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Thread: Moxon Vise Gets it’s Own Bench

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2022
    Location
    South NJ
    Posts
    25

    Moxon Vise Gets it’s Own Bench

    I’m 6’2”, have been graced with poor eyesight since 2nd grade and am not a triathlete. So bending down to the 35” height of my bench was getting tiresome. Also the small shop I’ve been stricken with has forced my bench up against the “left” wall and the right side is a mere 30” from the infeed table of my jointer. This equates to two uncomfortable working positions when sawing work held in either of my vises. I simply do not have the room to stretch my legs into a lunge position at either vise, meaning I’ve been bending at the waist, exhibiting extremely poor form, while hand sawing.

    Simple solution, move the work to the middle of the bench. And while you’re at it, get high with it! Enter my new favorite tool of all time for this week. The moxon bench. For obvious reasons, the lowly moxon vise would not suffice to satisfy my elevated expectations, nor would a simple end vise on a small bench top bench solve my lack of lunge space at the proper perpendicular orientation.

    I decided to make the vise capable of being consciously uncoupled from its mate, although the vise would fair better than the bench aesthetically if that were to take place. I had all the wood needed in the form of free shorts, acquired from a lumber to luthiers supplier who was moving shop, as well as a spare Columbian vise that’s been relocated from one spot to another countless times in the past few years. The finish I used is 4:1 BLO to bees wax I made a while back, and the 1/4”-20 bolts I used were from a package of 3” toggle bolts long ago purchased and forgotten about. I installed threaded inserts into the edge of the bench top at 4” intervals in an attempt to keep everything flat straight and happy. I made the aluminum split rings for the vise screws out of two strips of 1/4” aluminum plate, leftover from the dust door I built for my, since sold, PM-66 table saw. The only purchase I made specifically for this build were the 5/8”-8 acme thread rods and their corresponding nuts. I’m only 40 minutes from McMaster-Carr, so I ordered them to will call, made a cup of coffee and went to pick them up. If anyone is thinking of building a moxon vise, save yourself $75+ and get the parts from McMaster, instead of a kit from a woodworking supplier. All in on this project, I’m at right around $40, including the fuel required to pick up the acme threads.

    I remember seeing a Steve Latta article in FWW about a small bench he uses, so I pulled it up. I took his idea for the I-beam legs and adapted them into my design. His bench was longer and narrower than I wanted. I settled on 10x36” for the top. Two of the inches in width are made up by the fixed maple vise jaw’s thickness. I didn’t have any pieces of stock longer than 39” I was willing to use for the top, and soon found 36” would allow the bench to be spun 90 degrees and pushed to the left end of my main bench when not in use, without interfering with the movement of my table saw fence at all. Win win.

    I forgot to cut clamping holes in the legs before assembly, which turned out to be a blessing as well as a curse. My main bench does not have an overhang on its front face, so there is nowhere to clamp the left leg in that manner had I remembered to cut the mortises anyway. (See photo of right leg clamp) I did however have a place to clamp the right leg, through its front, to the main bench using an F style clamp. I simply built up a clamping surface on the left leg and clamp it down using a hold fast style clamp through the dog hole of my main bench. I put the clamping “shelf” on the inside of the leg in an effort to reduce the bench’s footprint while not in use. Works like a charm.

    I’ll attach some photos of it before and after applying finish. I spent a good few hours making the aluminum split rings but decided I’m going to use the bench without them for a while and see how often I utilize the angling jaw feature their absence allows.

    Please excuse the mess in my shop, but I’m sure I’m not the o my one it gets away from mid-project. Also let me know what you guys think!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,688
    I really like what you did with that...not only is a good functional way to deploy this particular type of vice, but it clearly helps with the height challenge so working is more comfortable. (One of the reasons I use height adjustable work surfaces...too much bending over gets tiring and sometimes actually painful)

    I may have to make one of these things once I have the new shop. Thanks for planting that seed. LOL
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2022
    Location
    South NJ
    Posts
    25
    Thanks Jim! The only problem with it so far is that I waited so long to build it! I do really like the adjustable bench you have though. Maybe my next bench will have one of those bases. I don’t think I’ll be using Purple Heart in the top like you did though haha!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,688
    The Craftsman Hardware version of the bench is a bit more affordable than the all steel one, so definitely worthy even if you can't spring for the "big kahuna". But the Moxon setup will still be useable even with an adjustable height workbench setup so not time wasted there! I can show you that version next time you are here...it's under my Auxiliary bench which can serve as a down-draft, work surface or "dedicated' pocket hole station and more.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2022
    Location
    South NJ
    Posts
    25
    Awesome. Looking forward to it!

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