Saws

Saws appear to have been sold as an optional accessory, subject to such vaguely worded warnings as: “guaranteed only when supplied with saws fitted at the factory.” This was later clarified to: “boxes without saws can be furnished but cannot be guaranteed for accuracy.” Clearly some fine tuning of the miter boxes was performed. Insofar as post-WWII models are concerned, the adjustments can be viewed here.

All of the most well known American saw manufacturers made miter back saws and both their first quality, “name brand” saws (e.g. those etched and/or stamped with the manufacturer’s name in lieu of, or in addition to, the name of Millers Falls) as well as their second quality “Warranted Superior” saws are commonly found with these miter boxes.

Absent direct first hand knowledge from the original owner or definitive documentation in the form of a purchase receipt, it is difficult to ascertain whether a saw that is now found with a box was purchased simultaneously with it. Generally speaking the apparent age of the saw may or may not be a reliable guide to the corresponding age of the miter box.

It is also frequently the case that one encounters saws that are too large or too small to be used effectively in the miter boxes they’re found with. Millers Falls and Goodell-Pratt provided clear guidance with respect to the length and depth of saw blade that are appropriate for each model of miter box in their respective product lines. That guidance is compiled from the catalogs into the table, below.

Langdon     All Steel, Greenfield   All Metal     Model No. Blade Length (in). Blade Depth (in.) Model No. Blade Length (in). Blade Depth (in.) Model No. Blade Length (in). Blade Depth (in.) 1 15 2 1/2 1000 24 4 1100 18 4 2 14 2 1/2 1001 24 4 1101 24 4 3 14, 15 2 1/2 1002A 4 1118 18 4 4 18 4 1003A 5 1124, 1124A 24 4 5 20 4 1004A 6 6 22 4 7 24 4 1244A 24 4 8 26 4 1264A 26 4 9 22 4 1285, 1285A 28 5 10 24 4 1305, 1305A 30 5 11 26 4 1306, 1306A 30 6 12 28 5 13 24 6 1625 16 2 1/2 14 26 6 15 28 6 15 1/2 16 2 1/2 16 30 6 16 1/2 12, 16 2 17 18 4 18 20 4 19 22 4 20 24 4 21 26 4 22 22 4 23 24 4 24 26 4 25 28 5 26 18 4 27 20 4 28 22 4 29 24 4 30 26 4 31 22 4 32 24 4 33 26 4 34 28 5 68 22 4 69 24 4 70 26 4 71, 71A 22 4 72, 72A 24 4 73, 73A 26 4 74, 74A 28 5 75, 75A 30 5 76 30 6                 1017 18 4 1023 24 4 1025 28 5 1029 24 4 1032 24 4 1033 26 4 1034 28 5 1068 22 4 1071, 1071A 22 4 1074, 1074A 28 5

Before going shopping for replacement saws it would be a worthwhile precaution to measure the range of blade widths that your miter box’s saw guides will accept. The guides were manufactured to allow for saws to be resharpened or retoothed over time (and thus have the blade’s depth of cut reduced). At this point in time fifty to a hundred years later, you may or may not find a saw that exactly meets the depth requirement in the above table. So if you happen upon a blade that is one-quarter to three-eights of an inch wider or narrower than the recommendation in the table then it just might fit, but a quick measurement on your part is all it will take to let you be certain before buying.

It seems to be the case that long-bladed backsaws went out of production along with the last of these miter boxes themselves. Much is said and written elsewhere about the relative quality of the saws from say, the 1960’s onward versus those of earlier decades (or centuries!). The relative merits of a 1960’s Disston-Porter versus a Disston and Sons backsaw from half a century earlier notwithstanding, if the saw is sharp and clean it will cut just fine.

If you’re in the market for a newly manufactured backsaw then each of Mike Wenzloff, Mark Harrell and Lie Nielsen make saws for miter boxes. These guys manufacture the best saws available today.