Jim Matthews

[jeff . whitaker]

Jim,
I was wondering if you could post a few more pics of your pipe clamp Moxxon?
I don't have the money right now for the wood screws or the tap and die to make them. Yours looks like a good solution (bang for the buck) for the time being.
Thanks
Jeff

[Joel Goodman]

Not to hijack but I made a Moxxon with the LV press screws and they work really well. Very quick project.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=31138&cat=1,43838,43845

[Federico Mena Quintero]

If you already have the pipe clamps, ignore the following :)

I made a Moxon vise for my dad's wife (a beginning woodworker). I used 1/2" threaded rod (which is cheap) and some hex nuts. The nuts were buried into square mortises in the rear chop, and the gap around the nuts was filled with expoxy. I cut a pair of octagonal tapered handles out of some pretty hard scraps I had lying around - drilled them to insert the threaded rod, and filled them with expoxy.

The only things I had to buy were the threaded rod, nuts, and a pack of epoxy. Can't have been more than 20 dollars. I already had the wood, hacksaw, files, etc.

Sorry, I didn't take any pictures of the process :( It came out quite nice, like a huge handscrew.

[Jim Neeley]

One of the guys (in his 40's) in my local WW club made a similar vise while driving the Alaska Highway with his parents (in their 60's). They wanted him along to drive their big motorhome down the highway for them but wanted to take four weeks (for a 2400 mile drive) so they could take all of the side-tours along the way, most of which were of little interest to him. Anyway, he located some oak dunnage, picked up some allthread, and made a fully workable Moxxon-style vise along the way.

His one major lament is that his parents' destination was Seattle rather than Warren, ME. <g>

[Jim Matthews]

I like the pipeclamp adaptation for its low cost, but would STRONGLY recommend building with a veneer press screw, for a few dollars more.
The acme thread screws will not slip under load, and my pipe clamp Moxxon tends to "give" a little under heavier pressures.

I built with the pipeclamps as a test of the concept, and it works for me. I didn't want to spend money on the veneer screws, to test a theory.
I would use the Wetzler 18" (http://www.wetzler.com/press.shtml), the next time around. Twice the money, but MUCH more secure while cutting.

If you build one this way, and decide to retrofit with the veneer screw later, you've done most of the heavy lifting in advance.

Two things to keep in mind when making one this way;
Cut the front and back faces from the same board - if they warp, they'll likely warp in the same manner.

You need a drill press with sufficient throw and torque to cut both sets of holes, at once.
Getting the alignment of the through holes is the key to making this work well.

Adjusting this open requires sliding one pipe clamp, then the other.
It's clumsy, but functional. Whaddaya want for $15?

The sides of my bench top don't hang over enough to hold the Cheapo Moxxon well, and that's an important consideration - the base needs to be firmly fixed.

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[jeff . whitaker]

Frederico,
Thanks, that idea is one I will hang on to as a back up plan, but I have a bunch of cheap pipe clamps due to walking too close to the parking lot tent sale at "Horror Freight".... as they say " A fool and his money are soon parted":)

[jeff . whitaker]

Jim,
Thanks for the pics... they are just what I needed... Money is a bit tight right now and I already have the clamps and some pipe hanging around needing a job so I think I will build one like yours and maybe another one later... maybe using the veener press screw ( thanks for the link I put it in my tools folder) maybe a wood screw... but first I want to see if the Moxxon will get the work up high enough so these old eyes can see it!
BTW thanks for the pics of your shop... it looks like one I would feel at home in....some of theses shops look like a surgery operating theater...I would never get anything done, I would be afraid I would mess something up!:D

[Jim Matthews]

One additional thing worth mentioning; run the pipe through both sides to locate the ends.
Clamp the front and back jaws together, run the pipe through and slip the ends on last.
This allows for misalignments.

I showed you mine, now show us yours.

[jeff . whitaker]

Will do... but it will be after Christmas... I still have the tool chest to finish.. also the cutting boards, ornaments,toys,ect ect blah blah blah....*GRIN*