Vise Squad

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I've put together a Mark One Moxon/Leg-vise thing to replace the wobbly jury-rigged device that's served me reasonably well over the last few weeks. The jaws are pieces of the 4"x2" (2"x4" to our North American cousins) baulk that I made the 'leg' out of originally. This time I've dowel-jointed the rear jaw to the top of the 'leg', forming a tee-piece. The front jaw I chamfered on the table saw and (for this version anyway,) I'm using 12mm hex bolts as the tightening system, held in the back jaw in counter-bored recesses and running through (sort of ) oval holes in the moving jaw as in a Moxon vise, so that asymmetrical pieces can be held with the jaws out of parallel.

Again, this is very much a Mark One (well Mark One-and-a-Half, counting the lash-up) and I like the combination of the Moxon-style top and the floor mounted leg that can hold longer verticals using holdfasts, as you can see in the picture. If I can get hold of a couple of decent-sized Acme-threaded screw-sets for no money (ha!), I'll make a proper version with hardwood jaws, but for the time being, this should do the trick, pro tem. 

The piece the vice is holding is the top of the Kitchen Thing cupboard-plinth-top, to which I'm just attaching the last of the veneer trims. There's just a bit more waxing and trimming to do on the sink-plinth and the beech-block top to give a final polish to, then it's fitting and plumbing time. The time I've taken over this thing has kind of expanded a bit (a lot!), but I think It'll be nice when it's finished and in use. Better than the melamine/chipboard crap in our kitchen [next project once the cottage is finished].
 

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