Unidentified Miter Frame Vise

by John Hough
(Shippensburg, PA)

I found this at an auction in 2011 and have been unable to determine its vintage and manufacturer. The saw itself is an Atkins; chrome medallion without a patent date and the very vague remains of what appears to be "Rockford" etched on the blade. I couldn't find any markings on the miter vise castings. I looked through all my reference books, the mother ship, this site, that auction site (active and complete), Goggled every combination of miter/vise/frame etc that I could think of and the only close call was J.A. Brandon's patent 505,024 which shares a similar frame and handles. I thought it might be an early Marsh but that's only a hunch (based on the "Rockford" remains on the saw blade. The most identifying marks are the wrap-around vise frame and the Greek or St George's cross in the castings. Has anybody seen anything like this before?