Vintage tools: Stanley 246 miter box.

Few days ago I got lucky enough to find a very nice Stanley 246 mitter box dated back from the Sweetheart Stanley era. I was fortunate to find one totally complete with no missing part, not even the little cam that is screwed on the saw for one hand triggering, not even the length stop stand. Even the sacrificial base board is the original one!

Stanley 246 [picture from seller]

After a good cleanup it should looks very nice.

I started by removing all moving parts like stock guide, length stops etc. I then took the uprights apart and removed the base board so only the base remains.

The miter box upside down while taking it apart.

The base it self is not very rusty and does not show any sign of abuse and still retaining most of it blue japanning. A good cleanup with a brush and oil should put it back to smooth usage.

Base board remove, ready for gentle scrubbing.

To remove the light rust showing underneath the base I sprayed WD40 on and used steel wool to gently scrub it. The result was good to me.
Note: the goal here is not to get a looking new miter box that will shine under the lights but to clean it and put it back to good usage while retaining a nice patina.

Right side before cleanup

Left side after cleanup.

After rubbing with WD40 and cleaning the residue with a rag, I used a magnetized screwdriver to remove any steel wool remains as this thing has the nasty tendencies to get into any angle and hole.
I then used light oil to wipe all parts so to prevent further rust.
Below some pictures of early results.

The miter box back on its feet after a good cleanup of the under side.
Need to clean this side now.

Front angle dial.

Front identification plate.

Next steps will be to clean the top side and the uprights and lubricate all moving parts. Then it will be time to clean the saw. More fun to come this evening!

Vintage tools: Disston saws

In order to satisfy my insatiable vintage tools addiction (this is the problem my wife has diagnosed), I just got two very nice Disston vintage saws. As I do not feel capable yet (not yet) to handle saw restoration with filling, setting and sharpening I got these two the lazy way, already restored and ready for use.

First one is a D8, 28", 5½ ppi for rip cut...

Second one is a D8, 26", 12 ppi for cross cut.

I love these etches and I feel very lucky to be able to hold these saw from the 1896-1917 era in my hand, I feel like holding a piece of history.


I cannot wait to put these beast to work!

In the beginning...

In the beginning was a little guy, a sort of woodworker wannabe who was in reality nothing more than a widely found wood butcher. From his early childhood he wanted to play with woods and tools and loved to craft small little things. As an older bloke he got some power tools to improve his skills but has never been satisfied with them. One day he decided that he wanted to work the way his great grandfather was working, by hand, with vintage tools that he would have bring back to life. Since then, while he is still just a wood butcher, he is happy to be able to make shavings off the grid.

For those of you who are wondering... this little guy is me.