GETTING CREATIVE

There are a number of drawbacks to my being a sheddie of limited means, not the least of which is an unending desire to accumulate as many tools as possible for jobs that might not ever eventuate but for which the tools are nevertheless ‘necessary, just in case’. Another is the attitude that if I can’t afford it I’ll build it instead. This is precisely what happened when I first came across a Moxon vice.

The Moxon vice consists of two strong timbers that clamp together with two screw drives and can be either temporarily or permanently fixed to a bench. It is useful for holding unparallel objects, such as chair legs, as well as large objects requiring more clearance than is available in a standard metal or woodworking vice. In some ways it has been superseded by the ‘hobbyist’s workbench’, which incorporates much the same principle in having a top that clamps with two independent screw drives.

Another is the attitude that if I can’t afford it I’ll