Best Mitre Box UK - openwrench.top

We check out the best mitre box UK. The good old fashioned mitre box has been used for many years in woodworking shops up and down the country. If you did any type of woodworking classes at school, then no doubt, you will have seen one of these in action. Back in the day, they were made from wood, but today they are also available in hard plastic. Here we will look at the best mitre box to use.

The big issue with using these has simply never changed though. If these are going to be used on a regular basis, then over time they will get damaged, as the saw being used will come into contact with the mitre box itself and damage it. That said, if all you ever need to do is make a couple of basic mitre joints, then for just a little money, one of these will certainly do the job.

Avoid buying one of these if you plan on working a lot with wood as they simply do not last. We read constantly about people complaining about how these get damaged. The reality is that will happen. If you regularly need to cut mitre joints then a good quality mitre saw is the answer.

“Over the years we have used various types of mitre boxes. They are a cheaper option to go for than having to buy a mitre saw. We find them useful for a few small cuts rather than setting up a full blown mitre saw. They are not made to last though, so good for a short time, and certainly get the job done.”

One simple way of reducing the amount of damage to any mitre box is to line the bottom of the box with an old piece of plywood. Doing just that one thing will greatly reduce the amount of damage that can be caused. As a general rule though these boxes are far from ideal to work with when compared to using a powered up mitre saw.

With a mitre box you have to do all the sawing yourself, find some way of keeping the mitre box in place, and trying really hard to keep the saw in place without it falling out of the slots. If you only have to do a few joints then you can live with the hassle. If you plan on doing some serious work then don’t buy one of these.

Table of Contents

Best Mitre Box UK List

1. Draper 48677 Mini Mitre Box

2. Stanley Clamping Mitre Box

3. Stanley Clamping Mitre Box with Saw

4. Large Mitre Box for Skirting Boards

5. Zona SA35/251 35-251 Mitre Box+200 Saw

6. Draper 55076 Mega Mitre Box – Best Mitre Box for Coving

7. Rolson Mitre Box with Tenon Saw

8. Genesis Premium Mitre Block

9. Firstinfo Metal Mitre Box – Best Metal Mitre Box

Mitre Box Buying Guide

What Saw To Use With A Mitre Box?

Size of the Mitre Box

Cutting Angles on a Mitre Box

Clamps on a Mitre Box

Mitre Box Problems

Mitre Box Alternatives

Conclusion

Best Mitre Saw Accessories

Mitre Saw Buying Guide

Best Hand Mitre Saw

Best Blade for a Mitre Saw

Best Mitre Saw UK

Best Coving Mitre Tool

Best Mitre Box UK List

Draper 48677 Mitre Box – cheapest mitre box
Stanley Clamping Mitre Box
Stanley Clamping Mitre Box with Saw
Wolfcraft Mitre Box (Best for skirting boards)
Zona SA35/251 Mitre Box with Saw
Draper 55076 Mega Mitre Box (Best for coving)
Rolson Mitre Box and Saw
Genesis Premium Mitre Block
Firstinfo metal mitre box – best metal mitre box

1. Draper 48677 Mini Mitre Box

86% buyer satisfaction based on 4,000+ online buyer reviews

This is the best seller in the UK from the UK Draper brand and also the cheapest that we could find

It measures 200mm x 35mm x 50mm and weighs 120 grams

It is made from recycled plastic

It has two 45° and one 90° guide on both edges and two countersunk holes for fixing to workbench.

Makes a good choice for for small scale or precision work including model making etc.

It is no good for cutting anything over 2″ as it is a small mini box

BUYER RATINGS

Value for Money – 85%, Level of Accuracy – 88%, Easy to use – 86%

2. Stanley Clamping Mitre Box

86% buyer satisfaction based on 1,000+ online buyer reviews

This is one of the best sellers in the UK from the popular Stanley brand

It has 90°, 45° and 22. 5° slots

It measures 21.21 x 30.99 x 10.31 cm and weighs just 350 grams

It has a cellular plate for the insertion of eccentric chocks

There are a few mini compartments included for the storage of chocks and pencils

It is a one piece injection moulded mitre box for strength and durability

Patented cam lock clamping system holds workpiece securely in place

It uses a raised base for locked work

The pieces are attached by regulating the chocks

BUYER RATINGS

Value for Money – 80%, Level of Accuracy – 90%, Easy to use – 84%

3. Stanley Clamping Mitre Box with Saw

86% buyer satisfaction based on 1,000+ online buyer reviews

This is the same box as above from the Stanley brand but this model comes with a saw.

It has 90°, 45° and 22. 5° slots

It measures 21.21 x 30.99 x 10.31 cm and weighs just 350 grams

It is made from lightweight high impact ABS plastic

Patented cam lock clamping system holds workpiece securely in place

It comes complete with a Tenon Saw

It also has a finger button that allows easy release of saw from the storage cavity.

The open interior allows cuttings to fall through.

It can be used with either back or panel saws. Integrated pencil pocket.

BUYER RATINGS

Value for Money – 80%, Level of Accuracy – 90%, Easy to use – 84%

It makes accurate enough cuts and will help you through the task of having really nice looking corners. This particular one can handle up to 6″ mitres. It comes with clamping screws which are handy. Don’t over tighten these though or the threads will strip. All you need to do is make the clamp firm rather than over tightening it.

4. Large Mitre Box for Skirting Boards

86% buyer satisfaction based on 9,000+ online buyer reviews

This is a 2 in 1 steel mitre box that has an angle bisector for cutting skirting boards

Suitable for skirtings up to 100 mm high

Helps make perfect mitre angles for the corners of a room

The bevel gauge makes it easy to measure and define angles from 85° to 180°.

It also has integrated guiding pins for the handsaw that automatically transfer the correct angle to the saw, with no margin for error.

The result is correct mitre cutting, regardless of the size of the angle, guaranteed.

BUYER RATINGS

Value for Money – 75%, Level of Accuracy – 90%, Easy to use – 90%

5. Zona SA35/251 35-251 Mitre Box+200 Saw

86% buyer satisfaction based on 1,500+ online buyer reviews

This is a popular choice for many UK buyers

It is classed as a mini mitre box and saw at a decent price point

It has been designed to cut square ends, splices and angled or mitered corners.

It has an adjustable stop and bevelled channel for tubing and dowels

It can cut material up to 1 1/2″ wide and 1/4″ thick at 90,45 and 30 angles.

This one has a saw with a very fine blade for really neat work

BUYER RATINGS

Value for Money – 79%, Level of Accuracy – 90%, Easy to use – 88%

6. Draper 55076 Mega Mitre Box – Best Mitre Box for Coving

78% buyer satisfaction based on 1,500+ online buyer reviews

We have already shown the mini Draper mitre box and this is the larger version

It measures 325mm x 180mm x 60mm

The base has two countersunk slots for fixing to a bench

It has one 45°, 60° and 90° guide on both edges.

It has been designed for the cutting of most sizes of coving, skirting boards etc.

BUYER RATINGS

Value for Money – 82%, Level of Accuracy – 80%, Easy to use – 80%

7. Rolson Mitre Box with Tenon Saw

84% buyer satisfaction based on 500+ online buyer reviews

This is good value as you get the mitre box and a Rolson saw designed specifically for mitre cuts.

The saw is 30 cms long and has 12 teeth per inch ideal for finer cuts

It measures 30 x 13 x 8 cms

The base has two countersunk slots for fixing to a bench

It has one 22.5, 45 and 90 degree guides on both edges.

It’s like many on the list and one of the more affordable for both the saw and the box.

BUYER RATINGS

Value for Money – 92%, Level of Accuracy – 85%, Easy to use – 83%

8. Genesis Premium Mitre Block

78% buyer satisfaction based on 100+ online buyer reviews

This is classed as a premium box as the base is non-slip but just be aware that this is a small box designed for cutting trim or beading.

It isn’t really suitable for cutting coving or skirting boards

It has 45 and 90 degree slots

There are holes that allow you to fix it to a workbench

BUYER RATINGS

Value for Money – 90%, Level of Accuracy – 75%, Easy to use – 73%

9. Firstinfo Metal Mitre Box – Best Metal Mitre Box

86% buyer satisfaction based on 1,000+ online buyer reviews

Most mitre boxes are made of plastic, but there are metal options such as this one shown here, which is made from aluminium

This box can handle thicknesses up to 2 inch (50.8mm) and widths up to 3 inch (76.2mm)

Angles available are 45°, 90° & 135°

It has an extended lip which allows you to secure this to a workbench if you need to do that (suitable for 5 mm bolts)

Best used with a hacksaw as the gap is fine at only 1.2 mm

BUYER RATINGS

Value for Money – 84%, Level of Accuracy – 85%, Easy to use – 83%

Mitre Box Buying Guide

What Saw To Use With A Mitre Box?

92% buyer satisfaction based on 500+ online buyer reviews

In the perfect woodworking world, you would use a tenon saw. This is a short saw with very fine teeth and is great for precision cutting. This is also often referred to as a back saw. It leaves a very nice smooth edge. These types of saws cost around £10.

If you don’t have one, you can just use an ordinary hand saw, but just don’t expect a really smooth edge when finished. You can of course use a bit of sandpaper to help make it smoother. The main purpose of using a tenon saw is that it cuts on the back movement, and that is perfect when using with a mitre box.

Size of the Mitre Box

These boxes are available in different sizes. You need to be careful when buying one as the size you buy will need to be able to fit the width of the piece of wood that you are trying to cut. Some typical sizes are:

200 x 35 x 50 mm
290 x 58 x 56 mm
320 x 102 x 102 mm
325 x 180 x 60 mm
360 x 165 x 90 mm

The length of the box is not that terribly important. The depth and width are the two most important sizes. The wood fits inside the box, and using the slots, you can then either make a basic cross cut, or your angled cut. Our best advice is always to buy the biggest and that way, you can be sure it will allow you to cut most common sizes of wood.

Cutting Angles on a Mitre Box

You will find that these will have a straight cross cut 90 degree angle slot. They will also have a 45 degree angle slot to the left and also one to the right. You can also buy some of these with 22.5 degree slots but these can be hard to find. The Stanley model does have that option.

Clamps on a Mitre Box

Most mitre boxes can be attached to a work bench or clamped to a table or a bench. Some of the boxes will come with clamps for holding the piece of wood you are sawing. We have yet to find a really good version of these as typically the clamps are really flimsy. It is much better to buy some wood clamps and do the job properly.

If you have a “Workmate” or something similar, then these boxes can be attached to these so as you have a solid foundation to work on. Some of the boxes also come with pre-drilled holes so as they can be screwed down to a bench. The problem with that though is that they take up room, and you may not want to have that in a permanent position.

Some people screw the mitre box to an old piece of wood, and then use a grip pad on their bench to hold it in place. We don’t think that this works that well, but if you are only doing a few cuts, it will help in the short term.

Mitre Box Problems

These type of boxes do get damaged. The reason is pretty simple. If you are placing wood inside a box, and then using a saw to cut through the provided slots, the saw will slip now and then, and you do have to saw right through the wood so the base of the box will be in contact with the teeth of the saw.

They are not 100% accurate but to be honest, they are accurate enough for most uses.
They do need to be secured to something so as you have a stable platform on which to work.

Mitre Box Alternatives

Another alternative to using a hand saw and a mitre box is to use what is termed a hand precision saw. These can be quite useful if you plan on doing a fair amount of work.

They are slightly more expensive than the standard mitre box. The benefit of using one of these, is that the saw is designed with nice fine teeth. That gives you a very precise and neat cut, which does make a great finish. The disadvantage of these is that they are a pain in the rear to store, as they take up quit a bit of room

The ultimate solution is to buy a power mitre saw. That said these do cost around £50-100 so only buy one if you really need it. Say for example you had planned to work in many rooms in your home, then a power mitre saw is worth considering.

Conclusion

A mitre box is just a useful tool to have for general DIY. They are not expensive and can make accurate cutting of mitre joints and bevel joints a very simple thing to achieve. You can buy these online or at Screwfix, Wickes etc. Generally speaking these are made from plastic and are a good choice for one-off projects. They don’t last forever but given that they are not expensive, they will get the job done and you can buy a new one when you need it for another bigger project.

If you prefer you can also buy a metal one which will last longer.

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