Adjusting a Langdon mitre box

[steven c newman]

sometimes, the saw one gets with these mitre boxes aren't the OEM saws....when new from the factory, the saw was fitted to the box....you could buy just the box, without the factory warrantee.


Mine happens to have the OEM saw that was mated to the mitre box, by the factory.. However, I once had a Stanley #358 that was on it's 4th saw....wasn't the greatest set up....got rid of it when the Langdon came along....I also save a Stanley No. 2246A for doing rough cuts to length....where being "perfect" is not required...

The corner blocks I use to attach a case to it's top....need 45 degree mitres sawn....Langdon does a very nice job at that.

[Kurtis Johnson]

Fortunately not -- it was just extremely rusty and missing some parts. Vinegar took care of the first and another incomplete box the second.

Well, good news. It should be easier to replace parts if required. I see them come available from time to time from the machines with broken casting.

BTW, I hunted down the appropriate size and vintage Disston mitre saws for my size 2 1/2 boxes. (The first box is 1938-1948 vintage, the second is 1949. The latter I was refurbishing for my dad, but he became ill and passed away before I could give it to him.) They are both transitional with the old red style box, but with the oilite bronze bearings. What I think matters most about the saws is less that they are vintage, and more that they are big, heavy, and have full and near full 5" depth. They were hardly used. There was only one saw you could buy that was deeper, a very rare monster of a Disston. Some may argue with me, and they'd probably be right, but I figure the weight and depth can't hurt for precision. The weight of the saw is the only thing that exerts downward pressure so I consider heavy of primary importance.

I agree with others that a well filed, set, and stoned saw is also important.

[Jim Van Verth]

Thanks for all the advice -- I'll probably try a few tweaks to improve things but I certainly won't expect perfection, particularly since the saw isn't original to the miter box. It's the right size, though -- big and heavy.

[Jim Koepke]

Jim,

Please forgive me for not realising the manual for wich a link was provided wasn't checked by me to discover its not having what you were seeking.

The Langdon reference page is gone so I'm not sure what the right approach is.

My surprise this morning was to realize the "reference page" of which you referred may have been from one that was lost due to Google's decision to dispose of various web postings. Fortunately one of the many web pages saved in my archives is A Langdon Mitre Box Reference - Fettling a Langdon. Here are some images of the angle adjustment pages:

Langdon Ang;e Adjustment-1.jpg
Langdon Ang;e Adjustment-2.jpg
Langdon Ang;e Adjustment-3.jpg
Langdon Ang;e Adjustment-4.jpg
Langdon Ang;e Adjustment-5.png

Hope this is of some help,

jtk

[Jim Van Verth]

Please forgive me for not realising the manual for wich a link was provided wasn't checked by me to discover its not having what you were seeking.

[...]

Hope this is of some help,

Thank you, this is exactly what I was looking for. Using the carpenter's rule trick I got it very close to 90 and 45 degrees. Close enough for me now, certainly.

As far as the drift on the saw, I also used the carpenter's rule and a square to verify that the elevators are very close to 90 degrees with the bed, so I don't think that's my issue there. The saw drifts to the left with the elevators facing forward or rotating them around 180 degrees, so I don't think it's the guides. The saw cuts easily and cleanly so it's plenty sharp -- I'm guessing it's the saw set, then. I might try adjusting it based on the suggestion on this page: http://www.jenesaisquoiwoodworking.c...tre-box-no-75/. Or maybe I'll set it aside for now and go make some stuff.

[Phil Mueller]

Thank you Jim & Jim for posting those reference pics and link. I think I need to re-evaluate my No. 75 and saw and see if I can’t just tweak it a bit.

[Mike Brady]

There used to be a small web page entitled "The Langdon Miter Box". I can't seem to find it, but someone may have stored content in their files.. It was the one and only site that explaned the adjustments for square and other subtleties of Langdon use that I could find. I'll keep looking for you.

[steven c newman]

Look up https://langdonmitreboxes.wordpress.com/ as they have the site back up...

[steven c newman]

last report, this site was up and running....everything you ever wanted to know about a Langdon mitrebox...