My next project... A hutch repair

John Pollman

Member
Messages
1,332
Location
Rochester Hills, MI
Hi folks,
I'm in the middle of two other projects right now. But I was out and about today and saw a hutch sitting by the curb because it was trash day. I stopped and took a look and found a couple minor problems, but this is a beautiful piece. All of the doors are bent wood and even the glass is curved and beveled! It was dark by the time I got home so I just unloaded the doors. I've got to round up some help to unload the base and top section and get it into the shop so I can start the repairs. Here are some pics of the doors. I'll post some pics of the other pieces when I get them into the shop.

Doors1.jpgdoors2.jpgdoors3.jpg
 
That sure looks like a good 'find' to me! All I ever see by the side of the road is particle board junk.

I wanna see pics of the rest of it, when you get it unloaded.
 
Will do. It's a good thing we had that heat wave last weekend. The snow is gone and it got cold again to refreeze the ground. Now I can just drive my trailer around the back and unload it straight into the basement. There's no way I'd want to schlep the two big pieces up and down the stairs! :)
 
I'm SO bummed!

I just finished bringing the hutch base and top into the shop. It wasn't until I had it into the shop that I realized why they probably pitched it. There's a set of doors on the middle section of the base unit and one of them is missing. :( I know that I didn't leave it behind but it's not here. One good thing is that I know the people that threw it out. I believe the father passed away some time in the last couple years and the son is just cleaning out the house. I'm going to try to contact him and see if he knows where the door may be. If it's gone, I'm still going to make the minor repairs to the rest of the unit and just remove the other door. It might work fine without it. Or possibly I could make a new set of doors to cover the center section. Oh well, I love a challenge! Here is what the rest of the unit looks like.

Hutch base.jpgHutch top.jpg
 
I'd say pull the hinges, patch the holes and call it good! Looks like it could work without them to me...
 
Yeah, I agree with Brent. That base will look fine with open shelves.

How ornate are (were) the lower doors? You might even be able to build a new pair.
 
No worries, I FOUND IT!

Went out to the trailer and found that it was the first piece I'd put in there when loading up. I had covered it with a drop cloth to keep it from getting damaged. We're good to go!

I've already started on some of the minor repairs and hop to have it back in good shape soon.
 
And now the fun begins. :)

I think I need three hinges. I'm sure won't be able to find a match, but I'll be happy to find a three sets that will at least work. I'm off to Google as soon as I submit this post. Here's what they looks like. Any ideas for a source? I've got a couple, but maybe someone out there has an idea. Thanks so much in advance!

hinge1.jpghinge2.jpg
 
john is there any name on there somewhere, if so do search with name and hardware to see if anything comes up they look like a production type hinge that should be available somewhere
 
Yeah there is, but it's on a label on the back that is partially missing. :( I'm going to do some more research. I did see on the the back of the unit that it was made in Italy.
 
I'm getting close!

I just need to find a couple pairs of hinges and I can hang all of the doors. I cleaned it up today and I've got a little cosmetic touch up to do in a couple areas but it's in pretty good shape. Then install a new cord for the light and it's good to go. I love the look of the inlaid wood designs!

Base.jpgtop.jpgdetail.jpg
 
It's almost finished!
I found some hinges online that are very similar and you can hardly notice the difference. They came the other day and I got them installed. I got the light rewired and just have a couple other minor issues and it's done. Ready to hit Craigslist! What do you think?

china cabinet.jpg
 
its hard to understand that they threw that out on the curb john, even before you fixed it..actually you didnt have to do to much to it other than reassemble and add some hinges right?
 
Yep, there were a couple very minor issues that I repaired. I have a little touch up to do in a couple spots, and replace the hinges on the upper outer set of doors. I know the family who owns the house where I picked it up. I haven't seen him in a very long time though. He used to work for us back when he was in high school and lived down the street from my father. I don't know if this was a piece that they had in their house, or if it was a piece that his father planned on doing the little bit of repair work on. I think his father was a woodworker too. His father passed away about a year ago I think and whenever I go by there and it's trash night, there's usually a decent pile of trash. I think he's just clearing out the house and maybe getting ready to sell. Oh well, I'm gonna put it on craigslist and see what happens. It's a bit gaudy, but there are people out there that like that kind of stuff. I've got about $50 into materials and just a little bit of time. I'm going to list it for $750 and see what happens. I doubt that you could touch a new piece like this for less than $3K-$4k!
 
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