Making a bench vise

Today’s project was making a bench vise. I’ve been wanting to do this for some time, now, but never got around to it. It’s more complicated than it sounds.

A couple of days ago, a few videos about Moxon vises showed up on my YouTube feed. The idea was great for what I need so I watched a few more videos to get an idea of how it works. There are several variations, each with its advantages. I don’t think that I’ve made a Moxon vise, however.

The vise I made is fairly straightforward but it took me a fair bit to put together. I planed two pieces of 2×4, which took me quite a while. It’s not as easy as it looks. I was proper sweating. It was fascinating to watch it work. There are so many things I need to learn about how to flatten a piece of wood. I attached the vise jaws to the bench with two 12” pieces of threaded rod that I had to cut from a 36” piece. Drilling those holes took some doing because I drilled pilot holes because I can’t drill a hole in a straight line without a guide. Then, I forgot to mark the orientation of the boards when I drilled holes in them so they fit together all wonky at first. I got frustrated with that. It took me about an hour to realise the mistake.

I loved every minute of it, though. Even the frustrations are enjoyable. Woodworking has been great for me.

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