MF 15 1/2 mitrebox rebuild and Groves saw build
#11
I've wanted a small mitre box for sawing mouldings forever. The Miller's Falls #74 I have is a HUGE beast, a carpenter's tool. Had my eye on a Miller's Falls #15 1/2 several years ago, but then it got Schwarzed, and I watched the prices climb. Finally I just built a small mitre box, the Steam Punk Mitre box, which was fun and functional, but I doubt that it has the fortitude to take it into the next century.

I kept an eye on eBay, and a #15 1/2 would come up every now-and-then, but starting at silly money. darn The Schwarz.

Finally one came up that was reasonable, not cheap, but reasonable (with low shipping - that is the killer to Oz) .. and there looked to be little interest from others. Not too surprising as it had issues. I put in a snipe bid, and won it. Of course the Seller miscalculated shipping costs, but was good for the amount .. however sent it on a slow ship. It arrived ... eventually.

It looked like this ..



The # 15 1/2 is 12" long. Here it is with the #74C and its 28" long x 5 1/2" deep saw ...



The issues? Well, the rear guide had broken off (must have been dropped) and been brazed. It was a good job insofar being straight ...



The shell was stripped down, and one of the repairs was to smooth over the weld before repainting ...



I discovered that the blade holder (that runs inside the guide) had also been welded at the lower end, and then the weld carefully filed flush. However it removed some of the steel, and now the fit was a little sloppy.

To tighten this up, I tapped both sides of the guide and made set screws in nylon ..



The other modification I made was to add more nylon inside the blade holder, where the saw back runs, to create tighter tolerances and a smooth action. It works really well ..



Now I needed a saw. The original saw was 16" long with a depth of 2 1/2". Here is the one I made - more info in a short while - together with the 28" beast for comparison ...



The saw plate and brass back came from Isaac Smith (Blackburn Tools). The plate is filed 13 tpi crosscut, and is 0.20" thick. The brass back just needed draw filling and polishing. I chose not to go with a folded back as like the clean look of the slotted back, as well as it being a more reliable construction. Isaac does a fabulous job. The saw cuts as cleanly as a Japanese saw.

The saw handle was inspired by a Grove tenon saw handle made by George Wilson, whom I consider to be one of the finest craftsmen around, whether tools or musical instruments. George built the saws for Colonial Williamsburg. Here are two of his saws, a dovetail and the tenon saw in question ...



The detailing on these handles is exceptional, in particular the crisp, defined lines. This was my aim (only, of course, the proportions for a mitre saw will be slightly different).

This is the boring shot of the completed mitre box and saw ...



The wood used throughout is Fiddleback Jarrah. I had a few scrap pieces left over from the Wegner Chair build. I should have remembered that carving it was a nightmare: beautiful but hard and brittle, especially brittle at the edges. A lot of careful work went into the shaping here.

This is the money shot ...



The last issue was that there was a missing depth stop. Consequently, I made two new ones from brass. I thought that would help in matching to the brass in the saw.



I had never made a lamb's tongue like this one before. In looking at photos on the Internet I became aware that no one posted a picture of the underside. So here is mine ...



One other modification was allowing sone of the cast iron to remain unpainted at the front. Here is the combination sawing a mitre. It performs as well as hoped ..



Thanks for looking.



Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
Reply
#12
Ah Derek, you outdid yourself! I like the addition of the nylon guide screws and will apply that to my miter boxes. Everything on the box and saw is simply great, but I do have to add one bit of criticism, and that is this: Please clock the split nuts and the project will go from great to perfect!
Waiting to grow up beyond being just a member
www.metaltech-pm.com
Reply
#13
Thanks Tony

I decided to stop clocking screws. It took a while before I found the right medication ...

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
Reply
#14
I have not, and by your professional occupation, maybe you can offer some advice! The first part of the obsession began with using only slotted screws. Next came acquiring a number of Spofford/Fray braces, size to the screw size, with a proper straight bit. Next came the obsession with drilling the right kind of pilot hole. I tell you, it can be a series of screws under a cabinet, that no one will ever see, but they must be clocked!!!!
Waiting to grow up beyond being just a member
www.metaltech-pm.com
Reply
#15
Tony, you just need to do a few more, and then you will be over it!

I clocked the screws on these chests .. let's see ... 18 drawer pulls with 4 screws each (all slotted of course) ...



Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
Reply
#16
Very, very nice!!!
Thanks,  Curt
-----------------
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."
      -- Soren Kierkegaard
Reply
#17
Hey Derek, I'm glad you finally found one. I had two that I sold on the swap and sell here on the woodnet forum. I remembered you saying you were looking for one and I was going to ask you if you were interested in one of mine, but I thought it might be bad form so I decided against it. Anyway, it looks like it all worked out in the end. Your recuild looks great! The nylon in the saw back slots seems like a great idea.

Best,

Jonas
Reply
#18
Derek:

Very nice, again, you are a true Craftsman.

I think George would agree the saw handle is divine!! Beautiful and very nicely executed. Thanks for sharing -

Dave B
Reply
#19
George's opinion is always appreciated. However informed it may be, it remains an opinion. One to be regarded carefully, yes, but still an opinion.
Thanks,  Curt
-----------------
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."
      -- Soren Kierkegaard
Reply
#20
Beautiful work. The nylon set screws were a genius solution.
Thanks for the post.
Eric.
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)

Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.