Where to find part for vintage Craftsman miter box saw?

[Clarke Davis]

I bought an old Craftsman miter box saw a few months ago, and have managed to clean it up/set it up so it works pretty well. :) But there is a movable clamp (it can be moved either to the left or the right of the saw itself) that holds down the piece being sawn. The part that actually touches the piece of wood being sawn is a donut cylinder about 1.5-2.5" diameter and about 3/8 to 1/2" thick. There isa hole in the middle, which attached to the movable clamparm by means of a bolt and a wingnut. The outside of the cylinder pushes down against the work piece (it actually holds it quite nicely). However, because the cylinder is made out of a yellowish, resin-like hard rubber/plastic, and this saw has been around for many moons, the cylinder has disintegrated into a few useless chunks. I've looked on the web for a picture to show, but haven't found this particular variety of hold-down clamp on a Craftsman miter box, so I hope my description makes sense. Anyway, would anyone have a clue where I might look for a replacement part or -- more likely -- for some suggestion as to how to improvise something? Or are there "resin donut" supply sites out there somewhere? :confused:

[justin sherriff]

You could get a can of Plasti Dip dunk it in let it dry and be good to go.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Plasti-Dip-14-5-fl-oz-Black-Dip-Rubberized-Coating/3543512?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-pnt-_-google-_-lia-_-219-_-spraypaint-_-3543512-_-0&store_code=1203&placeholder=null&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlJTPif-R5gIVTL7ACh13RglfEAQYAiABEgKj3_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Clarke Davis]

Thanks for the suggestion. I've looked at your link and wish I'd thought of that sooner. By now, the existing piece has crumbled into numerous small bits, so there's nothing left to dunk, unfortunately!

[Paul F Franklin]

Searspartsdirect is worth a (long) shot if you have any kind of model no.

Otherwise, I'd sniff around the McMaster raw materials section. They have plastic disks of similar dimensions, but the rubber section might be more what you need. Especially the polyurethane abrasion resistant tube section.

[Bill Jobe]

Do you have a Habitat resale store?
I see things like that every time I go to the one near me.

[Bill Jobe]

How about some pics and I'll look next time I go there.
Is there a model number?

[justin sherriff]

Is this what you are looking for? https://www.searspartsdirect.com/product/dit51sowmn-0009-137/id-3lnr

[Clarke Davis]

Folks, thanks for all the ideas. I tried to post some pics but botched that..... In my various searches, I found a manual online for my miterbox (881.36505, with a monster 28" saw), and it has some adjustment tips I hadn't figured out yet! So that's great. I think it would probably work best to just cut a similar-sized donut shape out of a piece of firm rubber or cork and put it on the hold-down arm. That should work; all it needs is something to hold the work piece firmly but not mar it. So many thanks for helping me sort through this. Lots of helpful ideas.