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Thread: Moxon vise/bench design phase

  1. #1
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    Moxon vise/bench design phase

    I am in the planning stage. I like most of what is described in this post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMpqhpgxzPE

    But some questions for those using the moxon vise: Some I have seen use a rabbet on the clamping side of the jaws. This allows the use of a router to remove waste by letting the router ride on top. For those of you who have done this, do you use it a lot? Any downside when NOT using the router (due to the piece being clamped lower from the actual edge)? I was wondering if the same could be accomplished by simply putting a shorter spacer board next to the workpiece before clamping. Perhaps this could be one dedicated to be put on/off.

    And what keeps the top surfaces of the jaws aligned/coplanar? The video used some guide blocks around the screws. That doesnt seem overly precise. (I need to go study how a traditional twin screw vise is aligned - separate guide rails? via the OD of the screw?). If doing anything located to the top surface, this needs to be flat and in plane.

    What depth is needed? Many of the kits have relatively short screws - 8", and the handles screw on so the screw protrudes when clamped. Keeping the handles flush to the front and rotating the entire lead screw seemed nicer... But how much clamp capacity is needed? 4" enough??

    Any other recommendations to consider?

  2. #2
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    I agree about the protruding screws. I bought 18" screws with rear plates I could attach and the screw sticks out the back.

    You might want to check out this current thread:
    Moxon vise design "review"?


  3. #3
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    Thanks Bill, I did read that one. There are a lot of posts on the topic, so starting one of my own to go with the build process. Will add updates as I go.

  4. #4
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    Look forward to seeing what you do.

  5. #5
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    Well as with most all of my projects, they go slowly as I find bits of time here and there to work in teh shop. But some progress updates:

    I grabbed some hardware from another SMC member, without having a full blown 'plan'. It tends to be my nature I have learned, that by having the parts lying around it motivates me to jump on a project that if I had to wait for the detailed plans to finish it would mean an even bigger delay.

    20190721_064529_resized.jpg

    And dug around for scraps. Misc 8/4 of wood species that I dont even know what one of the boards is. A couple pieces of hard maple/cherry will be the bulk of it. Recon they will do for a 'mini benchtop':
    20190713_123513.jpg20190721_064940.jpg20190721_064936.jpg


    Cut, ripped, jointed, planed, glued up a top surface, then ran it through the widebelt a couple times and a very suitable worksurface (if not too heavy!)
    20190721_105659_resized.jpg

    And sized up the remaining pieces so all the basic dimensioning is roughed.
    20190721_080954_resized.jpg

  6. #6
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    Then as is often the case for me, the project digressed. Note I have kids (always blame it on kids! ). And my two daughters (11 and 13) show an interest in engineering type stuff so I want to encourage and inspire them. Perusing vise designs I ran across the one done with wooden gears to drive the lead screws, and thought that might be fun and would show my daughters an example of building something 'neat' from scratch.

    So generated a spur gear profile (lots of gear profile software out there, I wrote my own back in the 80's but these days everything is done for you. Printed it out and carved out a sample gear from Baltic birch. The gear teeth came out pretty decent I thought.
    20190721_064514_resized.jpg

    But when it came time to bore the hole in the middle things didnt go so good. Fact is, my eyes are not what they once were and I didnt get it on center. Doh!! No way will a gear work with that amount of eccentricity...
    20190721_064518_resized.jpg


    So I then wondered, maybe I should just 'print' them. The kids have a 3D printer. Not sure how the material itself will hold up, but back to CAD (I use OnShape and highly recommend it). Added some 'spokes' and a bore and viola!, something that looks like a gear comes out 6 hours later. Note this was 50% fill and they feel pretty stiff and ridgid so I am optimistic. Printed off a set of 5.

    20190716_181825_resized.jpg20190721_070442_resized.jpg

  7. #7
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    I had some 1/2" grounded rod laying around so cut some nubs from it as shafts, and went ahead and invested the $4 in some brass bushings. Turned down the end of the lead screw. made a bushing to fit the wheel to the shaft, and cross drilled it for a roll pin to attach.
    20190802_170939.jpg

    And it is coming together something like this:
    20190802_170905_resized.jpg20190804_085829_resized.jpg20190804_105110_resized.jpg20190804_162308_resized.jpg

  8. #8
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    So that gets the front of the vise roughly layed out. For the back I decided to run some Delrin bushings right on the OD of the lead screw itself. I am not sure how it will do but again some pieces laying around so giving it a try:
    20190804_143016_resized.jpg20190804_143405_resized.jpg

    Then the printed gears worked well enough... back to CAD an layed out a holder for the nut. Note as an after thought, I have since decided I should have made this circular in layout so that I can simply tighten it up/adjust it by turning it before cinching it down with screws. I will probably modify it by the time am done, or maybe not. This one took about 15 mins to build on CAD then wait 3 hours for the print and it seems pretty decent.
    20190804_075006_resized.jpg20190804_160331_resized.jpg20190804_160556_resized.jpg

    And that is where I am at, coming into the home stretch. Going to put some benchdogs on the top. I have yet to be able to test the smoothness of operation so verdict is still out on that.. if anything, it is all 'too tight' since I used proper bearings and bushings. As strange as that sounds, I find sometimes a little slop is needed for smooth operation. but we will see....

  9. #9
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    Then in parallel with all this, finished up a couch frame I was making to match a morris chair project I did a while back. Will update that once the fabric is done but the frame went together smoothly (amazing how much faster things do when you have done it once!)
    20190629_162136.jpg20190804_085834.jpg

  10. #10
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    Looking good Carl - looking forward to pics of the final build. Are you putting clamps on the table top? And are you putting a signature ying/yang symbol in the table top? That would be cool.

    Having a 3d printer looks like a pretty handy thing to have sitting around. How long do you think those gears will last?
    Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

  11. #11
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    What is the size of the Moxon bench vise
    Thank you,

    Rich Aldrich

    65 miles SE of Steve Schlumpf.

    "To a pessimist, the glass is half empty; to an optimist, the glass is half full; to an engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be." Unknown author



  12. #12
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    Some I have seen use a rabbet on the clamping side of the jaws. This allows the use of a router to remove waste by letting the router ride on top.
    Carl, I would not do this since it removes the support/backing for the board. This will become apparent when sawing tails or pins. I have used a trim router to remove socket waste, but do not rely on the Moxon to support the router. It is an interesting idea to build it in, but not this way. My immediate thought is that I would be more inclined to turn the board around and rebate the chop for clearance.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich Aldrich View Post
    What is the size of the Moxon bench vise
    Roughly 24wd x 20dp

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    Carl, I would not do this since it removes the support/backing for the board. This will become apparent when sawing tails or pins. I have used a trim router to remove socket waste, but do not rely on the Moxon to support the router. It is an interesting idea to build it in, but not this way. My immediate thought is that I would be more inclined to turn the board around and rebate the chop for clearance.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    I read some of your previous posts on this Derek, and you convinced me...

    Thanks for flagging.

  15. #15
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    Carl, I am interested in the possibility of using the Moxon to hold a board and rout out waste with a trim router (I am about to build a new Moxon vise) - I have an idea ...



    In this design, the front chop has a rebate. As the chop is set up in the design above, there is full support on both sides of the board when sawing. Now reverse the chop, and the rebate on the outside becomes a rebate on the inside, and this provides space for the router bit to clear the pin board.

    At the rear of the vise is a hinged spacer. This has three purposes; firstly, it lifts the tail board above the chop, which would be cut up by a knife when transferring marks if coplanar. Secondly, it is easier to align tail and pin boards if there is space around them (which is why I dislike the designs which have a continuous shelf at the rear of the vise. Thirdly, the spacer becomes a ledge to which one can attach clamps (if needed).

    Most of these ideas (the exception being the rebate in the chop) I have been testing for at least 10 years, in which time I have hand cut thousands of dovetails.

    What do you think?

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

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