I'm marking this as read, but I don't know that I've gone all the way through it. I've picked through it for years, reading sections as needed & they could be found. For years, copies were very scarce & I can't stress how much I appreciate the University of Michigan making the whole text available here:
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015028306002;view=1up;seq=105
I'll keep picking as needed.

This is one of the canons of historical tools, not the only one, but probably the most referenced. While I've mostly heard it discussed for the woodworking & its tools, the original & all the first, best part, is about smithing & it has other sections from brick work to laying out a sundial. I think it might be the oldest such reference in English, but it's an older form of English that's a pain to read - F instead of S & other such horrors. Worse, he sometimes uses illustrations that he doesn't fully explain. I guess he assumes common knowledge, but it's not.

For example, Moxon's plate with the bench & tools was recently covered by [a:Roy Underhill|104206|Roy Underhill|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png] on one of his shows. According to Roy's guest ([a:Christopher Schwarz|981385|Christopher Schwarz|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png]?) & their use of it, the original publisher used a plate from an earlier book which perpetrated the myth that the twin screw vice was mounted to the front of the bench with the back piece. The vice is actually a separate piece, hung on the wall when not in use (as shown in other plates in the earlier book) & could be screwed to the front of the bench with just the face or attached on top of the bench with the back using holdfasts when needed. This makes a great deal more sense from a practical stand point. It only makes sense to use the front of the bench as the back of the vice so that the piece is supported more. All that Moxon has to say about this is ...Sometimes a double Screw is fixed to the side of the bench, as at g, or sometimes its farther cheek is laid an edge upon the flat of the bench, and fastened with an hold-fast, or, sometimes two on the bench.

So, read the text carefully & use some common sense. Other books & practical experience should be used to clear up points, although I more often refer to this one to expand on points glossed over in other references. It's not for everyone, but if you're interested in the history of the actual use of wood & metal tools, this is a good one to look at on your way back through time.

Comparing some of the tools to those of the Romans & Egyptians is really interesting because they didn't change much. Moxon published this in 1694 right at the start of the Industrial revolution & the next few centuries saw far more change than than the few thousand years before. ( )

Note: my original is the 1703 bound edition. The cover seen is my Toolemera Press facsimile reprint edition of this 1703 edition.