Shopsmith Forums

I’ve never had a proper vise in my shop because I have never had the space for a traditional workbench. Recently I got to thinking I could remedy that by building a small, portable vise that I could clamp to my existing tables. That lead me to an internet search for Moxon Vises (https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=yo ... ORM=VDRVRV https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=yo ... F7449E9265).

It’s mostly constructed of cherry and oak that I milled last summer at my brother-in-law's farm in Madison. The jaws are 2-inch-thick cherry lined with leather, the rails are oak and the 24” table is mostly cherry and oak with walnut and maple for accent. The vise itself has two 3/4” screws where I used a special type of washer so the jaws can rack to about 3 deg and handle out-of-square timber. I also put chamfered dog holes in the table top to allow clamping of larger flat pieces (the dog holes will also allow me to use the surface as a small sanding table with good dust control). To hold it firmly to my existing work tables I simply pop a couple of clamps on the outriggers I cut into the rails and unmovable jaw. It looks great and works even better.

If you don't have the space (or money) for a traditional workbench, this might be an option for you.

-Erik

That looks great !

b

Nice job.

That is one good looking vise/worktable! I like the design.

A piece of functional art!

I’ve been intending to build a full-size hand-tool workbench, but space is a problem for me as well. So I’m curious about what you Moxon vise weighs, how often you expect to move it, and where you’ll store it when not in use.

This will provide you with many years of service, Good job ! I have been looking into one but have not yet taken on the project . you may have added some inspiration . Did you use a kit for the locking wheels and threaded rods ?

BuckeyeDennis & Hobbyman2,

The vise and table weighs a hair under 30 lbs (thankfully a lot lighter than my SS jointer, bandsaw and belt sander!). It's lighter than you might think because the finished thickness of the table is 1 3/8" (1 1/2" maple scraps dictated the final thickness) and the wheels are aluminum rather than steel. Those two things probably kept it out of the heavyweight division. It also is nicely balanced which makes it easier to move around than the SPTs. One other thing: I used a sliding dovetail to attach the table to the rails because I knew I would be lifting it by the edges of the table. Other builders used a rabbet there, but i opted for a dovetail since I expected to lift it vertically by the table edges

I store the vise on my original workbench. I use it for small jobs there like sharpening and marking, but when I need to do something bigger or something that needs dust collection I move it to the table where I took the pictures. That table is my main assembly table which also happens to be on casters so that I can roll it around.

As for the hardware, it all came from McMaster-Carr. I followed the lead of Katz-Moses and bought exactly what he recommended ($125). I also spent another $20 on leather for both jaw faces. The leather was a great upgrade that I highly recommend. It not only prevents marring, but also significantly -- by a factor of 3x -- increases the resistance to moving for the same clamping pressure. I attached the leather with double-sided tape because I thought it would be less permanent if I needed to change out the leather down the road. I use double-sided tape for a lot of things in my shop and have never had it fail ... I expect that to be the case here too.

Cheers.

-Erik

Did you add leather to the bottom of the vice ?? or will you add something to protect the bench top from scratches ?