Langdon miter box refurb

10/17/20, 6:42 PM #1

ken ca
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Langdon miter box refurb

ken ca

I picked up a box of Langdon miter boxes, three of the pre 1938 boxes, and a real oldie, a "Langdon improved" from the early 1900s. One of the pre 38s was fit only for parts having two broken castings, but it supplied enough parts to make two complete boxes. Even though I have more than enough miter boxes (up to 10 now)

I refurbed one of them to become my new go to user box (I like its soul).

Re: Langdon miter box refurb

10/17/20, 9:27 PM #2

Kevin French
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Re: Langdon miter box refurb

Kevin French

Nice refinishing job Ken

Only 10?

Re: Langdon miter box refurb

10/17/20, 11:50 PM #3

ken ca
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Re: Langdon miter box refurb

ken ca

Trouble is no one will give anything for them if you try to sell!

Re: Langdon miter box refurb

10/18/20, 11:36 AM #4

Kevin French
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Re: Langdon miter box refurb

Kevin French

That applies to more than Langdon miter boxes

Re: Langdon miter box refurb

10/21/20, 5:34 PM #5

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)
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Sometimes we refurb just because ..

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

That’s a nice refurb, Ken. I have had a few of these larger mitre boxes, but could not find a use for them, and so they went.

I do still have one Millers Falls #15 1/2, which is a tiny one, for moulding. It came like this ...

I needed to make the 14” x2” saw as well ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: Langdon miter box refurb

10/22/20, 3:34 AM #6

John Aniano in Central NJ
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Re: Sometimes we refurb just because ..

John Aniano in central NJ

Derek,

Beautiful job on the restoration! A real showpiece! Just because...

Wondering - how did you get the upright guide posts so shiny looking? Did you just pop them in a lathe to spin them, run through the SiC paper grits and then polished, or did you get them plated?

John

- - -

My bowmaking web site I have done some sort of woodworking since I was 6 years old. In 5th grade I tried, with my father's help, to make a pine violin. It hangs on the wall in my shop. Later in middle school I had basic wood shop class. No project I can remember that survived from then! In high school, I took wood shop I and II, and metal shop I and II. This along with the usual college prep courses - my counselors thought I was nuts! I made a number of clocks during high school, maybe 2 dozen altogether, including wall clocks, shelf clocks and a pocket watch with wooden case, some of which I still have. I began to collect, restore and use old wood working tools. I especially like 19th century English tools. After graduation, I made a grandfather clock which is now on the landing of my home staircase. I made the metal dial and metal hands as well. In college, I studied Industrial Arts to be a shop teacher. I made a number of projects including a multi-wood specie flax-style spinning wheel and a walnut tool box. In 1978 I began to make stringed instrument bows, self-taught at first. After graduation, between 1982 and '83, I worked for William Salchow, who, at the time, was the best known bow maker in New York City. I stopped bow making in the mid-80's to attend college again, this time for ceramic engineering. Got married in 1988 to my wife Debbie. With her help (although I did a lot of the cooking, hey, I had the time!) I pursued a BS and MS in ceramic engineering. Worked for ~12 years as an engineer in the field of fiber optics (I have one patent to show for it). In 2002 I switched back to making and repairing bows. In 2006 I won a gold medal at the Violin Society of America's International competition. Later, in 2010, I got a second gold medal. Not easy for 50+ year old eyes! I continue to do some general woodworking - dovetailed drawers, frame and panel work, restoration tasks for our 260+ year old home - things like that. Mostly hand work. I have only a few power tools - a tiny 7" blade INCA table saw (which never gets used), 6" Atlas Jointer, 14" Rockwell bandsaw, a circa 1943 Delta 768 10" bandsaw, a 9", 3 foot Southbend metal lathe, Rusnok milling machine, a no-name wood lathe, and Jet drill press. I am a member of the Central Jersey Woodworkers Association - I was the vice president for the CJWA a few years back. I took Mike Dunbar's class in the late '90s and made a sackback chair. Back in ~2010 I outfitted a new, passive solar shop space for bow making and general woodworking. New benches, tool racks, etc. Still working (ever so slowly) on my 10 foot long Roubo-style bench. As of November 2018, the four pieces of ash that will comprise the top need to be milled and fitted, but the base is ~95% finished. Absolutely the largest and heaviest item I've ever made. It has been a fun journey so far!

Re: Langdon miter box refurb

10/22/20, 7:04 AM #7

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)
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Re: Sometimes we refurb just because ..

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

John, deburring wheels (impregnated nylon) are great for cleaning and polishing steel. I have them in several grits and chuck them onto the drill press. This is one reason why the drill press is one of the more important machines in the workshop.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: Langdon miter box refurb

10/22/20, 11:39 AM #8

Jim Matthews
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At long last...

Jim Matthews

A drill press discussion that isn't boring.

Re: Langdon miter box refurb

10/22/20, 3:28 PM #9

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)
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At long last...

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

... a polished answer.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: Langdon miter box refurb

10/23/20, 1:59 AM #10

Jim Matthews
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A polished answer...

Jim Matthews

...spanning the globe.

Or wuzzit spamming?

Re: Langdon miter box refurb

10/23/20, 10:43 PM #11

ken ca
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Re: Sometimes we refurb just because ..

ken ca

Really nice, plus those are as rare as the proverbial Rocking Horse poop.

Re: Langdon miter box refurb

10/24/20, 12:25 AM #12

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)
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Re: Langdon miter box refurb

10/24/20, 12:39 AM #13

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)
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Re: Sometimes we refurb just because ..

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Ken, my apology ... I did not intend to highjack your thread.

You are correct when you note how rare these are .... thanks to Chris Schwarz ... whenever he posts something ... ! It took me more years after this to find this one, for affordable Dollars, but it came with a few welds and issues.

This is the difference in size of yours and mine ...

I wrote up the restoration, here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRestorations/MFMitreboxRebuild.html

For those who do not go to this article, one trick I used to fine tune the running of the saw, so that it cut precisely and smoothly, was the addition of nylon blocks ...

And the difference in size of their saws ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: Langdon miter box refurb

10/24/20, 5:20 AM #14

ken ca
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Re: Sometimes we refurb just because ..

ken ca

No apology needed, I love seeing things like your 15-1/2. I've been looking for a 15-1/2 or 16-1/2 for a while but have never seen one in the flesh, and I'm certainly not willing to pay the ridiculous "Honest John the online Tool middle man's" price of $600 for one. Hopefully, one day I'll come across one........

Langdon miter box refurb

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