Thread: MF 15 1/2 mitrebox rebuild and Groves saw build

Work of art, looks awesome!

Nice repair job, Derek, and that's not a bad saw, either, for a beginner.

Jarrah wouldn't be my first choice of raw material for a saw handle, but I certainly couldn't fault your workmanship! I did try a piece of it for a handle, but scrapped it before it was finished because it was far too coarse & splitty for my likings. Which makes me even more impressed by the delicate shaping you've managed. I guess you aren't blessed with the range of choices we have over this side of the island, but you do have a couple of woods that I've enjoyed using, like Lace She-oak. Now that can be a spectacular wood, & I found it a lot nicer to work with than Jarrah.

One thing puzzles me no end - where on earth do you store all of your gear? Your workshop was rather small & crowded when I saw it last, but you seem to have acquired quite a few more tools & gadgets since then. Have you discovered the secret of the Tardis? If so, would you please divulge to the rest of us - I've got more room and fewer tools than you, & I'm still cramped for space....

Cheers,

Thanks Ian.

I did begin to curse my decision to work with the Fiddleback Jarrah. Jarrah in general is tough but brittle. this stuff has some wonderful figure but was so stressful to work with - the number of chips and breakouts I had to repair ...

Where do all the tools go? You make it sound as though I have so much. Actually I do have far more than needed by 10 craftsmen. What can I say - I get curious and want to try it out. I do sell or give stuff away. I would be just as happy having a few tools, and I am at the point where I am wanting to thin out the herd towards this end. Over the next year I shall probably do so.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

... What can I say - I get curious and want to try it out...

I guess that is a common affliction, and one reason why many of us end up with more tools than we really need...

Originally Posted by derekcohen

... I would be just as happy having a few tools, and I am at the point where I am wanting to thin out the herd towards this end...

I've been down that road, too. My attempts to rationalise have been only moderately successful. It's that curiosity thing you mentioned, you see something that needs a good home, or is badly in need of some TLC, or a tool that looks like a lot of fun to make, and it sneaks up on you again!

I got my tool cupboard under pretty tight control a few years ago - got rid of quite a few surplus-to-requirements planes, in particular. Then I developed a thing for chisels. For years, I got by with a small set of BEs and a couple of mortise chisels, and in blissful ignorance, managed to make all the things I needed to make with them. As I was getting towards the end of my paid career, I decided to spoil myself with a set of shiny new Lie-Neilsen BEs whilst finances still allowed the odd indulgence. Then I acquired a couple of socket firmer Titans from my father's kit, took a real shine to them, and lost any semblance of self-control after that. I now have more chisels than I would have imagined any one person could want - I've even extended some sets by making my own in sizes that aren't otherwise available. 'Tis nice to be able to pull out just the right tool for a given job, but I know in my heart that I could probably do just as well in most cases with a few 'general purpose' chisels.

I see these articles like "The anarchist's tool-chest" and think yep, that's what I need to do; pare down to a nucleus of essentials, and concentrate on using skill rather than hoping the tools will compensate for my deficiencies. So I'll sometimes sit with a mug of coffee, and stare at the various drawers full of chisels, and try to think which ones I could live without. Unfortunately, I never get very far with that line of thought, so many of them come with a good back story, or have strong sentimental attachments, so they have to stay. And not the least consideration is the memory of how much pain & effort went into lapping ill-treated backs, fitting new handles and finding the odd 'missing' sizes. At that point, I decide to think about other things.

So good luck with your pruning...
Cheers,

unfortunately, I never get very far with that line of thought, so many of them come with a good back story, or have strong sentimental attachments, so they have to stay.

That's what I say, Ian

But still, many of the tools are not just "tools" but memories. How does one give those away?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek

That is a wonderful job and thanks for picturing the two mitre saw alongside each other for comparison It really does highlight the monsterous size of those old mitre saws. As you probably know they weigh about twice as much as a full size handsaw of the same length.

Now I am not familiar with this "rationalisation" malarkey. In fact, I looked it up in my dictionary and the word doesn't appear, but there again there was also a page missing .

Regards
Paul

Hi Derek, I came across this thread and your blog while researching the Miller Falls #15 1/2 mitre box. I am currently restoring two mitre boxes and one of them is also 15 1/2.

Reading your thread I have two questions, which hopefully you can answer:

1. How did you fix the nylon in the upper end of the blade holder? I guess you glued it. What glue did you use?

2. I am trying to understand how the depth stops work on this particular model. The metal strap has two elongated holes and is fixed with two screws. One at the top in the blade holder and one in the bottom to the guide. And then there is this extra brass pad which can be moved and fixed with a screw. How do you set them up and which screws need to be tighten and which allow the metal strap to move? I tried to find instructions or so on how to set this mitre box up. Maybe you can tell me how you set them up?

Thanks CK

Good Morning Derek and CK

Hope I am not hijacking the thread.

I have an old mitre box which looks almost identical to yours, Derek. It came from a great uncle who closed his pro workshop c.1970. Mine has a broken foot, and this has stymied me every time I have considered restoring it.

Derek, how do you know yours is a Millers Falls #15½. So far, I have not been able to find any branding or identifiers anywhere on mine; it is exactly 12 inches long.

CK, is yours a more recent one? Mine and Derek's would pre-date nylon by a lot of years.

Finally, does anyone have any suggestions about the broken foot?


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Hi Graeme,

I think you misunderstood. Derek had nylon retrofitted for better support and glides and I want to know how he did it.

On identification I went purely by feature.

Langdon #15-1/2 and 16-1/2 – A Langdon Mitre Box Reference

Looks and dimensions fit and mine has the slotted elevators, which the #16 1/2 did not have. But I might also be wrong.

This is mine



Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

......., does anyone have any suggestions about the broken foot?

Graeme, is it the front RHS foot where a bit is broken off across the mounting screw hole? Meself, I'd do one of two things 1) just put a thick washer over the broken hole & screw it down (most likely course ), or 2) If I were feeling really energetic, I'd build it up with braze, smooth it off, & re-drill the hole......

Cheers,

Originally Posted by Cklett

Hi Derek, I came across this thread and your blog while researching the Miller Falls #15 1/2 mitre box. I am currently restoring two mitre boxes and one of them is also 15 1/2.

Reading your thread I have two questions, which hopefully you can answer:

1. How did you fix the nylon in the upper end of the blade holder? I guess you glued it. What glue did you use?

2. I am trying to understand how the depth stops work on this particular model. The metal strap has two elongated holes and is fixed with two screws. One at the top in the blade holder and one in the bottom to the guide. And then there is this extra brass pad which can be moved and fixed with a screw. How do you set them up and which screws need to be tighten and which allow the metal strap to move? I tried to find instructions or so on how to set this mitre box up. Maybe you can tell me how you set them up?

Thanks CK

Hi CK

Incidentally, the article is on my website: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRes...oxRebuild.html

Attaching the nylon was done quite simply with two-part 15-minute epoxy. While epoxy does not stick well to nylon, there is little-to-no stress on it ... nothing pulling on it ... and the tolerances are tight enough to keep it pressed against the parts. Anyway, it has lasted 7 years so far with lightish use.

Regarding the depth stop - note that I am not in the workshop - my recall is that the large screw limits the travel and the smaller ones act as guides ...



Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by Cklett

... I think you misunderstood. Derek had nylon retrofitted for better support and glides and I want to know how he did it. ...

I did misunderstand. Thanks.

... On identification I went purely by feature.
Langdon #15-1/2 and 16-1/2 – A Langdon Mitre Box Reference
Looks and dimensions fit and mine has the slotted elevators, which the #16 1/2 did not have. ...

Thanks, CK. Yours is identical to mine, except that mine, like Derek's, still has the red trimmed wooden bed. That reference also mentions the length - 12 inches - which helps confirm. There is no sign of any paper labels on mine. And there is definitely zero embossed or engraved branding. This probably dates it to the late 1800's as branding didn't really become ubiquitous until the late 1800's. Any ideas, or have you done more research?

The reference quotes it as coming from a Millers Falls 1925 catalog. I cannot imagine any major company producing an unbranded core product in 1925.

Derek, your handles are always so crisp. Love the lines and the execution (and the timber)! Glad you don't use photobucket anymore, the watermarks obscured half the image. Good luck on your restos CK and Graeme.

Originally Posted by IanW

Graeme, is it the front RHS foot where a bit is broken off across the mounting screw hole? Meself, I'd do one of two things 1) just put a thick washer over the broken hole & screw it down (most likely course ), or 2) If I were feeling really energetic, I'd build it up with braze, smooth it off, & re-drill the hole......

Cheers,

Correct, Ian, the break is the right hand front foot.

I am definitely not a metal worker, and my first reaction is usually to consider the hippocratic oath - "First, do no harm" - and then do nothing.

I had been considering burying the foot in a fibre-reinforced epoxy pad, basically because it is withing my skill and experience range.

But you second solution is probably better. Thanks.