Mr. Galey said his brother borrowed a miter box from him on one occasion to make a picture frame. A miter is a sloping surface instead of a straight one. In the case of a picture frame, the miter joint would be at a 45 degree angle on each piece of wood.
A miter box is a u-shaped object so constructed that you can put a piece of wood inside it, and the saw will fit into the pre-cut grooves on the sides. Thus the miter box holds the picture frame material to be cut accurately.
In the old days miter boxes were made of wood. With use the grooves would become worn, so the cuts were not uniform and accurate. A 44 degree cut will match with a 46 degree cut on the first joint. But if each cut is off a little, there will be trouble at the last joint. However, the problem began long before that with the first cut.
Mr. Galey asked his brother, “Did you have any trouble with it?” His brother replied, “Only with the last joint.” Mr. Galey chuckled and said, “Well, that’s the one that always gives you trouble.”