Stanley STA120600 Clamping Mitre Box and Saw 1 20 600

Product Information

I already scare people. My “dovetail” saw is a 14″ Disston. Someone had a new fancy dovetail saw, light and precise, so I ran a cut with it, then pulled out my big honkin’ saw, and mine had just as fine a cut….but it cut about three times faster.

If you look around, you will find other fine craftsmen, who either used them in the past or are still using them, so yeah, they would do. And lots of framing shops (as in picture frame) used those Nobex for years. Mine, incidentally, came at auction in a lot from a picture frame shop.If it is is decent usable shape, go for it. If its a rusty clunker with missing parts, let it go. Hand boxes last more than a couple lifetimes. Are these miter boxes good enough for mouldings and other cabinet work, or are they only precise enough for house trim? Something else to know is that they used the suffix A to denoted their first Aluminum model and the Suffix M indicated a Metal cutting MB. With two exceptions, the No 109 and No 2360 were metal cutting MBs but they never sported the suffix M. Confused yet? Lets try another riddle... If he took care of his tools, I’d get every tool of his I could afford. Be fair to the heirs. Carpenters of that era weren’t very rich. I got a lot of my tools from guys just retiring. If you low balled them, everybody in town would give you the stink eye. I made sure I wasn’t put in that position. You shouldn’t have to flip any lever with your hand with either style. The system is designed so you can load the work with both hands while the saw is up, then hold the work with one hand and work the saw with the other.

That was to "grip" the MB to the surface and more importantly, to correct an out of square, level playing field... so to speak :-) Notice the Models Nos ressemble strongly the 244, 246 and 358 with an added 2 in front? There was also a relatively short lived 2360, but it was a metal cutting saw and bear no ressemblance to the 360 which was a wood cutting MB. More on these later. Hardwood fences or clamps offer strength and stability when working with long pieces of wood that may be prone to shifting during operation. Additional features, like aluminum extrusions, offer reinforcement against any unexpected movement that may occur during cutting. Cost That helped, although for me it turned out that twisting the handle worked even better than pulling to one side. Lubricating the rods also helped.And I think some Stanley boxes were extendable for width of cut, but don’t hold me to that. Some had wood tables and some didn’t. The wood tables need replacing once in a while. My box had a metal groove the saw dropped into below the table height. If you didn’t adjust it properly, you either didn’t saw all the way through the work, or you dulled your saw instantly. I usually set a folded business card in the groove and set to that. It gave just the right clearance. You have to change that setting each time you sharpen the saw. I used a Miller Falls box for 25 years and only went electric in the 1990’s because the company I worked for paid half, and the fellows I had to share my box with weren’t very careful. A circular saw blade is disposable and the boss paid for them. Look around the shop before you leave. I’m not an expert on Stanley boxes. I used em, but never owned one. The Miller Falls was a little lighter, would break down smaller for travel, and had very few settings that could go out of adjustment. It seems the Stanley guys were always adjusting their angle settings. ( hint, it’s an eccentric cam under the pivot point), either that, or they needed something to blame their open joints on. 😉

A well tuned saw gives a very smooth cut, and it should be the sharpest saw in your quiver. If you know a good sharpener, this is the saw to spend the money on, at least so you know the goal. for most of my career the company paid for my sharpening. 290 teeth is a lot of sharpening.

If the box has 6” posts, you need a 6” saw. I have both size posts for my box, but I never bought the 6” saw. I figured I could get one used if I needed to. Never did. THose saws are heavy beasts. The length of the saw mostly had to do with lots of cuts at a steep angle. A longer saw took fewer strokes. A sharp saw matters more. Today Electrons spinning mitre saws are seemingly designed to be made Cheaper, Faster, Noiser, Scream Louder and Spew saw dust everywhere... Depends how many cuts you are making, of course. For a hobbiest, it’s a luxury. For somebody trying to feed his kids, some sort of miter box multiplies labor tremendously. Here is a picture of my 26” saw for my Miller Falls, and the 28” Stanley model note the angle on the rear of the plate. Since it was behind the front post, teeth there make no sense on a miter box saw.