From: "Rodgers Charles" rodgers_charles@b...
> The following information on Stanley miter boxes is taken from an
> August, 1996 post from Stephen LaMantia:
> _______________
> Here's some information on Stanley miter boxes I took from the 1909
> catalog.

>                                    width         -cutting capacity-
saw
> model       length      board       90        45        30       size
wt      price
> -------         --------      -------       ------     ------     ------  
    -----        -----     ------
> 346          20-1/2      4-1/2       9-1/2     6-1/2    4-1/8    26x4
29/34  12.25
> 358         20-1/2       4-1/2       9-1/2     6-1/2    4-1/8    28x5
29/36  13.00

I have narrowed my mitre box down to one of two, using this information. The
final decision depends on how you define the saw size. My saw is over 27"
long and the blade is almost 4-1/2" under the spine. This suggests to me,
using saw size, it is a 358.

The cost surprised me. Looking at Stan Faullin's site and the 1926 catalog,
the cost of the 358 with saw had risen to $27.40.

Comparable costs, from the 1925 Sargent catalog on Stan's site: a Sargent
708 was $5.10, while a 722 was $9.60.

In 1920, the average hourly wage for the unionized building trades was $1.05
working a 44 hour week (about twice what it was in 1910, which suggests
that wages were not keeping pace with inflation).

So, a top quality mitre saw cost over 3 days wages and about three times as
much as a jointer.

The old tools market has not been kind to mitre boxes. From asking prices on
oldtools, mitre boxes are going for 2 to 3 times their 1926 price while
autoset planes are going for 10 to 15 times. eBay prices are low, with few
offered and few bids.

Brent