A Different Perspective on the Moxon Vise

I've heard how moxon vises need to have thick and rigid jaws to prevent flexing and keep the work from moving. And then sometimes you're supposed to camber the face so it straightens as you tighten it. And sometimes put leather or cork on the face for extra grip.

Well I went the opposite direction. I made a moxon vise with a 1" thick jaw of mulberry. Mulberry is a very flexible wood. They used it for English longbows. And I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out.

With most vises, a thick and sturdy jaw makes sense. You have a single screw, so if the jaw flexes, it flexes the jaw away from your work. But with a double screw Moxon vise, a thin jaw flexes around your work, conforming to it instead of away from it. As a bonus, you don't have to worry about getting jaws parallel to the faces of your work, because they'll flex into position. So it's easier and faster to set up because you don't need to be exact. I don't even need to line the face of the jaws with leather or cork to get a secure hold. Worst case scenario, and it flexes too much, it puts the most pressure on the outside edges furthest away from each other, giving you more holding power. Plus it's lighter with a thinner jaw, which is nice in a mobile vise. I've yet to find a downside to it.



Attachment 518919

Just an idea I thought I'd share.

The jaw "flexing" into position, conforming to the work piece, can also blunt or round-over the edges of said piece if leather or cork aren't used.

The theory of how something will work is often different than the reality of how something will work.

Thanks for sharing your experience Jimmy.

jtk

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Originally Posted by Edward Weber

The jaw "flexing" into position, conforming to the work piece, can also blunt or round-over the edges of said piece if leather or cork aren't used.

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I could see that being an issue. But I haven't experienced that yet. And I usually chamfer or round over the edges of pretty much anything I make as one of the later steps, so I can accept a tiny amount. I guess time will tell. I've also been working with a lot of hard woods sine I made it, so it's probably less likely to come up until I move on to something softer.

Then again, mulberry has a Janka hardness of 1680 lbf, which is quite a bit harder than the oak and maple I've been using in it. It's not a strong wood, but it is a hard wood.

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It's not a strong wood, but it is a hard wood.

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Interesting thought about "hardwoods" and "softwoods" is their designation isn't derived from properties of the wood itself.

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soft·wood | ˈsôf(t)ˌwo͝od |
noun
1 the wood from a conifer (such as pine, fir, or spruce) as distinguished from that of broadleaved trees.

hard·wood | ˈhärdˌwo͝od |
noun
1 the wood from a broadleaved tree (such as oak, ash, or beech) as distinguished from that of conifers

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Some hardwoods are softer than some softwoods. Likewise, some softwoods are harder than some hardwoods.

jtk

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Originally Posted by Jim Koepke

Interesting thought about "hardwoods" and "softwoods" is their designation isn't derived from properties of the wood itself.




Some hardwoods are softer than some softwoods. Likewise, some softwoods are harder than some hardwoods.

jtk

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Yeah. Hardwood doesn't always mean hard wood. Good examples are balsa, a hardwood with a 300 Janka hardness, or Yew, a softwood with a 1520 Janka hardness. And hard wood doesn't always mean strong wood. Like that mulberry is surprisingly dense and resistant to scratches, but not very resistant to flexing or breaking under stress.

For example, the Modulus of Rupture of Mulberry is 11,680 psi. Southern yellow pine (loblolly) has a MOR of 12,800. So mulberry will break easier than SYP. But with a Janka of 1680 vs. 690 for the SYP, it's much harder and won't dent anywhere near as easily.

What's worse for us is trees are one thing, and lumber is another. So while a pecan tree ≠ hickory tree, pecan lumber = hickory lumber. So even if you know what kind of wood it is, you probably don't know really know what kind of wood it is.

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Originally Posted by Jim Koepke

The theory of how something will work is often different than the reality of how something will work.

Thanks for sharing your experience Jimmy.

jtk

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Very, very true!

There's often a lot to be learned in challenging collective wisdom, even if it may be right a majority of the time.

“As a bonus, you don't have to worry about getting jaws parallel to the faces of your work, because they'll flex into position. So it's easier and faster to set up because you don't need to be exact.”

I just happily used my Moxon. I wasn’t creative in its design: it’s thick-jawed, traditional, and cork-lined. A feature I like a lot about it is how fast it is to get into position: you just screw down the left end “close” to width, shift the work to the center, and spin down the right hand wheel. I’m perhaps a little too concerned with marring the work, so the flat, even, cork-softened force across the face appeals to me.

My little version...
Attachment 519125
Panel can be any width....one end is clamped into the leg vise...other end clamps to the bench's apron...and a center clamp IF needed...
Attachment 519126
While sawing dovetails..

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Originally Posted by steven c newman

My little version...
Attachment 519125
Panel can be any width....one end is clamped into the leg vise...other end clamps to the bench's apron...and a center clamp IF needed...
Attachment 519126
While sawing dovetails..

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I love it! That's kind of what I did for a while. Only I ran 4ft long F clamps across the top of my table, because there isn't a lip underneath.

I decided to build a "proper" Moxon vise mainly due to the fact that I'm 6'2", have short arms, a bad back, and a 34" tall bench. So my Moxon gets my work up above the table by another 8", making it easier to see and saw. I love the low table height for planing. And for mortising and chisel work, I have a chair/stool thingy I made to work from at the appropriate height. But sawing dovetails was just no fun.

Also, it doubles as a bench slave. I can stand it up on end and clamp a spare board in it to support the other end of a long board in my leg vise.