Build Your Own Workbench Vise: A Step-by-Step Shop Project

A workbench without a vise is just a table. The vise is what turns a flat surface into a workholding system, and it is the single upgrade that makes the biggest difference in how your bench works. The problem is that quality commercial vises cost anywhere from $80 to $400, and that is a tough pill to swallow when you are also spending money on wood and other tools.

Here is the good news: you can build a perfectly functional vise yourself for a fraction of that cost. I have built three different styles over the years, and I will walk you through each one so you can pick the approach that fits your bench, your budget, and your skill level.

Option 1: The Moxon Vise (Easiest Build)

The Moxon vise is essentially two thick boards connected by a pair of bolts or threaded rods. One board clamps to your bench top, the other is the movable jaw. You tighten it by turning handles on the bolts. It sounds too simple to work, but it is one of the best joinery vises you can make.

Drill matching holes through both boards for the bolts. The rear jaw gets a counterbored hole so the bolt head sits flush. The front jaw gets a clearance hole for the bolt and a wing nut or handle on the outside. That is it. The whole build takes an afternoon, and it holds boards vertically for dovetailing better than most commercial vises.

The limitation is clamping force, you are limited by how much torque you can generate with wing nuts. For heavy planing and aggressive work, you want something beefier. But for joinery, a Moxon vise is hard to beat for the price.

Option 2: The Face Vise (Most Versatile)

A face vise mounts to the front of your bench and holds work against the bench edge. You can build one using a single large acme-threaded screw (also called a bench screw) and wooden jaws. The bench screw is the one piece of hardware you cannot easily make yourself, expect to spend $25-50 for a good one.

The Build Process

Start with your moving jaw, a thick hardwood block, ideally 3 to 4 inches thick and as tall as your bench apron. The fixed jaw is the bench apron itself. Drill a hole through the apron for the screw, and bolt the screw's nut plate to the back of the apron. The moving jaw gets a matching hole for the screw to pass through.

The critical addition is a parallel guide, a wooden or metal bar below the screw that keeps the jaw from racking (tilting) as you tighten it. Without a parallel guide, the jaw only contacts the workpiece firmly where the screw presses. With it, you get even pressure across the full jaw face.

Line the jaw faces with leather or cork to improve grip and prevent marring your workpieces. A strip of suede leather glued to the inside of the moving jaw works well and lasts for years.

Option 3: The Leg Vise (Maximum Power)

A leg vise uses your bench leg as the fixed jaw, with a large wooden chop mounted in front of it and a single screw running through both. The long jaw gives you tremendous clamping force and a huge gripping surface. It is the traditional choice for hand-tool-heavy shops where you need to hold wide boards firmly during planing.

The build is straightforward but requires more precision than the Moxon. You need a bench screw, a thick hardwood chop (the moving jaw), and some mechanism at the bottom to keep the chop parallel. Options for the parallel mechanism include a pinboard (a board with evenly spaced holes and a pin), a parallel guide screw, or a deadman arrangement.

Hardware Sources and Costs

For bench screws, look for acme-threaded steel or wooden screws specifically designed for vise-building. Several specialty woodworking suppliers offer complete kits with the screw, nut, handle, and mounting hardware. A basic steel bench screw kit runs $25-50. Wooden screw kits cost more but look beautiful and work smoothly.

The rest of the materials come from your scrap pile or the lumberyard. Dense hardwoods like hard maple, white oak, or beech make the best jaw material, they resist denting under clamping pressure and wear well over years of use.

For more on which joints to use when building your vise mounting, our Wood Joint Selector has you covered. And if you want to calculate how much lumber you need for the jaws and chop, the Board Feet Calculator keeps it simple.