Moxon Vise

Once I got into hand tool woodworking, the advantages were clear. It's cleaner. It's quieter. And most hand tools can hide from curious, handsy, little boys. (I have two.) The one tiny drawback is you need something sturdier to hold your workpieces.

That's where this vice comes in. The way I explain it to folks is that it turns almost any stout table into a workbench. You can buy one; but they're not common, so they're expensive. Most people just make their own. 

Here's mine. I found a piece of maple with curl in it for the front jaw. I rounded the corners and faceted the surfaces for a modern, yet timeless feel.  The cork pad that gives the vice extra grip is from Benchcrafted. They call it "crubber." They sell gorgeous vice hardware, too. But most of my metal hardware came from a online machinists' shop. Metal wheels are expensive, so I asked a friend, Mike Showa, to help me turn them out of walnut, since he's faster than I am. Mike, until his untimely passing, got a lot of people started on woodturning. Including me.

A late addition were the three walnut handles in the back. The thing weighs over 25 pounds, which is good. But hard to pick up without a little help.

Two coats of Sam Maloof finish completed the vise, and not another coat more.

And, to answer a common question, it does get used. Often. I baby it a little, but I made it to use it. And it works great, and looks okay, too. And the part that gets the most compliments? The wheels. Deservedly so.

Thanks, Mike.