Very simple, it's just two lengths of square tubing, a platform for the miter box, a couple of plywood boxes and some t track. I really like t track, because it's a convenient way to use stops for precise repeatability and for hold downs. I used this work station a lot with my chopsaw when I did carpentry work on my ranch. I could carry it to where I was working and set it up on sawhorses. In part, my miter box station is this way because that's what I had on hand, and, in part because, being portable, it is compatible with a small shop. It could be stored on a shelf and put on the workbench for use.
This miter box is a Millers Falls Langdon Acme that I purchased (with no saw) at a garage sale for $4. Many believe it is one of the best ever made. They are amazing tools, extremely capable and very accurate. You sometimes read that miter boxes aren't accurate, that they are off a degree or two. Possibly, but I think that view may sometimes stem from not realizing that they can be adjusted, something I learned when I disassembled mine for derusting and cleaning. There is a threaded brass bushing with an off-center hole in it that is used to micro-adjust the angle of the saw. I fussed with mine until I got it dead on. I suppose there is some slight play in the guides but it's very small. Something else you may not be aware of is that the miter box can be adjusted to cut a board as wide as 10 1/2" at 90 degrees. There are brackets on either end of the base for cutting crown molding or other compound angles which I'd like to try. There are depth stops on the guides and I think it would be interesting to try defining dados with them. I suppose you could also cut tenon shoulders with them.
If you are interested in more information about this miter box, the original instruction manual can be downloaded here. I know there are other good ones as well, but I don't have any experience with them. To the best of my knowledge, there are no good miter boxes currently in production. Intriguingly, though, Lie Nielsen states on its website that "[w]e are not yet making a miter box but we do have plans..."
Eww! Excellent! I've never seen this done with mitre box. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know what kinda band saw set you have that allowed you to get rid of the table saw. My table saw and out feed take up a ton of room in my shop, but I continue to use it mostly, I think, because of the table top on my band saw is so small.
You have given me an idea for a post. The short answer is that I made some wide roller stands, but I think there are other ways to go about this, including infeed and outfeed tables similar to those for a table saw. I concluded that making straight cuts on long and wide material would be better accomplished with a tracksaw, especially for those with a smaller shop. When I got rid of my table saw, I promised myself I would buy the Festool if I found I needed it, but so far I have been happy with using my circular saw and the Lee Valley power tool guide. If you ever have a chance to try the Festool tracksaw, I think you will be amazed.
ReplyDeleteI actually have a track saw and its an amazing saw. I'd love to see what you end up posting.
DeleteThe thing that I really like about the table saw is also the problem. It's all set up just sitting there. All I have to do is walk over to it and turn it on.
I'm not sure there's a way around it, but anything you set up that's ready to go will take up a lot of space.
As much as I am tired of the labels power tool, hand tool, or hybrid woodworker. I like the sound of transitional woodworker! I also have a very nice miter box and saw but I just attached it to a bench hook set up that I can move around and place where I need it. While it is a great tool, I usually only put it to work when I have a lot of repeated fine cuts to make like mitering mouldings or similar. Most of the time it is just faster to cut it free hand on my bench hook.
ReplyDeleteI think your practice is very sensible. You are more experienced with saws, so free hand is faster and just as accurate for you except in the case of lots of repetitive cuts. That's what I am transitioning to, hopefully. I like the idea of mounting the saw on a bench hook. I could actually do the same thing with mine, though it would be a 6' long hook.
DeleteWhat I always liked about my chopsaw set up this way is that I could easily and quickly make multiple pieces that were exactly the same length without measuring or marking after the first one.
My woodworking partner Joe and I are pretty new to this, he has a background as a framing carpenter and I am an accountant - and the first few projects we used his old jobsite chopsaw. Joe was gung-ho to get a fancy radial arm saw but I told him to hold his horses, I had an idea of how we could save some money. So I kept my eye on craigslist until I saw an Ingersoll Rand era Millers Falls Acme with a Disston backsaw for $25. Joe was a little sceptical at first but after a few cuts he started warming to it - and the other day he used it to shave a half a blade width off the length of a board, and he hasn't stopped raving yet. Plus, ours was very lightly used and saws dead on 90 and 45 degrees. Now Joe says he has never seen a radial arm saw as accurate and he has no interest in getting one. So that frees up a bunch of cash to use to buy some nice wood.
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