and square but still thick enough to use. If not, I'll have to look to something different which means buying a piece of wood most likely. Will see how it goes.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Greg, I was so excited to have my own shop-built Moxon that I splurged for a beautiful plank of maple that had a fine trail of cinnamon-colored grain. I admire its subtle appearance every time I clamp it to the bench.

Make sure to put a generous bevel on the top of the outer chop (jaw).

[Stephen Farris]

First post on this site for me. I’m moving in the hand tool direction and recently finished a workbench from Rob Cosman’s plans with a Quick Release steel vise bought from Lee Valley in the end position.

I bought a Benchcraft Moxon vise kit some time ago, before Rob began to sell his version. I have begun prepping the chops from a lovely piece of hard maple. (Cut to length, 45 degree slope on top of outer chop, planed smooth. Holes not drilled). If anyone has advice or tips I would be grateful.

Obviously, I am not yet in a position to have an opinion of much value but I will say that height is a factor in my decisions. I am 6’4” even in the shrinking stage of life and think that the Moxon vise will help the old back.

[Warren Mickley]

Welcome to the forum, Stephen!

The most important thing you can do to be easy on your back is to have good posture, as upright as possible. Some have the idea that their eyes should be close to the level of the saw, or even sight down the saw, so they bend way over. Not only is this rough on your back but cramps your arms as well. If you insist on bending over, raising the work four inches is of but modest help.

Here is an example of poor posture:

schwarz dovetail.jpg

[chris carter]

First post on this site for me. I’m moving in the hand tool direction and recently finished a workbench from Rob Cosman’s plans with a Quick Release steel vise bought from Lee Valley in the end position.

I bought a Benchcraft Moxon vise kit some time ago, before Rob began to sell his version. I have begun prepping the chops from a lovely piece of hard maple. (Cut to length, 45 degree slope on top of outer chop, planed smooth. Holes not drilled). If anyone has advice or tips I would be grateful.

Obviously, I am not yet in a position to have an opinion of much value but I will say that height is a factor in my decisions. I am 6’4” even in the shrinking stage of life and think that the Moxon vise will help the old back.

I’m 6’6” and 50 years old – I’ve had my share of back problems starting in mid 20s. My bench is 42” tall which is much taller than it would be if I followed any of these (idiotic) wrist/knuckle/etc. rules. There is no reason to hunch over to hand plane if you use a good stance so that you are using the floor to your advantage. The other BIG BIG BIG thing is I wear a back brace when I do woodworking (and many other tasks). That is a total game changer. This is the one I wear: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Best $30 I’ve ever spent.

[Derek Cohen]

Welcome to the forum, Stephen!

The most important thing you can do to be easy on your back is to have good posture, as upright as possible. Some have the idea that their eyes should be close to the level of the saw, or even sight down the saw, so they bend way over. Not only is this rough on your back but cramps your arms as well. If you insist on bending over, raising the work four inches is of but modest help.

Here is an example of poor posture:

schwarz dovetail.jpg

Warren, that must be the worst posture I have seen in a long time! Hunched over the workpiece, not only bending from the neck instead of the knees, but bunched up so that any saw stroke can never be a fluid action.

There is a relevant point made here that, while a Moxon vise helps by lifting work higher, and positioning it for better ergonomics, there needs to be a conscious awareness of what constitutes the ideal stance for sawing. In the past, I would look at the dovetail videos of Rob Cosman, where he stretched across his Scandinavian workbench, and thought to myself what a strain on the body this must be. He has the handskills to pull it off, and for that reason he must it appear acceptable, if not ideal. So it is interesting that he now uses a Moxon Vise …. although the cynic in me also wonders whether he does this as it is one more tool to make and sell - regardless, he is a very good teacher and influential, and for this reason all he does must be scrutinised. Watch the posture.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Stephen, welcome to the Creek.

jtk

[Bob Jones 5443]

I have begun prepping the chops from a lovely piece of hard maple. (Cut to length, 45 degree slope on top of outer chop, planed smooth. Holes not drilled). If anyone has advice or tips I would be grateful.

Stephen, welcome to SMC and welcome to the Moxon vise. Even at 5’10” I find the Moson’s height a great ergonomic benefit.

Your call for advice on the holes brought me back to a step I had gratefully let slide from memory. You’d think it would be easy to bore 3/4” holes at the same place in both chops, and then elongate the holes in the front chop horizontally about 1/16” both left and right. Mine didn’t line up quite that way. The elongated (oval) holes run slightly askew: a couple of degrees south of east, if you will. They line up fine when the vise is closed, but the front chop wobbles ever so slightly (up to the left and down to the right) when I loosen it and pull it back. It’s easy to nudge back into horizontal when tightening, and for the vise’s use the eccentricity is really immaterial (but I notice). How I let that happen with a drill press fence is a mystery, but such is woodworking in my shop.

I used a new, sharp 3/4” Forstner bit, and I could have been more careful to keep the oval offset horizontal. So that’s my advice. Take extra special care to keep the ovals level.

Those in the know will say an off kilter oval makes no difference as long as the tops of the chops are flush when tightened. (And even that doesn’t really matter, within reason, but aesthetically you want them to be flush when the vise is empty, closed, and stored on a hook or whatever.) The ovals are only there to allow the front chop to shimmy in and out with either the left or right end forward or rear of the other. This lets you hold parts that don’t have parallel faces, and enables the classic Moxon light-touch tightening experience: spin one hand wheel to just make contact with the work, then tighten the other hand wheel to create the secure grip. That’s what makes this tool fun to use.

But try to make your ovals horizontal. Good luck!

[Tom Bender]

Making ovals out of round holes is challenging. A drill is the wrong tool. It pushes the wood right and the bit left. This can be minimized but completely eliminating it is not really possible. A file or rasp is a better choice.