"Simple" Miter Box?

[David Ragan]

I have a really nice Nobex rig, about 20 years old-no rust, has little use.

My wife and I used it years ago to put up some small molding way before I ever got into WW formally. did a great job with that flimsy 1" judges paneling molding.

But-to cut some hardwood today about 3" wide-totally unsatisfactory.

The Nobex fence is maybe 1 1/2" tall. Of course the stock clamp system sucks.

The saw-am not sure how to tension it.

So, I put it back up, and made my own out of a 2x6, some 1/2 BB, and my TS for kerf cuts. It sucked, too.

Out of all the hand tools, that I have, I can't believe that I don't have a decent saw w fine crosscut teeth and a 4" deep blade.

Maybe I don't need such a saw, cause the wood will be refined on a donkey ear/shoot board---7tpi saw is good enough?

I tried cutting free hand-I screwed that up as well. (I don't want to use my TS for this.)

I looked @ MF, Langdon Miter boxes. From what I see, they are like my Nobex, with a better fence.



So my questions are:

How do you all compensate for the low fence on the Nobex, and how to determine saw tension?

And, how to make a small simple 45* miter box that will support 3 1/2" of saw height?


Should I just spend the $25 on Amazon Stanley plastic one?

Are Derek and Ian going to show us museum-quality miter boxes?

As Always, thanks for your help. D

[Gary Herrmann]

I love my miter box. I think I may use it more than any tool in my shop these days. I guess it doesn't qualify as simple. Miller Falls Langdon Acme 74 with a 4" deep saw.

MF All Steels are nice and are simpler.

Nobex aren't bad, but they do not compare to the old MF boxes.

A big beefy saw makes everything easier.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I love my miter box. I think I may use it more than any tool in my shop these days. I guess it doesn't qualify as simple. Miller Falls Langdon Acme 74 with a 4" deep saw.

We need a drool emoji.

[Bill Houghton]

Carpenters used to use regular handsaws for precision cuts deeper than they could get from whatever backsaws they had.

The tricks, in my opinion, with an all-wood trough-type miter box are:

(a) use quality wood. Doesn't have to be maple, pine should be good, but use something that will be stable and is moderately thick, like 5/4 rather than nominal 1"; and,
(b) mark out your cuts, then, using the saw you'll be using for your cuts, cut very, very carefully, using the cutting-on-two-faces approach. Cut across the top about 1/9" down. Now, tilt the saw so you're cutting the back face of the box, and make that cut 1/8" deep. Slant that second cut back to confirm that you're angled correctly, and in the groove of your first cut. Go back and forth like that, slowly and with care, until you've established a cut that's at the angle you want in both dimensions (usually the "vertical" cut will be vertical, but not always).

I've only ever made one, but it cut beautifully right up until I let it get in the weather and get ruined.

[David Ragan]

A big beefy saw makes everything easier.

That is exactly my problem. The work vibrates wildly-unless some arduous process of extra clamping is done.

then, the little flimsy saw is just, well, no good. Unstable, flimsy, not secured to anything really.

I was thinking that drilling out some holes in the existing 1 1/2" fence, attaching/securing an auxiliary fence on that, and making it taller might help, but then, I have the dang crappy stock saw.

The way the saw itself is designed (attached to the main rig), I don't see how it can ever smoothly and securely cut a thick respectable piece of hardwood.

[Frederick Skelly]

David, I don't know which model you have. A pic might help. But the Nobexes I'm familiar with are set up kind of like a bowsaw, where you put tension on the blade by tightening a nut or wingnut on a rod that runs across the top, parallel to the blade. Does yours have that?

Also, the Nobexes I've seen use an impulse hardened blade that (I'm told) you cannot resharpen. Is it possible you have used it enough over 20 yrs to have dulled it? If so, you could check online for the proper length and buy a replacement.

I have a cheap knockoff of the Nobex. I always have to clamp the base to my bench and clamp the work to the fence - using some 5" Bessey F-clamps that I have. It still vibrates, but much less.

I'm thinking of adding a taller fence to mine, too. I ultimately plan to buy a Nobex Pro from LV. (They sell 25" replacement blades too, for under $20. The Ikeda blade is supposed to be great.)

Good luck!
Fred

[Allan Speers]

I love my miter box. I think I may use it more than any tool in my shop these days. I guess it doesn't qualify as simple. Miller Falls Langdon Acme 74 with a 4" deep saw.

MF All Steels are nice and are simpler.

Nobex aren't bad, but they do not compare to the old MF boxes.

A big beefy saw makes everything easier.

I disagree strongly.

I have the Nobex pro, and it's the best all-around box I've ever used or seen. Strong, light, accurate, huge capacity, excellent clamps (when you install them correctly, which many people do not) - and you can change blades on it. I even use mine to cut copper & iron pipe.

The cheaper Nobex models are not the same, of course.

The only downside to the Nobex pro is the size. In order to have good blade tension with a removable blade, the saw itself has to be very tall.

[David Ragan]

I meant "no-name":

DSCN0570.JPG

No doubt, I dulled the teeth by running them over the metal-

I have about decided to just lay the wood flat, saw across @ 90*, that way, my outside grain will run better, then clean it up on the donkey-ear.

It cuts decent that way....

We got it @ BORG, not a WW store. Looks like a Rube Goldberg don't it?

[Frederick Skelly]

Over the handle is a nut. If you tighten it, it should increase tension on that blade - if that "pipe" on the middle allows things to pivot. ( I can't tell if it will).

Edit: (head slap) Well that was dumb. I missed that big wing nut UNDER the handle. Looks like that's the one to tighten, kinda like a hacksaw. If you tried that and it didn't work, I don't see an easy way to tension it without modifying.

But it may not be worth a new blade if you paid $30 for the no-name tool.

Hmmmmmmm.

[Ray Selinger]

You are not the first person who has complained about the knock-offs. I have a Stanley #60, one of their economy ones, that I bought from the widow.

[David Ragan]

Well, I just ordered the below, no hassle, $25- (I know, it is a toy):




Is this, from LV, what you mean-Nobex Pro, works wonderfully?:




And, this is the MF Langdon 74?



I'm going to set my sights on the MF Langdon Acme as an upgrade in the future. I really like the beefy saw and fence

For now, though, I'll see if I can get the Noname to perform. And use the toy.

If I am in the mood, I might try Bill's method of a trough style (again)-sounds like it would work for my purposes.

I have a blade tension gauge, anyone have an idea what the tension should be?

[Derek Cohen]

Oy .. that's my Langdon!

I am in the process of building a saw for a dinky Millers Falls #15 1/2, and will post that on the weekend when it is done. In the meantime, here is a similar sized mitre box I built a little while back ..



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Davis]

Oy .. that's my Langdon!

I am in the process of building a saw for a dinky Millers Falls #15 1/2, and will post that on the weekend when it is done. In the meantime, here is a similar sized mitre box I built a little while back ..



Regards from Perth

Derek

Beautiful work Derek. Is that piece unfinished? I don't see parts that hold the saw.

Jim

[Derek Cohen]

Beautiful work Derek. Is that piece unfinished? I don't see parts that hold the saw.

Jim

Thanks Jim. Anyone can build this mitre box - there are details on my website.

The saw is held on with rare earth magnets ...



Details are here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMad...kMitrebox.html



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Mike Holbrook]

David, the latest Highland Woodworking video (Highland Woodworker- Episode 19) has interviews and demos I think you might enjoy, including Peter Galbert on splitting (Galbert's demo is about 2/3 through the video). There are commercial interruptions but they are fairly easy to skip over...It was filmed at the recent Handworks 2015 woodworking show, why weren't we there? They also show a Vogt Toolworks shooting board with donkey ear....You might also check out Evenfall Studios web site. They make shooting boards and guides and small tables for making cut offs with hand saws, using rare earth magnets to hold the saw like Derek uses and a small table with plastic top & cut notch... Lots of options & ideas for making or buying the tools to make very accurate miters.