Hey everyone! I'm decent at freehanding crosscuts and I use a shooting board along with a Veritas shooter. My shop is tiny, with almost no counter space besides my workbench, and I don't have any projects coming up that require weird angles. However, I stumbled upon a vintage miter box and saw on Craigslist for a good price, and I find myself tempted! So, for those of you who own miter boxes, do you actually use them? Do they just take up space? Looking back, would you buy another one?
5 Answers
I mainly use mine for molding work like door casings and baseboards. Sure, I've got a sliding compound miter saw too, but the miter box is quieter, less messy, and easy to use inside the house wherever I'm working.
Honestly, you probably don’t need one. If you’re working with small pieces, you could make a simple fixed-angle box just for those quick cuts. I have a big Langdon miter box that I only use once a year because it’s a bit of a hassle. For precision cuts, just mark it deeply on all sides and cut close to the line; then you can plane it down for a perfect finish.
If you're just making 90-degree cuts, a miter box might not be worth it for you. But if your projects involve specific angles, it could save you a ton of work. Just think about what you're planning to build!
You don’t need one, but if you find a vintage one at a reasonable price, it's nice to have. They’re not made like that anymore, so you’d likely get your money back if you buy right. Just make sure it's complete with all the necessary accessories.
You don't really need a miter box if you're already comfortable with a saw and shooting board. I sold mine after getting my LN shooting plane because it just made everything easier and provided a much better finish in less time. Cheers!