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I bought this old 18” bandsaw for a song from a used machinery dealer over 30 years ago. “It came from a local high school,” he said. “I heard that it was purchased by the school back in the 1930s with funds from the WPA—one of those Depression-era back-to-work programs.”
This bandsaw needed a lot of work. I didn’t recognize the brand, but I did notice a small brass plate on the back of the upper housing that read “ERECTED BY M. SUTTON AND P. HOFFERT.” Imagine that! These two men (and the company they worked for) were so proud of this machine that they wanted the future to know who built it. That plate clinched the sale.
The saw’s motor didn’t run, so I placed a 16″ pulley on the rear end of its shaft and added two more motors to the saw. One is a geared-down 3/4 hp, 1725 rpm motor for cutting metal; the other is a 1-1/2 hp, 3450 rpm motor for cutting wood. This is an unconventional solution, I know, but it works! I use the saw almost every day.
Years after I purchased my saw, I found it on a website devoted to old machinery (vintagemachinery.org) and discovered that this old relic was a real gem. It was made by the legendary Oliver Machinery Co., of Grand Rapids, Michigan—a No. 192. I learned that Olivers were widely used in vocational programs and pattern shops, which helps explain why that school bought this particular machine. The website featured an ad for a No. 192 in a 1926 edition of Industrial Education magazine.
The serial number on my machine confirmed the story I had heard long ago: The saw was made in 1929, just before the stock market crash and the dark days of the Depression. When I use my vintage saw, I like to think of those brighter times when it was “erected,” and hope that somewhere, today, there are more M. Suttons and P. Hofferts who also take pride in their work. Thanks, guys! –Tony Sporborg
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