Miter Box Help

[Clay Zimmer]

I wish my first post wouldn't have been on these terms, but I need help :(

I started building furniture with hand tools out of necessity. My first couple years of college I was broke, needed furniture, and only had a 300sf apartment to work. Somewhere between my pallet wood bookcase and LV's cyber monday sale 2 years ago, I hit the slope. This past summer I found a complete Craftsman Miter Box model # 107.36500 (without the logo plate on the front guide, it looks identical to the Millers Falls Langdon boxes) for a few bucks at a yard sale and am just getting around to restoring it. I thought I had managed to keep this thing together and complete through a move and a complete renovation, but last night while putting it back together for its first cut I realized I was missing a screw. I have a few diagrams I found online and it looks like it is called a gib plug screw; one of two screws which attach to the gib, or the metal sleeve you don't want your saw's teeth to become too friendly with. I am sure I vaccumed it up with all the drywall dust.. Short of going bottoms-up in the 30yd dumpster out back, is there somewhere to find a replacement screw? I can take the screw I do have and go to the hardware store to search for a match but I wasn't sure if this was an uncommon screw like some of the old Stanleys.

I have lurked long enough to know posting pics isn't simple. So until I figure it out, a similar miter box can be seen here:
www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Vintage-Craftsman-Sears-Roebuck-Miter-Box-Hand-Saw-Model-107-/400522741121

I believe I included my location in my profile. If it doesn't show <Jim K> I am in Nashville, TN :)

Thank you all for any help you can give on this and for all the countless times I have referenced this forum.. or "the saw blog", as my wife calls it :)

[Andrae Covington]

I took a look at my Millers Falls. They appear to me to be standard round-head machine screws, #12-24 (possibly #10-24, I just eyeballed) at 3/4" length. I don't think MF used proprietary thread sizes like Stanley, but could be wrong. Take the one you have to the hardware store and you should be able to find a match.

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Clay and welcome to the Creek.

Your location does show in your profile.

The ebay link doesn't work, but I was able to find it by the item number, 400522741121.

Looks like it sold already. I hate it when something sells for $10 and has $40+ for shipping.

Hopefully what you are looking for is a 10-24 fastener. I do not find many #12 fasteners available in my local stores. With the change in marketing where the brick and mortar sellers are having to compete with the online market many retailers have cut back significantly on stocking items that are slow movers.

Some of the best things I have picked up in my time as relates to restoring old tools is a thread pitch gauge and a good caliper for measuring fasteners. Saves a lot of time in the shop. There is also the ability to use known fasteners to check thread pitches until a thread pitch gauge finds its way to you. My only light regret is I gave my metric thread pitch gauge to a mechanic friend who works on European cars. It isn't very often that I need it, but he now lives about 600 miles away so it is a bit of a stretch to invite him over for a beer and have him bring the gauge along.

jtk

[Clay Zimmer]

Thank you both for your help. I will head to the hardware store tomorrow and hopefully find a match for the missing screw. I dont see many MF selling for less than the shipping costs. It amazes me that the Craftsman miter box sells for so much less than the MF labeled boxes. From https://sites.google.com/site/langdonmitreboxes/home/gallery/craftsman-commercial/107-36500 "The model number prefix "107" is part of a standard Sears numbering convention indicating that the tool was manufactured by the Millers Falls Company. The "36500" is apparently just the model number assigned to the product by Sears." Were the rebranded boxes held to lower mfg standards like I think the warranted superior saws were, thus making them less desirable? Or is it simply a collectability thing?

[Jim Koepke]

The "36500" is apparently just the model number assigned to the product by Sears." Were the rebranded boxes held to lower mfg standards like I think the warranted superior saws were, thus making them less desirable? Or is it simply a collectability thing?

I am not sure the warranted superior saws were of a lower standard.

Most of the time companies like Sears would solicit bids from manufactures for their "store branded" merchandise.

I once asked this question of a woman who worked for the Dymo label company. She was the mother of my girl friend at the time. They made the labelers that were "store branded" for a department store at the time. Her reply was that they actually wanted to have as good of quality as possible for customers who are buying such a large quantity.

The site you link also says it seem identical to the Langdon 74c.

In some cases there may be a lower quality, but only if the retailer specified they wanted a lower cost product. Often the only difference between a Disston and one of the saws they sold as Warranted Superior is the etch, handle and medallion. In the case of Warranted Superior many makers used that badging.

jtk

[Clay Zimmer]

That is good to hear. I have quite a few saws marked Warranted Superior... my miter saw included. I am not sure where I read about a difference in quality or if
I just made an assumption. I haven't had a chance to make it to the hardware store but as soon as I do I will post what I find out in case anyone else needs to track down one of these screws.

Thanks again

[bridger berdel]

warranted superior doesn't mean craftsman. pretty much all of the saw makers released saws labelled as warranted superior. they weren't generally their best saws, but you can find many excellent users with that medallion.

sears is notorious for squeezing their suppliers on cost at the expense of quality.

[Clay Zimmer]

Finally made it around to the hardware store. The screw was 1/4 - 20 X 3/4 if anybody is missing that same screw.