Jorgensen / Moxon Clamp Vice

[Daniel Rode]

I've been thinking about the ergonomics of working at my bench lately. At just above wrist height, I think it's going to be fine for planing and chopping as well as my soon to be built shooting board and bench hook. I'm most interested in cutting dovetails and tenons and I think it's low for marking and sawing those. The Moxon vice is, from what I've read and seen, a great solution. But I'm not in a position to buy one and I really don't want to build a proper one from scratch right now. I saw a picture of a Jorgensen clamp mounted in a vice used to hold a narrow board. Pretty solid way to go in general but not ideal for me. Due to the layout of my shop, I want to work facing my vice, rather than perpendicular to it.

That got me thinking. One solution is to adjust my height relative to the work. I could simply bend over more or use a stool or chair to lower myself a bit. However I thought a bit more about and began wondering why I couldn't simply use a pair of jorgensen clamps with a board attached across the jaws.

The rear board/jaw set would get clamped to the bench with the face even to the bench apron. The front set would hang over. Since perfect alignment of the top edges is not critical, a dowel in the far edges of the rear face would register with a hole in the front face to keep them roughly parallel. I would remove the bottom screw from the clamps (maybe just cut the clamp down). It would be a little more fiddly that the typical moxon, but it ought to work pretty well and be really easy yo make.


I'm figuring about 2 hours to build and $16 out of pocket for a pair of 8" harbor freight clamps. I don't want to use my better clamps for this.

Am I nuts or would this actually work?

[Chris Griggs]

Something like this....?

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/workbenches/schwarz-workbenches/you-want-a-pizza-or-a-twin-screw-vise

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[Daniel Rode]

Yup. A lot like that.

The main difference is that mine would use a butchered set of handscrew style clamps instead and dowels to keep the boards roughly aligned with one another. After seeing his, I've already re-thought mine slightly.

I still prefer the 8" handscrews but I'm going to thin the jaws boards down to 1", make my capacity a bit over 12" as that's All I need. Rather than cut the clamps, I'll turn them sideways (45-60 degrees) with the top rod inward and the bottom near the outside edge. Both handles will face out. This gives me better clamping control and I won't need guide dowels.

Chris's design is simpler; maybe more elegant but mine is, well, mine.

[Jim Koepke]

Many have spent hours pondering the ways of doing this and still find new innovative ways of holding something in a way to place it at a comfortable height to work.

One of my rambling thoughts for long board joints was to have a shop in a loft so the board could hang over the edge. Another was to install a pit in the shop at the end of the bench to allow long workpieces to set below the bench.

If all else fails, 2X4s and pipe clamps to the rescue!

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Chris's design is simpler; maybe more elegant but mine is, well, mine.

That's the Spirit!

jtk

[Jacob Nothstine]

I made a Moxon using press screws. It's one of the best things I ever made for my work bench. I'm 6.4 and hate bending over to work on stuff.
You could make one for under $50.00 using press screws. Here is a link to some cheap press screws.
http://www.toolbarn.com/jorgensen-6712.html?gclid=CLPFucLB2rkCFctcMgodMRsArA


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[Jan Weiner]

I used the ends from a cheap 3 piece barbell set that I bought at Wally's World for about $15. Cut off the ends to size, and cut the star nuts to semi-square and epoxied into mortises. The knurled handles stick out about 4 inches, and I'm able to put enough clamping pressure to use the Moxon for dovetails and to support a shop made saw vise.

[Judson Green]

Do you guys put a little spring in the Moxon vise jaws? Both sides?

[Mike Holbrook]

I was at a friends shop yesterday he rigged something similar up with a pair of Bessey Clamps. He attached a board under the right end of his bench and cut slots in it like in Chris's example except his board is permanently attached to the bottom of his bench. The bars on the older Bessey clamps are heavy duty which helps stabilize it. The board under the bench serves as one jaw and he has a second he just slips inside the other set of jaws. The resulting jig can perform as a tail vise or Moxon.

[Jim Koepke]

Do you guys put a little spring in the Moxon vise jaws? Both sides?

Can't recall where it was, but one idea is to have the back board straight and the front board with slightly convex mating surface. This is supposed to concentrate the force at the center of the holding area.

jtk