Here we are, mid-May after a couple of long months of living with this strange new reality. Most states are starting to open up now, despite not all meeting the CDC’s own guidelines, the lack of testing and contact tracing resources, etc. We’ll see how that works out, I guess. My gut says it’s going to backfire. I sure hope I’m wrong.
Not much anyone can do but take the precautions as well as you can. So, back out to the shop to get away from it all for a while and keep relatively sane.
There was no manufacturer’s identification on this miter box. There once was a sticker on the front guide post base, but it was gone, only glue residue left. A search shows identical units produced by the Millers Falls Company, out of Millers Falls, Massachusetts. They also made hand tools like planes, drills, pliers, that sort of thing. Back in the early half of the 1900s, they were a top notch outfit, highly respected for their quality. This one was made by them, circa 1950.
According to Wikipedia, after a series of sales/mergers, and other assorted financial deals over the years, the Millers Falls trademark is now owned by Hangzhou Great Star Industrial Co., Ltd. Sigh..
Onward. After an overnight dousing of WD-40, it came apart easier than I expected it to, given that it was in such a sorry state. It was seized up mostly because the grease in the swing arm pivot point had the viscosity of cured concrete. Had to chip it out with a cheap sacrificial screwdriver and hammer. Beyond that, disassembly involved minimal knuckle damage and no lost pieces that I know of. Good start.
A few days later. Paint stripping and rust removal is complete. Not much to show there, just hundreds of hours of messy scraping, scrubbing, soaking, etc. followed by hundreds of hours of messy scraping, scrubbing, soaking, etc. It’s my least favorite part of the whole process, but it’s necessary so it gets done, albeit grudgingly. There were still some spots of original paint left in parts of the underside, but I’m calling it good enough.
All right! Here’s the finished miter box. Some purists may accuse me of tool heresy for not going with the original colors and buying a genuine original replica manufacturer’s sticker, but I used the paint I had. I’m on a budget here!
Next up was the saw. The blade measures 25 1/2” long and the cut depth is 5”. That’s a big saw.
The saw is from Disston-Porter, which means it was made around 1950. Disston and Sons was founded in Philadelphia in 1850 as Keystone Saw Works, they changed their name about five years later. By the late 1800s, Disston and Sons was the largest saw maker in the world, renowned for their quality.
It was common at the time for miter box manufacturers to purchase saws in bulk from companies like Disston and bundle them with their boxes.
They fell on hard times after WWII, and were sold to the H.K. Porter Co. out of Pittsburgh, which was mainly known for locomotives and heavy equipment. After a series of sales/mergers, etc. over the years, they’re still around as Disston Precision, Inc., a privately owned company producing custom flat steel products like blades, die cutters, etc., mainly for industrial applications. They’re still operating out of Philadelphia. How about that?
Dealing with the rust. This was too big to soak in rust remover, so I started by scraping away at the blade with a razor tool. When you think no more rust will come off, keep going. Then keep going some more. Repeat. I used up mounds of razor blades and will probably develop terminal carpal tunnel syndrome, but it’ll be worth it.
I didn’t remove the saw’s spine. If you don’t reinstall it right, you can warp the blade. I don’t have the proper tools to do it. Not worth the risk, and there was no real reason to take it apart.
Here’s the handle, nearly ready for refinishing. I used a razor blade scraper to get the remaining stubborn bits of varnish off. Then, sanded it all smooth. I had some wood stain handy and then rubbed it down with coats of boiled linseed oil, letting it get a good soaking each time until it more or less stopped absorbing the oil. Boiled linseed oil is good for wiping down both the saw blade and handle with after each use. Apply, then wipe dry and you’re good to go next time you need to use it.
This is the best part — The finished project! The saw is here in the raised locked position. To lower it, you pull out the spring loaded detents at the top of each guide post support (the thingies sticking out at you at 45 degrees to each side) and slide the posts down to the adjustable stops. The stops prevent the saw teeth from hitting the steel swing arm slot and damaging them. I got lucky, this saw has nice even teeth, no visible abuse.
To swing the arm, you lift up on the flat spring-loaded lever underneath the front guide post, and swing it to where you want it. There are preset notches for common angles like 45, 30 degrees and so on; the lever pushes a pin up to lock into the notches when you let go of it. If you need a non-standard angle, there’s a big wing nut underneath that locks the arm in place wherever you need it. Nice.
My thoughts about miter boxes and what to look for if you’re thinking of buying one. I’m talking manual setups here. Powered miter saws are mostly what’s offered these days. A sorta-decent power miter saw will set you back $650 or so. A real good one? Easily over $1000.
If you’re considering buying a new manual box, don’t do it. I don’t know if you can even get a new one with this quality at an affordable price, but a brief search doesn’t turn up anything promising. Instead, look for something like my setup.
Mine from circa 1950 is not quite at the workmanship level of the earlier ones; I only paid forty bucks for it, saw included. Heh, shipping was another $35. But $75 is still a good deal. If you’re on a budget and find one of these in decent shape at this price, go for it. It’s still a far better tool than you’ll find at the big box stores nowadays.
If you can afford more, go with something older — 1900-1940 or so for the reasons I mention below. Expect to pay $200 to $500 for a good one this size. Then it’ll probably need a little work. Have fun! Before buying, make sure the box and saw match:
First, you want the guides sized to fit the saw. The saw’s spine should fit its guides almost snug, but still let it slide smooth. This one has brass bushings that you adjust from the sides and top to get a good fit. Many of the higher quality prewar boxes will have three spring-loaded ball bearings instead of the brass bushings, no manual adjustments required.
Second, the guide should fit the saw blade closely, then, about an inch up from the saw teeth (with a 5” blade), it should widen out a little to make room for sawdust to disperse.
Tools like old miter boxes often tend to be missing some parts. This one was indeed lacking a couple accessory-type parts for certain arcane specialized cuts, but all of the stuff required to operate it as a basic miter saw is there and that’s all I need for now.
BTW, never oil a miter box. The sawdust will absorb the oil and gum up the works. Not good. Before you put it away, pop the guide posts out and wipe them down with a cleanish, dryish rag. Then use a shop-vac, air hose, rag, or what have you to clean the rest of it up. Taken care of right, it’ll last forever.
Friday PM: Today, I cut a piece of 3/4” plywood and bolted the box to it. Makes it portable and it’ll have some relatively stable infrastructure supporting it wherever I use it.
This one’s all done.
Stay safe, everyone!