Photo Index - Hutchinson Manufacturing Co., Inc. - "Handy Hutch "

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
Hutchinson Manufacturing Co., Inc.
Norristown, PA

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Combo Machine
Machine Size:	12" table saw, 6" jointer
Submitted By:	James Huston

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	"Handy Hutch "
Date of Manufacturer:	c. 1930
Serial Number:	902
Last Updated	7/29/2019 9:59:34 PM

Comments:

I purchased this saw in November of 2015, having seen it in the 1931 Porter-Cable-Hutchinson catalog on this site. Jim, the gentleman I purchased it from, was able to fill me in on the saw and it's history. He had received the saw from his neighbor, "Spike", a no-nonsense long time carpenter who had built his own home ( including three garages!) and spent years working with a charity, offering his decades of experience doing home repairs for the needy. Jim was grateful to get the saw from his friend, and I was grateful to receive it from him, via the good graces of Dan (twofootdrive), who wintered it over at his place and brought it from MD to OH.

The "Handy Hutch" exists in many forms, but this is the best of them in terms of use; the miter slots are the same size and the table tilts. In the nearly four years I've owned this machine, I've made a few amendments to the original design ( all reversible ), including a micro-set fence, folding/tiltable outfeed table constructed from the piece of bowling alley lane Spike had mounted it to ( Handy Hutches are top heavy machines), and a ceiling mounted , counterweighted guard with dust collection. The original 6" joiner has been set aside ( due to a broken fence) and a 6" heavy duty joiner is mounted. The 1hp RI Delco motor ( these units were sold with smaller Peerless RI motors) has been retrofitted with brass ventilation screens to keep out the larger chips and splinters.
Hutchinson products are like no other, being an odd combination of meticulously machined and barely finished; casting flash abounds, and some of the bolt holes in the pedestal are left as cast. However, the peculiar twin screw elevating mechanism is machined beautifully, and the moving parts are all taken to a high degree of fit and finish, including the lovely planing marks on the table. Like Spike, this combo machine isn't one to fool around with frills, preferring to let the results speak for themselves.

The Hutchinson is flat belt driven, and I made an adapter so the tension can be adjusted by moving the joiner left to right. The saw is remarkable in terms of the depth of cut, torque, and accuracy, and is, hands down, the best saw I've personally used.

Photo 1:

Comments: the "Handy Hutch"
Source: jhuston

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Photo 2:

Comments: 6" heavy duty jointer,
Source: jhuston

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Photo 3:

Comments: with kin in the shop
Source: jhuston

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Photo 4:

Comments:
Source:

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