Tool of the month January 2016

Welcome to the first tool of the month blog post of 2016!

This month's tool is the Moxon Vice!

Moxon vice

The Moxon vice is quite different to your typical vice, and its uses are slightly more specialized in comparison.

Having quite a narrow clamping capacity (just over 50mm) the main task this vice excels at is clamping wide boards for cutting dovetail joints. There is enough space to fit a 600mm wide board between the two screws.

I made mine using the hardware and plans (which I modified) from
American company Benchcrafted.

Here's a short gallery showing construction of my vice.

In the Workshop I am currently making a pair of bespoke dovetailed walnut amplifier cases.

The moxon vice has been extremely useful while preparing, marking out and cutting all of the 40 through dovetails.

Here are a few photos of the vice in use.

'Shooting' the ends of the boards square and true with a hand plane.

The first set of tails cut.

Cutting the 'pins'.

Finally here are the two cases semi dry assembled!

Thats it for January, look out for February's Tool of the month blog post!