That handle looks a lot like some Bay State saws that I have but I don't think that is definitive ID.
pat

That's known as an Aircraft Carrier over at OWWM!

It's hard to beat the Millers-Falls Langdon Acme box, its Goodell-Pratt siblings*, the similar Stanleys or other similar brands. Other similar brands: For a while, I had a Marsh-Ayers box nearly identical to a M-F box. It was missing one leg set. Before I found my M-F box, I was going to make a wooden leg set for that end and a little label "Marsh-Ahab."

What these boxes have in common is front and back posts with saw carriers that slide in or on the posts for keeping the saw firmly in line; which posts are attached to a pivoting carriage on the saw frame, allowing your miters, including fine adjustment (off standard angles) for those out of square corners. The whole thing is heavily built, with just enough play/clearance to allow movement but not enough to allow wobbles.

With my M-F box, I can trim a saw kerf's worth of wood from many moldings, allowing for a truly tight fit.

You also need a straight, sharp saw. The saws that fit in these boxes are usually 24-26".

Shop around at yard/estate sales or anteek mauls, mostly. You can buy from eBay, but the shipping's usually pretty steep.

You should also learn to cope your inside corners, particularly for interior trim. This doesn't work for all molding patterns, but, where it does, you can get corners that won't open up like miters can do.
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*which differ mainly in that the "bed" is riveted steel rather than cast iron. These can twist if they're on a twisted surface, but, if bolted down to a firm, flat surface like a chunk of thick plywood, are just fine and pretty much functionally identical to the M-F boxes.

I have one of their older models.....their new stuff seems nice.

Lots of options out there from a number of companies....all have their strengths.

I have a 5 lb abc for the shop. I have it just outside the entrance door under the carport. Just inside the door would be ok, but you want it where if there is a fire and you are not in the building, you can get to it without having to go through a fire to do so.
A 5 lb is the smallest that should be used for any home or shop.

ABC's are dry powder with dry nitrogen so are less affected by temps. They are rated -65F to 120F. But check the label to be sure.

I also have a water hose inside just in case.

That's a bummer. Since you mentioned the perma-soak, my gut feeling is that practice can't be good for any stone. Some perhaps can tolerate it, but why do it as an ongoing practice? You probably like having stones at-the-ready for spontaneous honing. What I do is have honing sessions where I will do maybe six blades or more that have accumulated. I have a spare blade for a few planes that I can switch in between honing sessions. I also keep a strop handy to freshen a dulling chisel just a bit.

I learned my soaking lesson on a Chosera stone I had. It got multiple surface cracks but never fractured. It too was a great stone. Now I never soak for more than a few minutes.

Thank you for the heads up!!

I'm replacing them this year too. My maintenance has always been to check the gauge and then tap them with a mallet yearly to keep the dry chemical from settling, but I was told that they should be tapped monthly.

I use a small, 90 deg., die grinder w/air. I have a 2" and 3" backup pads from http://vinceswoodnwonders.com/store/ that work great. I keep the air turned down to about 45 or 50 psi and run the lathe around 300 rpms. I use this set up all the time now, it's easy and leaves a real nice finish.

With all the people in Japan I had no idea it was 70% forested. That blind mitered DT went together tighter than a zip lock bag. I took a deep breath when he tapped it closed I thought it was funny he was calling them mortises, and tenons, guess I had never thought of a DT like that.

post Jack