Moxon Dovetail Vise
Joseph
Moxon's twin-screw vise has been on my To Do/Must Have list ever
since Chris Schwarz published his model and demonstrated its value as
a dovetail vise in his column.
Chris' Moxon vise ...
Link:
http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/Declaring+Victory+With+The+Doublescrew+Vise.aspx
I
kept putting aside, partly because it required making wooden screws,
which I had not done before. I went so far as ordering a kit to make
1 1/2" diameter screws, and then it languished in a drawer for
several months. Incidentally, I bought this from my local Carba-tec
store. It looks the generic Chinese tap-and-die set.
It is not
as though I could not use a vise such as this. In fact I needed this
weeks ago when I began building a couple of military chests with many
dovetails (carcases and drawers).
Inspiration came a few days
ago I received an email from LN (Australia) asking me to be a
co-presenter at their first workshop in Perth. This will involve
dovetailing, so I decided to get off my butt and make a Moxon
dovetail vise. At least I would have flash equipment ...
My
thanks to Chris for his recent (December) article in Pop Wood.
What
I have come up with has a little variation, not much, but enough to
make this an exceptionally useful tool.
I built the screws
out of some nondescript hardwood that I have no name for (but looks
like a gum). It was all I had that was thick enough. Fortunately it
all went well - it turned well, and did not chip when making the
threads.
The
screws are set 520mm (20 1/2") apart, but the total base is
840mm (33") long and 105mm (4 1/8") deep. The face is 110mm
(4 1/4") high.
What's different?
The first item is
that I have added "ears" to the sides of the base.
These
make it easier to clamp to the bench top (than attaching it at the
upper side of the vise, per se).
There
is also a wider 75mm (3") wide rear support, which could be used
with a hold down.
Of course the vise is simply to hold a
board at a comfortable height for sawing. It does this very well. I
was surprised how well the bare wooden faces hold the board. I was
planning to add chamois leather, but thiis does not appear
necessary.
Now
in the background you can see what looks like a wooden "I-beam".
It is ..
This
was also just scrap, but turned out 370mm (14 1/2") long and
90mm (3 1/2") deep. It is sized to be 1/2" taller than the
vise.
320 grit beltsander belt is attached on both sides. This
provides anti-slip.
Stop
using that handplan to rest the boards when transferring tails to
pins! Use this rest instead ...
Raise the Pin Board 1/2"
higher that the edge of the vise.
...
and add the Tail Board.
But
wait ... there is more!
I need to transfer the tails on a
board that is too long to fit across my bench, and the bench is too
narrow to clamp the board at the end (without resorting, as I usually
need, to some Heath Robinson creation).
The Moxon vise has the
length and the rigidity to provide a stable and secure hold on the
boards while you transfer marks.
Clamped at one end
..
...
and clamped at the front ...
You
can also see the rest clamped to the edge of the bench, in line with
the vise.
Now
place the Tail Board on top ..
I
was again surprised at the stability of the Tail Board which was only
held down by its own weight. However, I recommend that one add clamps
at each end.
Now
you can tap it into perfect alignment, ready for knifing the
lines.
Another view ...
Having
a separate bench that one can set up the Moxon vise is ideal - if you
have room. The bench can be higher still, which makes marking out and
sawing so much more pleasant.
I have a small foldout benchtop
I built in the corner of my workshop. I use it for shooting or for
the mitre saw.
Setting up the Moxon Vise
A spacer is used to set the pin board ½” above the top of the vise (it is at this height to prevent marking the top of the vise when transferring dimensions). This aligns the vise and I-beam.
The spacer ...
Insert the pin board and align with the spacer ...
Remove spacer ..
.. and add tail board, now perfectly square ...
Update on the Moxon design
I've
been building a lot of drawers lately. What I've discovered is that I
dislike the long handles. They are difficult to grip, require
considerable effort to loosen (they tighten very well), and take up a
lot of space in front of the vise (there is the danger of unwittingly
bumping one of the handles).
So today I modified the handles.
I turned one long Jarrah dowel, created two new handles, and sawed
the originals to short stubs.
|
Regards
from Perth
Derek
February 2011 Updated October 2011