Stanley miter box ID

[Clark Christenson]

I just picked up this miter (mitre?) box from my father-in-law. It belonged to his grandfather and probably hasn't been used for 40 years. It has no label and at least one item has been broken and repaired (the angle adjustment lever). From what I have gathered online this is likely a 358 miter box. The saw it came with is a 26" Disston that is 5" deep. Or would that make it a 356? Nomenclature probably doesn't matter but I am wondering about the age of this thing.

It has 4 patent dates, all from 1904. It lacks the holes in the side to set up length stops. Generally it appears to have the same mechanism as newer boxes but lacks a feature or two. As you can see in the picture, my wife's great-grandfather put his name and year into the saw handle. We don't know who J.H. Grant was.

Any help would be appreciated.

Clark
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[John Vernier]

It's probably a 358 - I don't think they made a 356. It should be a nominal 28" saw, but mine is more like 26+" at the tooth line, 28" at the spine.

[steven c newman]

I happen to have a Disston 358..
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Saw is a Disston made for Stanley 28" long by 5" below the spline. Mine has two places to install the front guides.
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Takes up a lot of room, too.
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IF there is a model number plate, it will be on this end of the base.

[Clark Christenson]

John - I was thinking the "28" was nominal. My saw is real close to 26" along the teeth and 27+" along the spine. Even in the good ol' days, the sales department must have gotten the idea to inflate numbers.

Steve - I see most of these miter boxes with some sort of label front and center under the saw. That is where mine has 4 patent dates. There is no sign of a label anywhere; unless it was glued on the end and the residue has worn off.

Clark

[Jim Koepke]

You might try a patent search at:

http://www.datamp.org

Enter the patent date and that may help find information that can better lead to an identification.

My book shows a few that started production in 1905. One of them is the #358 with one of the patents being 8/2/1904 assigned to F.H. Richards. It appears his 1904 patents may have applied to at least 9 miter boxes.

jtk

[steven c newman]

I went down to the shop a moment ago....There is a metal "label" right under the saw, centered on the scale's platform....in addition to "Stanley" there is a "model No. 358" right above the STANLEY on the tag.

Be careful IF you clean that tag off...Stanley part has a painted logo...mine was in red.

Length of the saw plate on my two backsaws for this mitre box is right at 28" long. I did have two "newer" saws where the heel was rounded towards the toe. Those were 27" long.

The two I now have, have a Disston etch, and say how they were made expressly for the Stanley Mitre Box ( Disston No. 4 on steroids)