Which Moxon Vise Hardware

[JohnM Martin]

Some recent reading, including this thread - http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?255882-Another-Moxon-Vise-Question has convinced me that a moxon vise is a good idea. After looking around, I see there a quite a few options on hardware. Benchcraft, Texas Heritage, and Tools For Working Wood all seem like popular choices. Anyone have any thoughts comparing these and/or other suggestions?

As a secondary question, can a moxon vise be effectively used for holding a board for edge planing? My front facing vise isn't very good and has a lot of racking. I plan on doing a full bench build in the next few months but was wondering if this might serve as a decent stand in for holding stock for edge planing until I get that completed.

[Jason Baker IX]

I just finished building my first Moxon vise using Benchcraft hardware. I'm very happy with it, but can't offer a comparison with other manufacturers.

In terms of using the vise for edge planing, I see two potential issues. First, the moxon vise holds work higher off the bench for easier sawing and dovetail work. A board might be positioned too high for comfortable edge planing in this type of vise -- especially if the board is wide. Second, typically the moxon vise is held down to the benchtop using holdfasts or clamps. You might need to setup a batten or something to prevent lateral movement in the vise as you are planing across it.

[David Eisenhauer]

I built my Moxon by ordering a 3' length of Acme thread and some Acme nuts from a website that sells lots and lots of metal stuff - was it Enco? or something similar? I bought a couple of hand wheels from McMaster Carr that fit my purpose and saved quite a bit of money by not purchasing a ready-made kit. As I recall, I probably could have bought all of my materials from McMaster Carr, but either found a slightly cheaper option or the Acme thread length availability from a different source. I also had a couple of 2"+ thick chunks of white oak laying around that I used for the chops. if you are interested, I can take a few photos of my build for you to use.

[Allen Jordan]

Lake Erie makes an all-wood one if you're interested:

https://www.lakeerietoolworks.com/collections/all/products/moxon-vise-screw-kit

[JohnM Martin]

I built my Moxon by ordering a 3' length of Acme thread and some Acme nuts from a website that sells lots and lots of metal stuff - was it Enco? or something similar? I bought a couple of hand wheels from McMaster Carr that fit my purpose and saved quite a bit of money by not purchasing a ready-made kit. As I recall, I probably could have bought all of my materials from McMaster Carr, but either found a slightly cheaper option or the Acme thread length availability from a different source. I also had a couple of 2"+ thick chunks of white oak laying around that I used for the chops. if you are interested, I can take a few photos of my build for you to use.

If you have any pictures handy, I'd love to see them.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

My two choices, if money were no object, would be Benchcrafted or Lake Erie Toolworks. The first for the fine tolerances and quality, and the second because wood screws are cool and hold really well.

The cheaper route is David Eisenhauer's suggestion above, or get press screws.

[Noah Magnuson]

There is a guy on ebay from the Russian Federation (seller: 1962geos). He makes 46 mm diam wooden screws and moxon vise kits. I have purchased ~12" (336 mm) moxon kit, and he also made a pair of 18" screws for me as well with all additional hardware needed. I wouldn't hesitate to contact him with your needs. Just use very clear and plain english. His prices are fair and the product is very well made beech. His name is George Soros.

As an aside, he was a very honorable seller. My second set of screws got hung up in customs, and he sent be another without question. I ultimately got the original set and paid him for both, but wouldn't hesitate about buying from him again.

[David Eisenhauer]

A few photos, John, of my home brew Moxon. I wanted the Acme thread to run out the back of the vise to keep from hanging myself on the exposed threaded rods, so I used some hand wheels that are capped on the end and attached to the Acme with Allen screws. I buried an Acme nut on the outside of the back chop and put a cover over the buried nut to prevent it from working loose and being pushed out of the chop. I had intended to use some type of bronze bushing for the Acme threads to ride in, but never got around to it. It works OK as it is, with the front chop occasionally sticking to the Acme thread when opening it up, but not much effort to clear it after you get used to it. Adding some suede leather to the chops definitely upgraded the performance. I left the top of my front chop full thickness so that I can use it as a flat platform for the back of my chisels to ride on when paring.

[Bob Jones 5443]

A few photos, John, of my home brew Moxon. I wanted the Acme thread to run out the back of the vise to keep from hanging myself on the exposed threaded rods, so I used some hand wheels that are capped on the end and attached to the Acme with Allen screws. I buried an Acme nut on the outside of the back chop and put a cover over the buried nut to prevent it from working loose and being pushed out of the chop. I had intended to use some type of bronze bushing for the Acme threads to ride in, but never got around to it. It works OK as it is, with the front chop occasionally sticking to the Acme thread when opening it up, but not much effort to clear it after you get used to it. Adding some suede leather to the chops definitely upgraded the performance. I left the top of my front chop full thickness so that I can use it as a flat platform for the back of my chisels to ride on when paring.

David, it's interesting to see how you sourced your Moxon hardware. I know Jonathan Katz-Moses recommends McMaster-Carr, too.

I'm debating the screw configuration. The way you did it has two advantages: 1) you avoid Acme threads protruding out past the wheels, and 2) you have the option of a much deeper vise opening. But I'm wondering about the long-term effect of rotating the screws inside the chop. Now that you've had some years with it, do you find that you wear into the tops of the holes in the chop?

[Tony Zaffuto]

I have two Moxon vises: first made, was a large one, made with acme threaded veneer press screws and it wirks great. The second was one I built earlier this year. It is smaller (14" between screws), and used the hardware from "Tools for Working Wood", and I quite like the hardware and the vise! Do not fail to consider "Toolls for Working Wood"!

[Hilton Ralphs]

Doesn't Tom Bussey sell them? I'm sure I saw an ad in the classifieds (https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?282071-Moxon-Hardware).

[Christopher Charles]

I bought Tom's hardware and think it is great. Recently posted on the Moxon I built with it.

Best,
Chris

[Tom Bussey]

You can buy a thread cutting kit for threading woo ( tap and die )and make your own. I have used some old parallel clamps that had wooden screws. Here in the midwest we have a lot of humidity and the threads tend to swell up so sometimes they turn easy and sometimes they are sticky. I Have nothing against Lake Erie wooden screws it is just that prefer metal when it comes to screws.

And again personally for edge planing I prefer a shoulder vise and I also use it s a moxon type vise a lot of the time. And the last is the front side of my finished bench which sees a lot more action than the back side.

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[Megan Fitzpatrick]

Some recent reading, including this thread - http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?255882-Another-Moxon-Vise-Question has convinced me that a moxon vise is a good idea. After looking around, I see there a quite a few options on hardware. Benchcraft, Texas Heritage, and Tools For Working Wood all seem like popular choices. Anyone have any thoughts comparing these and/or other suggestions?


I've used them all, and they all work – as does homemade hardware. The one thing to consider is that on the TFWW kit, you have slightly less usable length on the screws – EVEN IF you choose a thinner, slightly curved front chop, as shown on the kit page. (That said, I've rarely needed more than 2" front to back in a twin-screw). I like the handles on the TFWW one; they can be moved out of the way (which is necessary, because in the top position, they project above the chop). But I don't think I'd use that hardware for a 24"-between-screws Moxon (which is my preferred size, for large casework). But it's great for a smaller vise. For a larger vise, with a thick front chop, I'd go with more substantial screws.

[Bob Jones 5443]

It seems the hardware components are fairly straightforward –– for the most part. Using the price leader Benchcrafted as the example, their kit includes:
(2) 3/4" 6 tpi Acme screws, 8" long
(4) matching nuts, 2 per side
(4) thick washers
All of these are readily available at McMaster Carr for about $25 for all ten parts, and probably from others for less.

The rub comes with the 5" cast iron handwheels. You can get these anywhere also, and cheap ($10 to $20 each), but not already threaded for the 3/4" Acme. For my part, I want the handwheels to be the only moving part, not to have the gnarly, sharp-edged threaded rods turning with every use inside precisely milled holes in a 4-pound chop –– especially at the end of the turn when the chop gets forced against the work. I think the milled holes would degrade fast. (Just pushing the chop across stationary rods seems like it would eventually wear a recess in the top of the holes. Does anybody find that?) One important attraction of the Moxon for me is the effortless little twist required to lock down the board. That means the handwheels need to be threaded, and the threads become the most critical feature.

For that you need a tap, and they seem to cost $150 for the tap itself. Also, for a Big Boy like that you need a tap wrench. These seem to go into the $110 to $200 range alone. But the key is really the expertise of tapping such a gonzo thread through 2" of cast iron, and obtaining a silky smooth fit. I dare say that leaves out most of us.

Benchcrafted has monetized this machining operation by cleverly noticing that woodworkers who want Moxon hardware are way over their heads when it comes to this level of machining. That's why they can charge $164 for $50 of hardware: it's the value they add by providing professional fit and finish to the hand wheel threads.

If only I knew a machinist. Maybe I'll start looking up that tree. It can't cost $100 to tap two highly refined threads. Can it?

Maybe I should just buy from the company that got there first. A decent middle of the road front vise costs $150+ after all.

[Bob Jones 5443]

I looked a bit closer at the McMaster Carr parts and prices:






part no.
qty
unit price
extended


rods
3/4"-6 Acme, 12"
carbon steel
98935A732
2
$7.00
$14.00


handwheel, unthreaded
5", 3-spoked dished
dull cast iron
6025K38
2
$18.81
$37.62


hex nuts
3/4" Acme
carbon steel
94815A109
4
$4.22
$16.88


levelling washers
1-5/8" OD, 2-part
black oxide steel
94815A109
2
$4.09
$8.18

















$76.68



You can find handwheels that look the same elsewhere for $10 each, and you can shave a few cents off the rods if you're willing to buy a 2 foot length and cut it down. You could get regular washers that don't adjust to racking. All that would take the total down to sub-$60 list, but the two shipping charges would no doubt wipe out the savings.

And you'd still want to tap the wheels. Overall, it's starting to look like Benchcrafted is onto something. They're like the Lie-Nielsen of vise hardware. Their competitive advantage is superior fit quality with the venerable Acme thread, which produces the "ooh and ahh factor" that looks so desirable on YouTube. This seems to be the way of modern toolmaking. But I still wonder if all that's truly necessary.

I know David Eisenhauer uses rods that turn with the wheels. That takes all the problem away of finding a way to tap. It's a $60 – $70 plan, plus lumber. He seems happy with his. Maybe I'm too concerned about the ease of motion.

[David Eisenhauer]

Bob- I now realize that I never answered you in regards to whether or not I noticed any wear inside my chop holes due to the moving Acme rod in the hole. I don't notice any wear in my white oak chop chop holes when using it, but I have not taken my Moxon apart to inspect for wear. I drilled a slight slop in my Acme holes so that the rods move easily. I originally intended to insert some type of bronze bushing in the holes for the rods to slide through but did not have any bushings laying around and wanted to use the Moxon right now. I still may get some bushings (one day), but I have had good use out of the Moxon as is. Each to his own, but I do not want the rods extending outwards towards me when I use the vise. I would like to build another Moxon, same design, but shorter (less than the 24" ID I now have) and with shorter rods (less opening capacity) to be used primarily for working on my typical length/thickness drawer parts. My use of the Mcmaster Carr handwheels eliminated the issue of threading the ID of the handwheels as my handwheels just slip over the end of the Acme rod and incorporate a set screw to fix them in place. For those who order a single length of Acme rod, it is cuttable with a hack saw without issue.

[Bob Jones 5443]

David, thanks for the reply. I'm glad to hear your rod holes are holding up. I am interested to hear how easily the wheels spin closed, or whether you need to turn them every degree of the way. I suppose it doesn't matter once you're down to the final 2 mm adjustment.

I definitely see the benefit of not having the rods protrude from the front of the tool. Lots of ouch potential there! And of course, completely sidestepping the nettlesome need to tap the wheels.

One question I have about your configuration: with the Benchcrafted setup each rod is held fixed by one nut mortised into the front face of the rear jaw and a free but tightened nut behind the rear jaw. This locks the rods in pretty tightly I would guess. But with your system the rods turn, so only the mortised nut is holding the rod, is that correct? Does the front chop ever rock up and down when it's extended?

I'm going to stew on all this for a while. If I can find a machinist near me who already has the tap, wrench, and skill, I might just go that route. Or I might take the Trail of Tears and blow the big bucks on the shiny object. We'll see.

(It's funny the hoops I'll jump through to save $50 on a tool. That philosophy saw me spending more money overall on tools in 2019 than in any prior year! But I got what felt to me like good prices on all of them.)

[David Eisenhauer]

Bob, the handwheels do not "spin", but do turn easily . In use, I usually insert and hold the item to be Moxonized between the chops with one hand and push the front chop closed (up against the item) with my other hand and/or my belly. I then use the pushing hand to spin up the handwheels to eliminate the slack in the rods. Normally, for repetitive open/closes on the same item (same gap required), I tend to mostly open one end of the Moxon only. Due to the suede leather lining the chop gripping faces, it only takes minor tightening (just slightly more than contact) with the front chop to hold the item in place (hands off) and still allow me to adjust for plumb. etc. A final 1/8 turn (or so) twist on either one or both handles fully tightens the Moxon up. The downside to my Moxon is that the top of the front chop rolls outward a little when it is released from holding anything. This is due to the slightly (1/64") oversized holes I drilled for ease of rod travel. I first drilled the holes to the rod OD and it was harder to open/close the front chop due to the friction. I believe that the bronze bushings would eliminate the droop, but I am used to the slight droop and eliminate the slight outward roll or droop of the front chop when I push it closed.

[Bob Jones 5443]

David, I’m enjoying this conversation. Thanks for taking me through your process. It sounds like you have adapted quite well to your vise.

On another front, it’s official: I’m not going to try to get blank handwheels threaded locally. Today I spoke with two local machinists, one large and one small, who are both expert at tapping Acme threads. For only two parts, any cost to me would be prohibitive to have them tapped for me. That puts Benchcrafted in the driver’s seat for the ultra-smooth-spinning version they have pioneered.

Human psychology is fascinating. Just knowing a sleek, high performing tool
is available induces us to want to have it. But do we need it? How many tools can we say this about? What BC does reminds me of the business plan of many of today’s premium tool makers. They invest in the machining and know-how, guarantee their quality, and pay back their fixed costs on margins.

Benchcrafted has targeted woodworkers who care about fine work and excellent tools. I admire that aspiration. I try to make or buy excellent jigs and tools, and then hope to create work worthy of them. And in the end, BC’s markup is fair when you consider the costs of trying to do what they do. If I go ahead with making a Moxon vise, their kit will be on it.

I’m considering covering the rods with something soft when the vise is not in use, to prevent walk-by bruises.

[Jim Koepke]

If only I knew a machinist. Maybe I'll start looking up that tree. It can't cost $100 to tap two highly refined threads. Can it?

How much time will it take to drill and tap two hand wheels? Don't forget set up and clean up.

It isn't likely to be a big money saver.

jtk

[Tony Zaffuto]

How much time will it take to drill and tap two hand wheels? Don't forget set up and clean up.

It isn't likely to be a big money saver.

jtk

I own a manufacturing plant, and have in-house machining and tool making for my process (powder metallurgy). In my support machining, I have five CNC machining centers and a host of manual machines, including three double disc grinders, several surface grinders, etc. To consider a job, such as Acme threads, I would quote no less than $100+ per wheel, plus tooling/fixturing (manual equipment, for two holes). I would also complain after the job was complete hat I lost money!

[John Keeton]

What BC does reminds me of the business plan of many of today’s premium tool makers. They invest in the machining and know-how, guarantee their quality, and pay back their fixed costs on margins.

Benchcrafted has targeted woodworkers who care about fine work and excellent tools. I admire that aspiration. I try to make or buy excellent jigs and tools, and then hope to create work worthy of them. And in the end, BC’s markup is fair when you consider the costs of trying to do what they do.
These days I don't do the type of work you guys do, though 10-12 years ago I frequented the Neanderthal forum often and gleaned a wealth of information. In 2009 I dropped into the abyss of turning and haven't done much flat work in the last decade. But, I am now contemplating removing my Record 52 1/2 vise and installing a leg vise on the end of my bench, which is nothing like the examples you guys do, but it is serviceable for what I do. After reading every thread I could find on hardware, watching videos, searching reviews, I agree with Bob. If I go this route it will be with a Benchcrafted leg vise hardware kit. There are other ways to piece together a serviceable leg vise and save some money, and there are other mechanisms that work and work fairly well. But, I have seen nothing that has the quality, smoothness and simplicity of the BC.

[Gary Focht]

I think I’ve read the whole thread and not a single vote for 3/4” pipe clamps. I did this and I can probably open my vise 2 feet if needed (it was what I had on hand), although if I was buying parts I probably would use shorter pipes. It opens and closes smoothly, holds great, and I can’t imagine needing anything more.

[Bob Jones 5443]

I own a manufacturing plant, and have in-house machining and tool making for my process (powder metallurgy). In my support machining, I have five CNC machining centers and a host of manual machines, including three double disc grinders, several surface grinders, etc. To consider a job, such as Acme threads, I would quote no less than $100+ per wheel, plus tooling/fixturing (manual equipment, for two holes). I would also complain after the job was complete hat I lost money!

Tony, that's exactly what I found in speaking to two well qualified machine shops today. For a tiny job like this, the setup alone makes the project prohibitive. A company like Benchcrafted has this figured out: they make lots of them with a standard tooling setup, and the cash register rings every time.

So, unless you can personally invest your time, tools, and care to do this, it isn't worth it for the one-shop guy or gal who only wants one set. However, there may be enough slack in Benchcrafted's margin to provide a little business opportunity on the side, serving a niche community like ours or a national network of woodworking clubs.

[Bob Jones 5443]

But, I am now contemplating removing my Record 52 1/2 vise and installing a leg vise on the end of my bench.

How about a couple of photos of that Record vise?

[John Keeton]

Bob, it is still on my bench, but tomorrow I will take a couple pics and post them in this thread. Apologies to the OP for a minor hijack.

[Tom M King]

I wouldn't bother to buy a tap, and tap the wheels to save less than a hundred bucks.

I will add my one time experience with tapping holes in cast iron. I had to enlarge some threaded holes in a tractor, up from 5/8" to 3/4", and up from 3/4" to 7/8", and 1". I bought a giant tap wrench, off ebay, thinking that's what I needed. Turned out, I couldn't swing the big thing where I needed to anyway, so I used 8 point sockets, and a 1/2" breaker bar. The 24" long 1/2" Harbor Freight breaker bar is actually pretty nice. I used a breaker bar, so I could easily go back, and forth with the tap, without having to fumble with a ratchet.

These were stopped holes, so each needed a set of three different taps to cut threads all the way to the bottom of the holes. The 1" hole took some effort, but it didn't take any unusual amount of strength. The 7/8" hole was significantly easier, and the 3/4" holes were like cutting butter.

Recently, I had to redo a hole in cast iron, also on the same tractor, to hold a footrest on. The hole was in a tight corner. I needed to upsize a stripped 3/8" hole to 1/2". None of the 8pt. sockets would fit the taps. The only socket I had that would fit was a 12 pt. My 1/4" breaker bar was not there, so I decided to try the cheap Sunex 1/4" ratchet. Thinking it was worth risking ruining the ratchet to save the trip after the breaker bar, I used the ratchet. It didn't hurt the ratchet a bit, and it easily threaded the hole. There wasn't a small pipe in that shop to fit the little ratchet, for extra leverage, but a handle for a hydraulic jack served well.

Dark cutting oil is recommended for threading cast iron. I didn't try it without oil, or any other oil, but did use the dark oil, that came from the plumbing aisle in Home Depot.

A through hole should be a lot easier than a stopped hole, that needs the three taps.

I don't like cast iron wheels on woodworking benches anyway.

[Bob Jones 5443]

I wouldn't bother to buy a tap, and tap the wheels to save less than a hundred bucks.




Tom, yep, I've cured myself of the dalliance with tapping these wheels! Next project...

[John Keeton]

Bob, I sent you an email (not a PM) about the Record vise.

[John Makar]

I was lazy and just went with BenchCrafted. It allowed me to concentrate on the wood part of the vise. Mine ended up being a 'jig'. I couldn't decide on whether I wanted to do a table behind the fixed chop, a camfer on the moving, if a camfer what angle, etc. So I built mine from hard maple, more or less on the BC plan but with the York vise shoulders, and added threaded inserts to the back of the fixed, and top of both chops.

So now if I want some new feature I build a widget and screw it on with 1/4-20. That's a great idea, except there are always new widget ideas, and they end up taking up time and attention. I tried the springs idea to spread the chops, but found them more trouble than they are worth - it really doesn't take much to move the chops. If I do it over again, I would build a smaller one. It would be in addition to the standard BC large size, but that would simply because of the weight and space it takes up on the bench which ends up seeming like a silly reason to do another one. I will eventually buy longer rods from McMaster, probably already should have.

[Don Coffman]

A re-purposed bar from a dumbbell provides "usable" twin screws & nuts, add a couple pieces of white oak; I can sufficiently hold my work.

431383

The rear of the screws are held by two-part epoxy. Here set in position to assure alignment as epoxy sets.

431385

[Tony Zaffuto]

Veneer Press screws remain an low cost alternative, with the threaded rod (acme threads) available in a variety of length, with alterations easily done (the Jorgies I used just needed a through hole drilled in the threaded caps (olaced on inner chop) with the other portion filled to the front chop.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Alright, I pulled the trigger on an alternative that has occurred to me. In place of the Acme-threaded cast iron hand wheels that make up probably 3/4 of the cost of the Benchcrafted kit, I'm going to make 5" round hand wheels out of oak. For the sacred Acme thread that makes everything work, I'm going to use the part that was hiding in plain sight all along: the Acme hex nut, $4.22 each:

431768

I'll mortise that into the hand wheel. The nut is just a shade under 3/4" thick. I'll bury 1/2" of it in the wheel itself and the other 1/4" or so in a little round shaft made for the wheel. Then I'll glue to two wood parts together and the nut will be encased inside. The wheel and the shaft will each be 3/4" thick, or maybe a skosh more after I mill the board (it's 7/8" now). Here's a side view of the wheel and shaft, with the nut tucked away inside:

431769


I'll confirm the wood species soon. I'm leaning toward oak because I have a suitable scrap piece in the shop. I'll want a good combination of density and machinability. Maple might be easier to smooth, and the two are about the same mass per volume. Wood is approximately 1/10 the density of cast iron, of course, but the iron wheels have a lot of metal machined away (maybe 40% of it), and my wheels will be solid. Plus, I'll have the nut in there, so the net mass difference might not be much (maybe 5 to 1?). I'm hoping that if the threads run smoothly, I'll have enough mass in the wheels that they'll glide, and I might not miss having the cast iron one bit. I won't miss spending the extra $120 either.

Here's the package:
(2) 12" 3/4 Acme rods, carbon steel
(2) leveling washers, black oxide steel
(6) 3/4" Acme nut, carbon steel (I need 2 more than standard to fit into the wheels)
Total price: $47.50.

Benchcrafted kit: $164.

I've just learned that McMaster-Carr doesn't tell you what the shipping charge will be before you have to place the order, but they have good feedback on the web as being fair. We'll see.

Now, where can I get some Crubber?

[David Eisenhauer]

Finally! :) Moving on. Good for your health Bob Jones number 5,443. Paralysis through analysis, et al. You don't need crubber. Suede leather scraps work just fine. You are correct in that the heart of the handles for front loading Moxon threads is the Acme nut. I have seen wooden handles (as you propose) and also where someone spot welded some short round stock stubs on to the Acme nut to create a handle. Show us the final version if you can.

[Bob Jones 5443]

David, you've got my number again. I do tend to fixate on things.

In that spirit, I was wondering about the 3º deflection allowance with the Benchcrafted vise, and all the copies that crop up all over YouTube. I see that the Benchcrafted instructions only recommend widening the 3/4" slot on the front chop to 15/16" –– not much. Many YouTubers cheerful recommend an extra 1/4" on both sides (1-1/4" total). Who's right? So I took a look at it with a scale drawing:

431773

15/16" seems to be about right. It would enable the left end of the chop to extend about 1-1/4" more than the right end, assuming 24" between screws. A 1-1/4" slot would allow a deflection of the chop of nearly 16º! That would allow the left side of the chop to be more than 6-1/2" farther out than the right side! Sounds like a bad idea to me, especially for a vise built to extend 2-1/4" in total. I'll stick with a 15/16" slot.

But then I got to thinking: wouldn't you need to elongate both holes in the front chop? Otherwise, why wouldn't the right-hand screw bind in its 3/4" hole?

Paralyzed? I don't look at it that way. But I do tend to drive others crazy while I look at things up, down, and sideways.

[J. Greg Jones]

But then I got to thinking: wouldn't you need to elongate both holes in the front chop? Otherwise, why wouldn't the right-hand screw bind in its 3/4" hole?
The Benchcrafted instructions specifies that both holes in the front jaw should be elongated to 15/16”. I built my vise with the Benchcrafted hardware using their instructions and the 15/16” elongation works perfectly.

[Tom M King]

I would like that better than metal wheels anyway.

[Bob Jones 5443]

The Benchcrafted instructions specifies that both holes in the front jaw should be elongated to 15/16”. I built my vise with the Benchcrafted hardware using their instructions and the 15/16” elongation works perfectly.

J. Greg, your post sent me back to the instructions. You’re right: it mentions (in passing, kind of) that you should elongate both holes. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Finally! :) Moving on. Good for your health Bob Jones number 5,443. Paralysis through analysis, et al. You don't need crubber. Suede leather scraps work just fine. You are correct in that the heart of the handles for front loading Moxon threads is the Acme nut. I have seen wooden handles (as you propose) and also where someone spot welded some short round stock stubs on to the Acme nut to create a handle. Show us the final version if you can.

David, you asked me to show the final version. I don't have the wood for the chops yet, but I described the making of the handwheels in this thread:

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?282740-Make-or-buy-Moxon-quot-hardware-quot

Fewer folks visit the shopmade tools forum, so I thought I'd direct you there.

[Tim Andrews]

I went with Taytools hardware after watching a video of Mike Farrington making his Moxon vise. He is a very talented pro with high end tools, and if it was good enough for him I was confident it would work for me, and I was right. I’m very pleased with the function, particularly after adding the springs discussed in another thread. Best part: $49.99 plus $5 shipping. Be advised that the piece of leather they supply is likely too small for the vise you build, so I had to buy a separate piece. Here’s the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084HKDK4S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And the hardware installed on my vise:

[Edward Anderson]

Hello.....
I know this post is getting a little old, but I recently started investigating building a Moxon Vice. I have access to an old weight bar, similar to the one you used in your build.
How has the Moxon Vice worked for you??? Wondering how easy the bar collar secures the front of the vice because of the coarse thread, or any other issues.
I'd think to secure the threaded bar, maybe drilling a hole thru it, inserting a pin of some type. Then adding a 3/4 inch material behind the bar and pin.
Anyway, getting long-winded. Just looking for you're thoughts.
Thanks
Ed

[Bob Jones 5443]

Edward, maybe Don Coffman will get back to you regarding the dumbbell bar build, but don't rule out the more contemporary method used by BenchCrafted. It has the best form factor, and the home-made version is inexpensive and simple.

The 6 x 3/4" Acme lead screw is one of the least expensive parts of the build, and it's perfect for the job. McMaster Carr. No cutting (unless you save a few cents by cutting in half a screw twice as long as you need, but why bother?), no set screw, just simple nuts. As always, the biggest challenge is the hand wheels.

My descriptions here tend to make things sound complicated –– just ask David Eisenhauer; he'll tell you. It's my one vice (pun intended). But once you have the plan in mind and the parts in hand, it's a snap to put this thing together. Then you can focus on the woodworking when you mill, shape, and chisel the chops. My Moxon vise is stout, effective, and so easy to use.

Or you can wait for Tom Bussey to come around here with another set.

Good luck!