Anyone have a Nobex Miter Saw?

[Frederick Skelly]

I see a Champion model that will cut up to 7" thick and 7" wide. Its made of aluminum, with a bowsaw-style cutter. Ive been looking for an old MF miter saw - they are supposed to be all over the place -but I never find one (with the saw, anyway).

Know anything about the Nobex?

Edit: Interestingly enough, The Best Things sells this in addition to LV and Highland. They recommend the Japanese Ikeda blade.


Thanks,
Fred

[Jim Matthews]

The Nobex is excellent quality.

If you can sharpen a bowsaw blade, it should last indefinitely.
Keeping the guides clean is the key to smooth operation.

If you want a Millers Falls 74c with original saw, drop me a PM.

I picked up a nice one at a recent estate sale.
You'll have to sharpen all those little teeth on your own.

I've got too many projects in my "honey-do" jar, as it is.

[Jim Belair]

I have the Nobex Professional model with standard blade and am very happy with it. The only minor complaint is that when sawing thin stock I get quite a bit of chatter since there is no support immediately under the cut. I plan to hot glue a sacrificial wood piece in that area.

[Rich Harkrader]

I have the Nobex Champion with both the Japanese and Western style blades. It works very well. The Japanese blade cuts faster, but the Western blade leaves a nicer surface. The clamps are a bit delicate. I broke the handle on one the first time I used it. Fortunately it's still usable. You will need to either screw it to a work surface or clamp it down. Being made mostly of aluminum, it doesn't have much mass.

[Rich Harkrader]

Oh and neither of the blades I have are sharpenable, since they're both induction hardened. I got mine from Highland Woodworking.

[Ray Bohn]

I have the Nobex Champion with both the Japanese and Western style blades. It works very well. The Japanese blade cuts faster, but the Western blade leaves a nicer surface. The clamps are a bit delicate. I broke the handle on one the first time I used it. Fortunately it's still usable. You will need to either screw it to a work surface or clamp it down. Being made mostly of aluminum, it doesn't have much mass.

+1

Broke a clamp the first time out.

[Mike Holbrook]

I picked one up at Highland as well. It was a sale item for about $25. I don't think it is one of the better models but it works fairly well. My Langdon 74C is much easier to use and at least twice as fast. I was lucky to find a Miller Falls miter box with a good sharp saw. You can, of course, buy a saw separately or have one sent off to be sharpened. I have a Ron Bonz saw in my Stanley 150 that cuts sweet too. I use the Langdon box for larger cuts and the Stanley 150 for the smaller ones. The Nobex does not get much work, although I used it 15 minuets ago to saw a rawhide chew into two pieces for two smaller dogs.

The Langdon box is a pleasure to use. I am still working on the Stanley 150, so far it is not keeping the saw as straight as I would like.

[Tom Stenzel]

A few years ago I bought a miter box that looks suspiciously like the Nobex Proman, the Champion's little brother. Picked it up used so I can't be sure.

It's worked well for cutting mouldings around the house. The only problem I've had is if you want to sneak up on the correct size like I tend to do. When trying to slice off a really thin slice the blade will deflect and not cut straight. The amounts I mean are what could/should be taken off with a shooting board or a Lion trimmer. The one I have also will only lock on the detents. So far I've found the selection of detents adequate for all the cuts I've had to make.

It's certainly not as good as my Grandfather's Miller Falls miter box. When my older brother was building his house it got knocked off a workbench and broke. My brother said he almost cried when it hit the floor. I believe him, it was the one hand tool my Grandfather used that both my Dad and Brother cherished. I don't know what happened to the parts.

-Tom

[Mark AJ Allen]

I have the Champion along with Western and Japanese style blades. I do have some issues but I have no experience with any other miter box/saw combo either so these could be entirely of my own perception or making.

1. Clamping the work can be difficult. The underside of the miter box isn't flat for a hand clamp, the clamps on the unit itself feel more suited to angled work (moulding, etc...)
2. No holding support under the piece where the cut is made - This can make for an unclean cut.
3a) Beam strength in the blade is lacking. Unlike a traditional miter saw, there is no back on this sawblade. I found that it doesn't have the beam strength needed to keep the blade square in the cut, even when I tensioned the top bar as much as I could. I've improved this issue by filing off a small bit of material in the tension bar support that prevented me from tightening the tension bar even more. I think this has lead to a different issue:
3b) Tension bar spins in the frame. Again, I've had to make a few more adjustements to be able to tension the frame to get satisfactory cuts by adding a washer between the frame and the tensioning nut.


Perhaps I'm too hamfisted and applying too much downward force causing the blade to deflect regardless of the miter setup. At this point, I've resorted to always shoot the ends of my boards coming off this. It's probably a good practice anyways.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks guys! Maybe Santa will bring ME one.
Fred

[Allan Speers]

Hey, Fred.

I'm rather late to the party, but I love my Nobex Champion so much that I thought I'd share a few thoughts:
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Nobex is owned by BRIMARC: http://www.brimarc.com/contact

Their top-line model is the "180" AKA the "Champion." And Lee Valley calls it the "Professional," for some unknown reason. These are all the exact same system.

This miter box blows away even the best vintage Millers Falls unit. For instance:

It's incredibly accurate. (Especially after some minor mods. See below.) I make picture frames with it for my mother & her group, using the 24 tpi blade, and almost never have to tough up with my shooting board.

It locks at any angle, not just at the detents. (note: Only their top model does this.)

It has a vary large width & height capacity, so can handle huge crown molding, 2X4's, 2X6's, large diameter PVC pipe, etc.

The included clamps work great for most stock, and can clamp from either the top or the front. (& I've never broken one in ~3 years of moderate use.) They are not perfect, but a whole lot better than no clamps at all, which is what you get with most other miter boxes.

It's light, so easy to put on the top shelf (which is the only place it will fit.) You want mass? Clamp it to your work table.

You can (of course) replace the blades. No more need to resharpen.

You can change the blades! I have every single one except the 18 tpi. I use this thing constantly for cutting copper pipe, aluminum channel, and even steel on occasion, when I need more precision than I can get with my saber saw.

The blades are quite long, so you can cut a lot faster: The blade itself is 25”, with 19.5” of teeth.
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A few recommendations:

1: First, regarding what Mark Allen wrote, above concerning beam deflection. I have no such problem, my blades get super-tight and stiff. However, when I first got my Nobex, it seemed that the entire blade assembly sort of rocked left & right a little too much. I don't know if that would affect accuracy, but it REALLY bugged me. So, I simply glued some thin plastic to the inside edges of the upper guides, to hold everything tight yet still slide. Whether or not this helps, it sure makes the whole thing FEEL better when you use it.

Another thought on beam deflection: Let's face it, a bow saw-type blade is never going to be exactly as stiff as a nice backsaw. The trick is to not push down very much when you saw. Instead, use long & fast strokes to get the job done. This also gives a cleaner cut, and is the proper way to saw, anyway. Additionally, if you get the Ikeda (Japanese) blade, you can push down even less, as japanese-cut teeth are shaped in a way that pulls the blade down into the work all by themselves.

I HIGHLY recommend the IKEDA blade, though I wish they offered one at around 24 tpi as well.
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2: The clamps work great. However, there are several videos online that actually show them assembled upside down! This is understandable, as the work a bit counter-intuitively until you get used to them, and the Nobex "owners manual" is barely fit for lining a bird cage. So, stare at the diagrams carefully.

Also,you can make this unit even better by installing two more clamps, right at the cutting area. (Lee Valley will special order clamps for you, as well as any other replacement parts you need.) These two extra clamps can only mount in the "overhead" position, but they make a huge difference in accuracy with delicate cuts.
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3: As mentioned above, there needs to be more support under the cutting area. Luckily, that area has a 90 degree profile, so it's simple to make a bunch of 1/8" sacrificial inserts. The area is slightly deeper than 1/8", so you need to build it up just a little. I did so with 3M anti-slip material (The stuff you put on outdoor steps) and this then also holds the sacrificial supports in place. Lovely.
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4: If you get one of these, Imediately attach some kind of tether to the "leaf spring," which holds the blade to the frame for portability. It's a very easy thing to lose. You can order a spare from Lee Valley, Nobex part # 808 13, but it's a special order from Sweden.
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5: The blade attachment system is very solid, but a bit infuriating to use. It's the one big flaw, IMO. I takes too long, and a few little pieces love to fall on the floor, and into that black hole where all your screws & washers always end up. If you spend some time at the outset, with a little glue, velcro, & ingenuity, you can make changing blades a much less frustrating experience. (hint: Glue the nuts in-place, and add tethers to the silver rectangles with velcro to hold them out of the way, or just remove them completely.)
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6: If you expect to change blades a lot, then find a larger wing nut for the blade tension. The stock one hurts my fingers. Also, put two thin nuts at the very back end of the rod, so the tensioning wing nut can't fall off when you loosen it.

Oh, and put a little Tri-Flow lube on the threads.
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After all of the above, you'll have a tool that I guarantee you'll use a lot more than you ever thought you would. - Even if (like me) you're big big lover of handsaws.

[Allan Speers]

NOBEX #180 CHAMPION - AVAILABLE BLADES
Prices as per Lee Valley - 2015
Part numbers shown are NOBEX part #s.
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10 tpi - Part # CH-10 $16

16 tpi Ikeda blade #CH-16JP (Japanese / Impulse hardened) $36
- Cuts very smooth for 16 TPI, and last a long time.

18 tpi #CH-18 - recommended for PVC. $16

24 tpi #CH-24 - For fine woodwork, such as picture frames. $16

24 tpi bi-metal. #CH-24Bi - for ferrous metals . $25

32 tpi #CH-32 - for non-ferrous metals. (Aluminum, Copper …) $16

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks very much Allan. To my dismay, Santa did NOT bring me one. But it's on my "really would like to have one" list, and LV is my 1st choice source. I appreciate all the comments - I hope to put them to good use soon!
Fred

[bob blakeborough]

+1

Broke a clamp the first time out.

This guy too... Other than that it is a good tool...