Pics and Videos of my Moxon Vise and Wagon Vise

[wdnick]

Hi folks. I don't post very often. OK, I don't think that I've ever posted, but I have been listening to the podcasts and watching videos for some time now.

I completed my own version of the Roubo last spring/summer and just completed my Moxon vise this evening. Like most of us I would love to have the funds for the Benchcrafted hardware, but I just don't. SO I made do with more common items.

For my wagon vise I used a Shop Fox bench screw, some 1/4" steel plate and bar, and a ginormous washer from McMaster Carr. The guides are three layers of steel. The outer two are 1/4" x 1" with an inner layer of 1/4" x 3/4". I welded a sandwich out of them and installed that under the bench. I then welded up a slide out of 1/4" plate and attached the sliding dog hole block. The washer serves as a garter on the end of the bench. A recent article in Popular Woodworking about "Condor Tails" would have come in really handy a year ago when I cut mine, but unfortunately mine are a little jagged. The tail vise has been working really well for me since I finished the bench several months ago. I have no complaints about it. I bought a handwheel on Ebay to replace the bar, but I haven't done it yet and I'm not sure that I will. Yes, the threads are backwards (righty loosy, lefty tighty) but it took about 30 seconds to get used to it.

Youtube Video of wagon vise:

My Moxon is made with 1/2-13 threaded rod and nut. I made the knobs from some nice birch plywood that's been laying around for years. I even "knurled" the knobs with my new Ridgid oscillating belt/spindle sander that the lovely bride bought me for Christmas (God Bless her). The knobs have a regular hex nut imbedded between the two layers of plywood. The rods thread into a piece of 1/4" plate screwed to the back of the back jaw. I tried to buy regular T nuts, but the Depot didn't have any that big and I didn't want to look elsewhere (wait), so I made my own. It's a really secure way to hold a board for dovetailing or sawing tenons. Keep in mind that I made the video with my cell phone, and I was operating the vise with one hand.

Youtube Videos of Moxon vise:

You don't have to break the bank to have a nice, functional workbench. I am much happier that I spent the money on some quality maple for the benchtop than on the hardware for the vises.

Doug Nicholson

Acworth, GA

[Nick2cd]

very cool! how'd u make ur handwheels on ur moxon? i can see they are plywood, but how did you thread them?

[mwatkins]

Very cool...Ingenuity is the master of everything. That's how a number of items in my shop came into existence...couldn't afford the real thing so I just made my own.

[wdnick]

Hi Nick. The handwheels were very easy and actually the first pieces I made. I cut 4" circles on the bandsaw. I laid out 12 marks around the perimeter and put the notches in with the 1/2" spindle on my new Ridged OSS. That could have been done on the saw as well and hand sanded. Then I drilled the holes through, put a nut on one side, traced it with a pencil and chiseled out until it was a flush fit. The hub part is just a smaller circle appx 1.5" diameter. I glued it all together with plain yellow wood glue. The nut can't slip because it's in a hex shaped hole so even if the glue fails on the metal bond it's no big deal.

I thought about just ordering some 1/2" plastic knobs, but I'm glad I didn't. This things spin so nice and the larger size lets me torque them without a lot of effort.

Doug

[shooterscott]

That's pretty cool, thanks for sharing.

[wleingang]

Dude I am totally building that asap, looks really tight. Thanks for the inspiration and design!

[Brian VanVreede]

That's really sweet!

[Mike M]

I also made an elcheapo Moxon like vise. I used a pine 2x4 for the body, 5/16" threaded rods and 'T' nuts.

The cam levers are fixed to the ends of the rods (CA glue) and the jaw is cambered to distribute the pressure across its length. I also added springs between the jaw and the body to keep the jaws open when inserting stock. The ends of the bottom board are notched to engage the bench dogs preventing it from sliding back onto the bench. The clamps hold it to the bench.

I added a second jaw on the back half of the top (reason for the extra holes). This enables me to clamp the work horizontally with about 1 1/2" exposed for chisel work. It is also convenient (if you cut tails first) to clamp the pin board in front and tail board on top for transferring the layout.

I originally intended to make this vise as a prototype and remake it in maple if I found it useful. So far I can't see any reason to use anything more than the pine and will probably keep it as is for awhile. Costwise, the 4 cam levers ($10) cost more than the rest of the vise.

The wagon vise also started as a prototype. I used a 3/4" threaded rod and a few nuts from HD. The fixed end of the screw runs through the end block and has a washer on the inside and outside faces of the block. The handle hub runs against the outside washer and a pair of nuts are locked together and run against the inside washer. The slider has a pair of nuts embedded in the leading and trailing edges that both support the screw and moves the block.

I glued the assembly to the front edge of my current bench top (3 - 3/4" mdf layers + masonite top) and find it very servicable. I hope to build a 'real' bench soon and will incorporate the design. The main change will be to replace the right handed thread rod with a left handed acme thread rod.

Mike

[Emmrys]

I am so glad to see some shop made moxon vices. I picked up hardware to make one myself. It will be awhile before it happens as other projects are in line already. Thanks everyone for sharing your versions.