Millers Falls Miter Box

[David Shoemaker]

Hello all,

I picked up this miter box on Craigslist a while back for $40. I'm about ready to do the clean up and I wanted to see if anyone had any tips.

My plan is dismantle it and soak in simple green with some light scrubbing. I don't think there's much rust, it's mainly grunge.

It looks like the two "guide slides" (not sure what they're called) were greased to support the movement. Any recommendations on a lubricant after clean-up?

Also, I'd like to stabilize the sticker. some of the edges have curled over. Any tips or suggestions on that?

Thanks!

465706465707465708465709

[Jack Frederick]

Good find! I love mine. I would check the angle stops and see if they are still on. If they are, judging from the condition, I think you could clean that up without disassembly. That is what I did with mine and I find it a pleasure to work with. What saw do you have? I put some Johnson’s paste wax on mine and here in dry dry CA nothing has shown up and it operates smoothly.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

I concur with Jack. You don’t need to disassemble it. Blow out the dust and loose dirt with compressed air (can or compressor), wipe it down with Simple Green, lube the pivot points with 3 in 1, wax the saw and you should be good to go. If by sticker you mean the MF label, a dab of contact cement should work.

[David Shoemaker]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'll start with cleaning it assembled. The saw is just a "Warranted Superior."

[Stephen Rosenthal]

The saw is just a "Warranted Superior."

As long as it’s sharp, who cares? 😉

[David Shoemaker]

Yeah, thanks for that. I'm really trying to take a simpler perspective with tool buying. It's so easy to get caught up in collecting everything and only buying the "best." Or do I really need 3 sizes of every lay out tool??? (I'm looking at you, Woodpeckers) I find that stressing about needing the "best" tool sucks out a lot of the enjoyment of woodworking for me.

Instead of "Buy once, cry once," I'm trying practice "Less is more."


As long as it’s sharp, who cares? 

[Stephen Rosenthal]

David,

I have a lot of high end tools, many LN products among them. I also have a lot of my dad’s old tools, including a mixed set of 60-70 year old yellow plastic-handled Stanley 60 and Buck Bros. 100 chisels. A lot of people scoff at those chisels, but I will tell you, when properly sharpened, they hold their own with my set of LNs. Patrick Leach feels the steel is actually of a better quality than the more collectible and costly Stanley 750s.

[Rob Luter]

I have a similar version. I scrubbed the filth off with spray cleaner (formula 409 as I recall) and waxed it. Bare metal parts were oiled.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49446345621_37ae5f50dd_b.jpg

[Tom M King]

Rob, yours looks exactly like mine, that I bought new, including the saw, I think in 1974. I used it for 20 years before I ever bought a powered miter saw that I liked. I still use it sometimes.

[Jim Koepke]

Rob, yours looks exactly like mine, that I bought new, including the saw, I think in 1974. I used it for 20 years before I ever bought a powered miter saw that I liked. I still use it sometimes.

Mine is also similar to yours Rob:

465734

Picked this up at an estate sale for $5 if my memory is working.

Not sure why but miter boxes seem to multiply in my shop.

jtk

[Rob Luter]

Jim -

it looks like you and I got the same sort of deal. I think I paid ten bucks. The saw had a bold crisp Miller’s Falls logo on the plate. Turns out it was pad printed instead of etched so when I cleaned off the surface rust with WD40 it dissolved. It didn’t have an impact on accuracy. This thing cuts like a laser.

[Tom M King]

I can't remember what I paid for mine, new. I bought it off the shelf in my local family operated building supply/sawmill store. I'm thinking it was $115, but that's really just a guess. All finish carpenters, around here, used them back then.

[Phil Mueller]

Not meaning to turn this into a “show me your miter box thread”, but I have a Millers Falls miter box as well. You will enjoy it. This one I stripped down and cleaned…but for the most part, because I like doing it. Don’t think it’s necessary. As other’s have suggested, a general cleaning (or not) should still bring great results.

465828