Starting to Carve and a Moxon Vice Build

My First Carving Exercise

I had drawn an acanthus leaf on a piece of black walnut a while ago and I thought I should go ahead and try to carve it using the new carving gouges I built the case for. I quickly found the advantage of holding the gouges the way people on the internet demonstrated, and to be mindful of the grain direction. I am sure it will take a lot more practice to be ready to add a carving to a project.

I will post more pictures as I progress with the carving.

Cheap Moxon Vise

I looked at the myriad examples of Moxon vices on the internet, and I thought I would give one a go. I paid about $20 for a 3/4" 10tpi 24-inch-long threaded rod and some nuts and washers and started cutting stuff up and drilling some holes.

Link to SketchUp model

 

I threaded two of the bolts onto the rod so it would be easier to hold in the vice.

 

I measured 12 inches to the middle of the 24-inch rod.

 

I cut the rod in two.

 

I cleaned up the ends a little so there wouldn't be any sharp points or edges.

 

I drilled some holes in some scrap wood, and chopped out the nut shape most of the way through a piece of red elm for a handle. 

I still need to make another handle and secure the back jaw to the base so I can clamp the whole thing to the bench by the base instead of the back jaw. I also need to secure the nuts behind the back jaw so they don't turn. I will probably chop some more nut-shaped holes. I used a piece of oak that had a slight bow to it for the front jaw. I oriented the bow toward the back jaw.