Vise options for a plywood bench

[John Serna]

I also work out of my garage with a bench that is attached to one wall with drawers underneath. With limited space a built in vice is not really an option. I would highly recommend building a Moxon vise, which can be clamped just about anywhere. I built mine last year, as well as a rolling fold up assembly table, and those 2 portable devices are used on almost every project I build, and can be put away at night. There are lots of versions, here’s mine.
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Hey Tim, thanks for the moxon recommendation. I built it today. It was my first woodworking project, and I needed a vise, so it seemed like the place to start. It came out great (for me)! I made it out of cherry and lined it with cork. I had no power tools nor even a drill press so it took a while. I think this is going to do what I need it to do.

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[Tim Andrews]

Nice job John, looks great. I’m sure you’ll get a lot of use out of it.

[Andy D Jones]

Beautiful job, John!

If you find the front jaw flexes too much between the two screws, you can stiffen it similarly to the way the clamping ledge on the back jaw stiffens the rear jaw, if such a ledge will clear the "wing nuts" on the vise screws. If it does not clear the wing nuts, the ledge can be shortened to fit between the two wing nuts.

Regardless, keep the front re-enforcing ledge the same length as the front jaw (flush with the ends of the front jaw), not extended like the rear clamping ledge, to keep the front jaw ends flush with the rear jaw ends.

I might glue & screw the front ledge flush with the top of the front jaw, for a wider support on top of the vise, and perhaps to permit clamping a workpiece to the top of the vise.

If that does not stiffen the vise jaws sufficiently, add similar ledges at the top of the rear jaw, and the bottom of the front jaw, transforming the two jaws into back-to-back "C" channels.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Tom Bender]

I like having the garage bench attached to the wall. Recently I rebuilt it, lowering it a few inches and making it a few inches shallower. 30" deep is good but in a 1 car it may be more than optimal.

[John Serna]

I used the moxon vise for the first time today. It's awesome. Quick question, though: what is the best (aesthetics + function) clamp to use if I'm going to keep it attached to the bench frequently? It would be nice to have something attractive that doesn't get in the way visually (like the clamps I own, unfortunately).
Thanks!

[Tim Andrews]

I used the moxon vise for the first time today. It's awesome. Quick question, though: what is the best (aesthetics + function) clamp to use if I'm going to keep it attached to the bench frequently? It would be nice to have something attractive that doesn't get in the way visually (like the clamps I own, unfortunately).
Thanks!

John, glad to hear that your vise works well for you. I tried several different clamps, and the most solid are C clamps. I turn them so the “handle” for tightening is underneath leaving a cleaner profile on top. They apply enough force to dent the wood on your vise, so I used double stick tape to add a small block of wood on each side to keep my vise looking purdy.

[John Serna]

Awesome, thanks, Tim.

Is there any reason we can't permanently screw down the little wooden tabs we cut for the clamps?

[Tim Andrews]

Awesome, thanks, Tim.

Is there any reason we can't permanently screw down the little wooden tabs we cut for the clamps?

Sure, you could do that. But for me, that defeats the purpose of attaching them in the first place. My thought is that they are disposable, can be replaced when needed, and leave the vise unmarred by the clamps.

[Tom Bender]

Yes you can bolt it to the bench. I'd suggest 3/4" bolts with giant wing nuts underneath, if you can find them.

[John Serna]

Yes you can bolt it to the bench. I'd suggest 3/4" bolts with giant wing nuts underneath, if you can find them.

Awesome, thank you. I think I have that hardware. I'm going to make a second, smaller one and mount it to the bench as my main vise. Then keep the bigger one for larger projects and clamp that one.

And thanks, Tim!

This thread has been super helpful. Finally have a vise!