# Moxon vice



## Flatlander38 (Dec 20, 2018)

I have been doing a lot of dovetails lately, and a buddy asked me if I had built a Moxon vice yet. He suggested it for dovetails, citing that it makes the whole process much easier. So I decided to do some research, and although I see tons of build videos and articles on how to build them, I dont really see too many people actually using them. Mainly just bench vices. Does it really make it easier? Is it worth building or will I probably just go to my bench vice?


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## Terry Q (Jul 28, 2016)

It depends on whether your workbench Vice is tall enough for you to use comfortably. I have a shorter bench to make hand planing easier so elevating the work for cutting dovetails with a moron vice is desirable.


In woodworking there is always more then one way to accomplish something.


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

A Moxon vise is not just for cutting dovetail joints. 

I use my Moxon Vise all the time when I have the end of a wide board to work on. Trying to work on the end of a 12" x 24" board in my front vise is not very secure. I either have to work at a 90 degree angle or have the board to high and wobbly to accomplish anything. The Moxon Vise allows the end of the board to be held very close to the vise and straight up, so I don't have to bend sideways. 

Eric


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## YME (Feb 22, 2018)

It has the advantage of temporarily taking a slight cup out of a wide panel for marking, rabbeting, dovetailing, etc. That, securing a large board, and raising stock higher seems to be the major advantages.


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## Mystri (Jul 1, 2020)

What they said:














Its kinda hard to clamp a wider board like that for dovetails, you clamp either end of the plank sure, but it tends to shift up/down on the right and left while cutting in the middle so you end up with a cleat to hold the plank steady across the whole thing.


I oft think of the Moxon as a clamp and cleat in one.


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

Mystri said:


> What they said:
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I believe the correct name for that vice is "Monster" Moxon Vice! WOW! Nice build on that vice!

Eric


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## Mystri (Jul 1, 2020)

ORBlackFZ1 said:


> I believe the correct name for that vice is "Monster" Moxon Vice! WOW! Nice build on that vice!
> 
> Eric



I agree! It's a beautiful setup for sure. A lot of the "furniture" I want to make is cabinetry size so I'd need something even wider - that or do it in sections and hope planks glue up flat. I thought up a workbench plan that utilizes two big moxon's and bench dogs so I can dovetail up to 36 inch wide panels, but I don't have a shop built for that kind of set up yet. [We had a big quake up here (in Alaska) and all our construction workers are still catching up from repairing the damage. I can't even get a company out to look at our shop (which the slab cracked in half) much less to demo and rebuild it (bigger of course :vs_laugh]


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

I'm always thinking about a moxon vise for the end of my bench, but then I realize I'd have to spend several hours, perhaps days scraping all the dried glue off the end grain. I need to invent the "dedicated and sacraficial extra glue wiping station" and market it to woodworkers everywhere.. Now that I think about it its probably not such a bad idea after all..
I did spend a day chiseling glue off only to start all over again. I'm not quite back to the original glue mess, but it's getting there.


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## Pretender (Jun 22, 2019)

allpurpose said:


> I'm always thinking about a moxon vise for the end of my bench, but then I realize I'd have to spend several hours, perhaps days scraping all the dried glue off the end grain. I need to invent the "dedicated and sacraficial extra glue wiping station" and market it to woodworkers everywhere.. Now that I think about it its probably not such a bad idea after all..
> I did spend a day chiseling glue off only to start all over again. I'm not quite back to the original glue mess, but it's getting there.


It's already been invented.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/TRIMACO-3-ft-x-144-ft-Brown-Rosin-Paper-L3536144/203613783


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## RParker (May 16, 2020)

Mystri said:


> What they said:
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Very cool. Dumb question here: is that Moxon a separate piece you place in a standard tail vice as-needed, or is it the tail vice on its own?

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*They are separate vises ....*

Notice the clamps holding the Moxon to the bench. It just happened that the tail vise is on the same end as where she, I think, clamps the Moxon. Moxons are designed to be moveable and to clamp on any flat, sturdy surface. I could use one on my torsion box assembly table......



RParker said:


> Very cool. Dumb question here: is that Moxon a separate piece you place in a standard tail vice as-needed, or is it the tail vice on its own?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


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## RParker (May 16, 2020)

woodnthings said:


> Notice the clamps holding the Moxon to the bench. It just happened that the tail vise is on the same end as where she, I think, clamps the Moxon. Moxons are designed to be moveable and to clamp on any flat, sturdy surface. I could use one on my torsion box assembly table......


Ok, I see now. For some reason, I thought those clamps are for something else. That makes sense, though. 

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


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## Mystri (Jul 1, 2020)

I wish it were mine! However, its a picture from another woodworker's shop that I saved as I plan to do something similar in my shop some day. I like that it's portable so I can move it out of the way when I'm not working on panels


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