Goodell miter box w/sharpened H. Disston and Sons saw

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VintageGoodell all-steel Miter Box Patent date Feb. 9, 1909. Hand-sharpened Vintage 1896-1917 H. Disston and Sons miter saw. Goodell Manufacturing of Greenfield, Mass, and later Goodell-Pratt, was bought by Miller-Falls in 1931. The saw plate has been cleaned, waxed and buffed. It is slick and smooth. The plate is 22 3/8 inches long at the tooth edge, and three and 7/8 inches wide. 11 PPI. A quick cutter. The handle has been refurbished. The lower half has been repaired/replaced. There is a small chip in the underside of the top horn. A hang hole has been filled. The handle is tight to the spine and plate. The grime has been cleaned from the screws and nuts. The handle was lightly sanded. Boiled linseed oil was rubbed in, the handle was dyed, 3 coats of lacquer were applied and then the handle was buffed with paste wax. It is solid and tight, with no owner's marks. Use your lower 3 fingers when (lightly) gripping this saw, with the index finger pointed toward the cut line. The saw plate was jointed and the teeth shaped. After another jointing the teeth were sharpened to a rake of 15 degrees and a fleam of 20 degrees. This fleam angle is good for all-purpose cutting. The teeth were again lightly jointed and lightly set to a percentage ideal for medium hardwoods. Then they received a final sharpening to a very fine point and razor beveled edge. The beveled edge (the amount of fleam) is critical to cross-cut teeth; they do most of the cutting. Next the teeth received a couple light passes with a hard Arkansas stone. The saw cuts quickly and smoothly and starts easily. I tested it in 1" air-dried walnut and 1” pine (see picture) using this miter box. It cuts perfectly square on the face and end grain plane. Check the picture to see how slick it cut that walnut. I made test cuts at each stop of 0, 7 ½, 22 1/2, 30, and 45 degrees on both sides (see picture). I checked the cuts with a Starrett brand machinist protractor and they were all perfect. Included is wooden tooth guard. The miter box is in good condition. The steel bed is 19 3/4" long and 3 1/2" tall. The maximum width of cut is 8 1/2" at right angle and 5 3/4" at miter. The spring-loaded raised position stops and the adjustable depth stops (that I made) work great. In the raised position the tooth edge stands 4 1/4" clear of the bed. I have cleaned this miter box. Some removable paint, seemingly a rust preventative, remains. The angle set has an automatic spring-loaded lock. The angle stops are marked at the quadrant, readable at the indicator. They are at 0, 7 1/2, 22 1/2, 30, and 45 degrees in both directions. This box features a quadrant marked in single degree increments from 0-45 degrees on both sides (see picture) with a nice angle indicator that makes it easy to set at any angle. There is a pull lever action brake underneath to lock the saw in any desired position. It has 2 end brackets, once used for hold-downs or a length stop. I just use my left hand for a hold-down. A quick-clamp works well. A quick-clamp and a piece of scrap works well for a length stop. I replaced the depth stops with 2 that I made. You can set these to cut perfect tenon cheeks. For a 1” tenon in a 3” wide stock, you would lay a 2” scrap under the saw, raise and tighten the depth stops, then cut each side of your stock in turn. The pictures show the obvious good condition of this miter box. The patent date, Feb. 9, 1909, is stamped on the elevators. If you've never used one like this, with a freshly sharpened saw, you are in for a treat. You can cut small pieces without worry. You can train little galoots to saw to length. Make picture frames. Cut molding. Cut perfect tenon cheeks. Use it and enjoy it without noise, dust, and the stress of serious injury (The saw is very sharp, and will cut you if you are careless.). Please ask any questions that you may have. I replaced the wooden bed with 1/2” birch plywood, finished with Boiled Linseed Oil... read more

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