[EllenWoodHead]

I bought his Stanley 358 miter box, with saw, on Ebay. Very much looking forward to trying it. It looks complete, with sliding dogs and the stop extension, all that is missing is the top brace on the saw guide. That is easy to replace, I could even cut a stick of wood to replace it.

I was going to buy a new Nobex Champion 180, but I changed my mind after seeing too many red flags. Very few sellers carry it, and some of them mark it up absurdly high. Lee Valley sells them (as the Nobex Professional), but when I tried to order one the $229 option, with the Ikeda blade, was marked not available. Only the standard blade option was available for $299. I called them, and the nice Lee Valley person said that was an old listing, and they weren't sure they had any in stock. I decided against the Nobex, don't want to get stuck with something that might be going obsolete.

Instead I haunted Ebay for a few weeks. Ebay, as usual, is full of ridiculous sellers charging gigantic shipping charges, and who don't know anything about old tools. This little gem appeared last week, $91 and $17.95 shipping. That seems too low for the shipping, because these old steel miter boxes are heavy. Whatevs, not my problem. I was the only bidder and I want it here NOW so I can play with it.

I had an old Craftsman miter box once upon a time, with a frame saw instead of a backsaw. Bought it at Goodwill for a couple bucks. I liked it a lot, but then got swept up by the Norm Abrams craze, and went to power tools. Now I am reversing course and going back to hand tools. For me they're as fast or faster than power tools, and they don't try to amputate my body parts or give me lung cancer. Much more enjoyable to use. These old Stanleys have a reputation for being super-accurate. This will be fun. Stay tuned for more pics and happiness.

 

[EllenWoodHead]

Thanks! I knew these old miter boxes were sophisticated. This is great engineering.

 

[EllenWoodHead]

I've got a miter box on a high shelf that I inherited years ago. I've got the saw that goes with it as well. My father in-law was a GC back in the 50's and 60's but I don't know if he purchased it new. Not sure of the brand or model as until recently life was busy with other things. Now that I've read this post and see that there is another post all about these saws, I'm motivated to pull the saw and the miter box out to learn how to use it. I've been building picture frames and small puzzle boxes recently and I'm guessing I can dial the miter box in to make very accurate 45° miters, probably better than my power tools! Ahh another thing to keep me occupied in my shop (as if I didn't have enough to do).

I predict you will love it. So much control and finesse, a real precision instrument.

 

[EllenWoodHead]

I think I came out ahead on this, over buying a new Nobex Champion. The Nobex is nice, but it is made of aluminum and so very lightweight. Of course any of these must be well-secured to a bench or a stand, but the weight and durability of the old steel mitre boxes is nice. And the lack of plastic.

Check this out, I bet even @bandit571 missed the metal threaded disk that provides work holding/stop block on the miter box table. I haven't found an original threaded disk, but the screw threads on the hold-down are off-the-shelf, so I bet I can find something like it. This is a great restoration blog, and it includes a numbered parts diagram.

Some Answers and Final Touches (Stanley 358 Miter Box)

Almost two years ago I finished up an extensive rehab on a old Stanley 358 Miter Box. By far this was the biggest tool rehab job I've ever d...

blog.oldwolfworkshop.com

 

[EllenWoodHead]

Do you mean this one?
View attachment 3870914

I see that playing "stump the chump" with you is a bad idea

 

[EllenWoodHead]

I've spent the past few years learning to use hand tools, and mostly retiring my machines. For most projects hand tools are faster. I don't have to hassle with jigs and setups, I don't need a giant shop, and I don't need expensive dust collection and protective gear. I still roll my eyes when some TV or YouTube celebrity woodworker builds special massive jigs, or shills expensive Incra or other gear, to cut little bitty pieces on a table saw. Just cut 'em with a hand saw and be done with it.

The key to being happy with hand tools is sharpness. Sharpening chisels, planes, and saws is pretty easy. All you need is a good howto, like from Paul Sellers or Richard Maguire, and bit of practice. Paul Sellers' book "Essential Woodworking Hand Tools" is utterly brilliant, and IMO the definitive book for learning how to use hand tools, and which tools to use for which tasks.

I don't care what people use, everyone should use what makes them happy, but I do believe that making an effort to explore alternatives leads to some nice rewards.

 

[EllenWoodHead]

I made a few miter boxes out of wood for certain projects where I knew I would make the same cuts a lot. Of course, wood wears and you lose precision, so I considered them as disposable. Check out this Australian luthier hacking up a miter box for cutting frets. She cuts, machines, and welds metal, which is not practical for a lot of woodworkers. The bit that caught my attention is using skateboard bearings in the saw guides. I can think of several ways to create the saw guides with off-the-shelf parts, and not need to cut or weld metal.

Woodsmith published an interesting miter box design with a rotating turntable for infinite angles.

It is feasible to make several for different purposes for not a lot of money or time.