Monday, besides bringing the beginnings of a nice little snowstorm, brought an email from a reader with some questions about a fascinating cast miter box. It is a Union No. 2, but beyond that I know nothing about it. I don’t have any old Union tool catalogs, and have not been able to find any pictures or references to this model online.
I have to admit that I cannot recall seeing one like this, so suspect that it is not very common. Does anyone have any knowledge of this model that they can share? Age, scarcity, or even a catalog reference to it would be of great interest. Please leave a comment or email me with any information.
That’s a Bishop’s Patent adjustable backsaw…
Close – it’s marked Disston No. 14 (I only know because there was a photo that showed the logo, which I did not include).
I found this reference when I searched for the patent. Did Disston and Bishop both buy licensing rights to the patent? Or is the Dissotn version based on a different patent?
No information for you, but oh, man is that a nice looking miter box!
Currently looking up info for one I’m restoring; if I happen across anything that might be useful, I’ll pass it along.
Be sure to let your reader know… miter boxes can be addictive. Need to be careful.
Cheers,
TKW
Thanks, TKW. I have a few of them myself, and a nice one is hard to pass up. Too bad they take up so much space.
I have… four right now. One I picked up for a song; it’s in great condition and a bit newer (as in, not cast iron, but a Stanley one from the 60’s or so). It works great and would work even better after being sharpened a bit. I just can’t stand what I call the “ambiguous tote”. Ugh. So unsexy and unflattering. I need to just give it to a woodworker who wants a miter box in their shop and doesn’t care about tote shape as much as me.
I have a Langdon w/original miter saw I need to fully restore. It has cast iron break repaired with brazing that was done by the previous owner’s dad, who I think was the original purchaser. A bit rough, but will be a great addition once I take it all apart and put it back together…
I have a Craftsman miter saw (similar to the Stanley 150) I restored. That’s the subject of the article I wrote for WKFineTools.
I picked up an older Stanley 150 shortly after finishing the Craftsman restoration. Possibly to replace the Craftsman? Who knows what I was thinking…
Seriously, though, I should try and pare it down to two – the Langdon and either the Craftsman or the older Stanley. Like I said, it can be addictive.