Which Moxon Vise Hardware

[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.

Moxon1.jpg

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

Moxon3.jpg

[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:

Acme hex nut.png

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:

handwheel sketch.jpg


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:

elongated slot.jpg

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....-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/B0...?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!