Idea sharing on how to pimp your Moxxon vice on an MFT/3 to the max?

[RC]

I ordered the Benchcrafted Moxxon vice kit and have been reading through their installation manual and basic vice setup an it got me thinking of how have other FOGgers pimped out their Moxxons?

I've looked at
- Paul-Marcel's video on his version with a bit of table space behind the vice
- Handtoolschools's video on his joinery bench version with this vice
- The recent thread with the vice being integrated into a MFT-sysport custom bench on FOG with T-track support connection

I find the idea of the vice being elevated a bit higher up from the standard MFT/3 height a good idea for hand sawing/planing joints, I would like to add a little bit of a table to enable wider piece clamping with the aid of dogs in the front jaw and holes for dogs in the table MFT-style and I much like the idea of supporting the vice weight with T-track screws in the MFT/3's front profile when it's in place. Also a system for attachment that doesn't rely on clamps would be nice á la Precision Plate for the Incra LS sort of idea of short bench dogs with knobs under the table + the T-track fasteners up front. And of course it would be cool to come up with an attachment method where you can use it both as a face and end vice depending which side of the table you attach it to.

Any other inspirational ideas on how to attach the vice to my MFT and get the most usability out of it?

Any practical design considerations to take into account when doing the design like jaw dimensions - too thick/thin/narrow/wide? Racking forces? Anything else?

 

[rljatl]

I like the way this one has extensions on the lower part of the rear jaw to facilitate clamping to the table.

[attachthumb=#]

 

[mouppe]

Here are my tips after having used the vise for a while.

- I mount my moxon vise on my workbench when I need it. One PITA is having to support it whilst clamping it to the table as it wants to drop off the front. To overcome this, I would add a long counterweight to the rear of the vise. It is also easier to clamp it from the rear than from the side as is shown in the photo in the previous post.

- I use a holdfast to clamp it to the table but this would not work with an MFT.

- Don't make it longer than necessary as it becomes very heavy. I made mine longer than needs be and I regret it now.

- I would also round over or chamfer the front edge of the front jaw and rear edge of the rear jaw so that you can use tools at an angle and still have the workpiece mounted low in the vise.

- Finally, the suede tends to fray and come away from the top of the vise as it gets used. To overcome this, I would glue its edge to the front of the vise and flip it over the top when required.

 

[crampedshop]

One of the guys from FOG also does stuff on Workshop Addict.

I can't post a link. Go to WorkshopAddictdotcom and look for the thread titled "Moxon Vise hardware (turns into bench build). LOL"

 

[rljatl]

Here are my tips after having used the vise for a while.

- I mount my moxon vise on my workbench when I need it. One PITA is having to support it whilst clamping it to the table as it wants to drop off the front. To overcome this, I would add a long counterweight to the rear of the vise. It is also easier to clamp it from the rear than from the side as is shown in the photo in the previous post.

- I use a holdfast to clamp it to the table but this would not work with an MFT.

- Don't make it longer than necessary as it becomes very heavy. I made mine longer than needs be and I regret it now.

- I would also round over or chamfer the front edge of the front jaw and rear edge of the rear jaw so that you can use tools at an angle and still have the workpiece mounted low in the vise.

- Finally, the suede tends to fray and come away from the top of the vise as it gets used. To overcome this, I would glue its edge to the front of the vise and flip it over the top when required.

Would like to see pictures of how you have yours clamped to the bench.  I also use holdfasts on my bench.  How long would you make yours if you had it to do over?

 

[Slappy]

I like to build one of these but at the lowest cost I can , anyone know of low budget Moxxon hardware ?
the high price of my Festool's drives me  into low cost  self built tool solutions  ;D

 

[JJ Wavra]

I added springs on the inside of mine so I don't have to keep pulling the jaws apart.
Jeff

 

[rljatl]

Be sure to read the comments, too.

Questions About the ‘Moxon Vise’ By: Christopher Schwarz | April 14, 2014

 

[mouppe]

Would like to see pictures of how you have yours clamped to the bench.  I also use holdfasts on my bench.  How long would you make yours if you had it to do over?

I'll snap a picture tomorrow if I remember.

I would go for a clamping area of no more than 14 inches or so because if I need longer I can use my main workbench. By making it as big as I did, I sort of defeat the point of having a portable vise because I rarely wheel it out. I would also make the jaws thinner than mine are. to lighten the load.

I think I have the sort of Moxon vise that would suit people who do not have another workbench rather than those who want to elevate the odd piece every now and then to a more suitable light. I do like to use my vise for saw sharpening and tasks like that.

In fact the more I think about it, the more I am determined to remake it in the near future. It will only take an hour or two.

 

[mouppe]

So I took a few pics this afternoon. My vice is 36" long with a 24" centre to centre. The jaws are 2" thick and the rear jaw is a couple of inches longer than the front 

Total overkill for what I use it for.

So I am going to halve its length and thin the front jaw by 3/4". Then I am going round over the top.

The third picture shows the problem of having too wide a jaw. The workpiece has to be mounted high in the vice if you are working from a lower angle.

The fourth photo shows the sort of work the moxon vice excels at. Detailed small work such as reshaping a saw handle. For this type of job a smaller vice is much more suitable.