Moxon storage

[Bob Jones 5443]

Love the Moxon. I'm already sawing away more as I practice the art of the dovetail joint in preparation for making a bathroom wall cabinet sometime this year, I hope.

While I was making it, I only vaguely foresaw the bite the Moxon would take out of my bench space. Mine has just 18" between screws, but it's still 30" left to right. I can leave it in place and still have chiseling room to its left, so that's OK while making dovetails. But once the joint making is over, the Moxon is a hulking behemoth on the bench. What to do?

Inspired by a Creeker (sorry, I didn't look you up before posting this), I decided to hang it up in one of the few remaining unused spaces in my garage shop. Here's my solution:

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It's just a 3/8" aluminum bar from Home Depot, set into two brackets made from pipe strap. One is raised to give a slight downward angle and prevent the vise from sliding off. At probably fifteen pounds, it might tend to bend the bar over time, so I can foresee going to a 1/2" bar if need be.

The reward is the clearest bench I've had in a very long time:

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[mike stenson]

Very nice! Out of the way is good indeed!

[Bill Carey]

Clever solution Bob. I don't think my shop was that clean on the day I moved in. Well done.

[Jim Matthews]

The reward is the clearest bench I've had in a very long time:

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Where's the garbage can full of shavings and scraps near the light switch? If anyone asks for a tour, you've appropriate dressing handy.

Scandalous to show a bench in that condition.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Bob, you should be ashamed of yourself making us all look bad with such a nice clean looking shop :D

That is a pretty smart solution (given that it works with your vice).

I have pondered what to do with mine and have not yet determined a good solution for my setup.

Thanks for the photo, this is something that I have struggled with in my mind for some years and have simply not gotten around to solving.

[steven c newman]

Ok...what IS a Moxxon? may have to start calling my bench stool a Moxxon...:rolleyes:

[Bob Jones 5443]

Guys, sorry about the bench shot. No one-upmanship intended. What you don’t see is that I moved over to the table saw half a cubic foot of cutoff pieces I can’t bring myself to toss, plus a 690 router I haven’t made a French cleat cradle for. But I’m getting close. It’s aspirational.

[Clifford McGuire]

I like the vertical hanging idea!

I just shove mine on a shelf, but that takes up a lot of otherwise valuable space.

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[Clifford McGuire]

Bob, can you tell me a little about those lights you have on your bench? Did you have to do anything special to the base to get them to fit into the holes?

[Don Coffman]

My shop space is limited so my moxon went up & upside down.

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[Bob Jones 5443]

My shop space is limited so my moxon went up & upside down.

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Now that is sweet.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Bob, can you tell me a little about those lights you have on your bench? Did you have to do anything special to the base to get them to fit into the holes?

Clifford, one of the lights, the smaller profile one, came from Amazon: Next LED Cree.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L6T1N1K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I couldn't find where the other, slightly larger one came from just now.

To hold them into standard 3/4" dog holes I use this magnetic plate from Lee Valley:

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/workshop/lighting/101469-steel-mounting-plate-for-magnetic-mount-led-work-light?item=15J7702

https://assets.leevalley.com/Size4/10028/15J7702-mounting-plate-f-37.jpg

... and this post to screw it to:

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/workshop/lighting/101470-dog-hole-posts-for-magnetic-mount-led-work-light

https://assets.leevalley.com/Size4/10028/15J7705-20mm-stainless-steel-dog-hole-post-f-41.jpg

[Dave Zellers]

There are 4 hinges at the back- does the workbench lift up?

Love the pencil holder.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Yes, it flips up. It’s over 200 pounds, so I have a carabiner at the end of a 7:1 block and tackle bolted to a wall stud, and a 3/8” eye ring bolted under the front of the bench. I don’t pull the bench up often, but funny you should ask. I was thinking of shortening the legs a bit to re-level the bench. My garage floor is not level.

[Bob Jones 5443]

There are 4 hinges at the back- does the workbench lift up?

Love the pencil holder.
The pencil holder is my favorite shop accessory. My son made it in middle school. It is now the one tool I have not found a place for off the bench.

[Dave Zellers]

The pencil holder is my favorite shop accessory. My son made it in middle school. It is now the one tool I have not found a place for off the bench.

That's good- it belongs on the bench! How old is your son now? Grown up? I have a few fun mementos from when my kids were little- both in their 40's now.

So I assume the legs are hinged at the back and move with the bench?

You could put handles on the front and do a few 200 lb curls to start your day. :D

[Bob Jones 5443]

Dave, you have me confused with someone else. Hulk, maybe?

My boy is 26: all growed up.

The legs are on locking hinges at their tops, at the front of the bench. After raising and tying off the bench I release the leg hinges so they can hang down. Before lowering it again I lock the legs open.

The bench is very stout for pounding, sawing, planing —whatever, because it’s essentially bolted to the wall (or, the ledger board is). This saved me from needing to make a heavy base to prevent movement. The legs are simply four 2x3 poplar sticks. They’re fine since they only bear downward force.

Sometimes I wish I could use all four sides of the bench. But I don’t really have room for that anyway, so it’s a fleeting impulse. Mostly I just enjoy how useful the setup is.

[Dave Zellers]

Well, you don't become the Hulk until after you do the curls. :)

I love seeing garage shops. Multi use spaces are awesome.