Stanley made millions of mitre boxes over the years, including their professional-grade models such as the 246, 346, 358, 360 and others. These tools originally shipped with numerous devices, jigs, and other gadgets to ease their use, many of which disappeared long ago.
The trip clamp is one of those devices that makes the Stanley mitre boxes much easier to use since it allows the saw to be released from the saw carrier catches with only one hand. Yet, because it was easily detached from the saw, it was often misplaced. Nowadays, it is downright unusual to find one still with the mitre box.
This new reproduction of the Stanley trip clamp is not an exact copy, but it performs its task as well as the original. Made via the investment casting process, the new clamp is made of 304 stainless steel and is fitted with an NOS slotted screw that is very similar to that used by Stanley after about 1950.
A search is underway to locate a source of spade-style thumbscrews like those used on the early models, though this style of screw is long obsolete. It might become necessary to build the tooling to make a new version. The original trip clamp with thumbscrew shown in the photos is for reference only. It is not included in the purchase.
