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Hendey lathe info/help

chimera555

Plastic
Joined
Apr 19, 2010
Location
usa, VT
Hello every one I'm new here as you can see. I signed up to get some info about this hendey lath I have.

I acquired it a few years back and it is my very first lathe or piece of machining equipment other than a drill press.. I am slowly learning how to use the darn thing but it needs a little TLC.

I searched around threw this section of the forum for hendey info before I post but there is just so much I feel very overwhelmed. I do not know where to start. Is there any one that could help me identify what model it is to start with?

Here are a few pictures I took tonight. Thank you for your time.
hendey.jpg


threadindex.jpg


number.jpg
 
Welcome to the forum:

They are normally dated by the serial number which is ordinarily stamped into machined cast iron on top right end in between the two front ways, very near the pair of fillister head screws holding up the right hand lead screw bracket.

Member Hendeyman, if he happens by, can often relate the machine's "pedigree" from that same
number.

On edit:

First one I have noticed that says feeds are 7 times threads. A little later, the 12" and 14" say feeds are 4 times threads.

Here is the somewhat "newer" manual scan - thanks to Greg Menke for hosting my scan:
http://pounceatron.dreamhosters.com/docs/hendey/1920-Hendey-manual.pdf

John Oder
 
Your lathe is pre-1919-20 or thereabouts, but not so early that it doesn't have the range box (the three position lever at extreme left), so post 1900 or so? (I have not been able to pin down when the range box was added, the very early Hendeys are much like all the other contemporary machines of the day with exposed "change gears" that have to be removed and replaced to effect the feed rates desired) After that "Hendey" is cast into the arched piece at the left business end of the lathe (head-stock), commonly called a "tie-bar" Hendey. The serial number will be stamped at the far right of machine between the front two ways (the inverted vees that all the top bits ride on). You have an "after-market" drive-all conversion which also makes the everyday use of the machine far simpler. It also looks like you may have the taper attachment and possibly even the vaunted and mysterious sub-headstock lying in the crate there underneath the lathe.

You also have what appears to be a small shaper to the left of the lathe on the stand, so you actually have three pieces of machining equipment. Little machines like that are much coveted among home-shop guys. The steady rest (on floor next to left leg) doesn't seem like it would belong to the lathe, but I could be wrong.

Good place to start is the "misc scans" section at the top of this forum.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/misc-scans-etc-manuals-etc-151257/

Also once you find the serial number there may be more information that could be derived from that.

Another good place is lathes.uk

lathes

Nice machine,

Jim
 
Thanks guys I got the serial number its 11638.

I think I remember the previous owner telling me it was a 1909 and that it was in a highschool machien shop befor he got it... He had it in parts struin about his work shop amongst other lathe parts and pieces so I woudlnt be supprised if that steady rest is from another lathe. I also got the shaper from the same friend but that was after the lathe. I guess I should have said it "was the first" :)
 
chimera555:

Without a serial number I can not give you an exact date of manufacture, but your lathe
was built between 1905 and 1915. The numbers you posted were not used by Hendey as
serial or pattern numbers. It may be necessary to use a small bush and a little bit of
sovent when cleaninmg the area where the serial is stamped just to make it visible. When
you post the serial number I should be able to give you some of the history of your lathe.

jimboggs:

Here are the basic dates that the various gearboxes were introduced: Norton Quick-
Charge Gearbox = 1892, Compound Gearbox = 1904 and Tie Bar Headstock = 1905. The
name "HENDEY" cast into the Tie Bar was part of the 1918 redesign work and first appears on lathes built in 1919.

johnoder:

The "7 Times" was used on 14 inch models before the introduction of the Compound
Gearbox and Tie Bar Headstock. By 1906, both the 12 inch and 14 inch lathes used the
"7 Times" gearbox and index plate. By the Fall of 1914, the 12 inch and 14 lathes were
being fitted with doubled walled aprons, new gear boxes, carriages and cross slides. From
that time, the gear box and index plate were of the "4 Times" type.

Hendeyman
 
chimera555:

Hendey lathe #11638, a 14 x 6 conehead model, was built in the middle of July 1910.
It was shipped with a taper attachment. The original owner was the York Machinery and Supply Company, York, Pennsylvania. This lathe will swing 14-7/16 inches over the bed
and take 35-1/8 inches between centers with the tailstock flush with the end of the bed. It weighs with taper attachment, sans motor and gearbox, 1795lbs. The headstock center is a #4 Morse taper and the tailstock center is a #2-1/2 Morse taper. Highest recommended spindle speed without back gear is 465rpm, with back gear is 54rpm. All of the original drawings for this lathe have survived should you have any questions regarding missing parts.

Hendeyman
 
I am very glad to know that information about the lathe I will print it out for safe keeping.

I'm sure I am missing some parts but I do not know exactly what is missing. I do have a few extra things that came with it like guards and I believe the majority of the pieces to the taper attachment.

I do not have anything that will cover the exposed gears that connect the head to the threading gears... I dont know the proper terms.

Right now my biggest concern is that bearings in the head. are they something I can replace or adjust? I think there is a little wobble in the head but I cant be certain. When I try to drill a center hole in a piece of work with a drill chuck in the tail stock the hole is any thing but in the center.
 
"When I try to drill a center hole in a piece of work with a drill chuck in the tail stock the hole is any thing but in the center."

There are several things which may cause this, that have nothing to do w/ the Headstock

-Tailstock out of alignment
-Wear on tailstock base, causing it to be too low.
-buggered taper in TS or on drill shank (remember it is an MT 2 1/2)
Do you have a 2 1/2 shank?
-Worn out/ crashed drill chuck jaws
-bent drill
-mis-sharpened drill

Welcome!

Charlie
 
Indeed there are several reasons but I think I can see the chuck wobble a little... and no I do not have a 2 1/2 I have a #4MT in there.....

Also when I was assembling the machine I was un-able to add the cap that threads on before you can put on the backing plate of the chuck... I wish I knew the names of theses pieces! I attached a pic from the scanned manual johnoder added. The cap I'm talking about is highlighted in red.

Is it unusual for this cap to rub excessively?
 

Attachments

  • cap.jpg
    cap.jpg
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chimera555:

The cap is called the front spindle bearing collar and is important to have in place to contain the spindle oil as the oil circulates from the top of the bearing to the oil well. The collar on my 1908 Hendey does not rub on anything when installed.

Copies of parts drawings for a similar vintage lathe are available at Repair Parts pictures by jrollett - Photobucket

Looks like you have a nice lathe, please post more photos. I am sure the knowledgeable people on this board can get you operational and well trained on old Hendey lathes.

Good luck,

Jerry
 
rub excessively?

Possibly an extreme version of the "Hendey Syndrome" of wear in the front conical bearing and thrust face allowing the spindle to be ever further to the rear and causing the chuck back plate to rub on the spindle cap highlighted in red.

The forum search feature is your friend. Multiple things will be found there on this issue and what to do about it. Try search phrases such as Hendey Spindle and Hendey Thrust.

John Oder
 
Okay thank you for the key words. I was looking just now and I found a post about someone complaining about the lathe seizing up under cutting pressure. I also have this problem while trying to take a medium sized cut with a drill bit in the tail stock.

I will have to continue looking for more info latter tonight. Thank you all for your continued support. -Nick
 
Good afternoon chimera 555,

If you have a moment you may wish to take a look at our
restoration of a 1919 14x6 Hendey.
You will find photos of our setup of the main bearings,
gaskets for the bearing caps to keep the oil from leaking
and all kinds of great input from the members on this forum.
There is also a short YouTube video of the rebuilt head running
under the VFD with 5hp dual belt direct drive, completely silent setup.
Do a search on YouTube for 1919 Hendey.

I think if you do a search for 14x6 Hendey by P901 on this site it should
pop right up, many good photos.

Best of luck, andrew
 
Wow that's beautiful! I wish my lathe was that quiet.

I'm slowly reading all this info and trying to absorb as much of it as i can. I'm still relatively new to all this.

I have another related question.

Could my tail stock taper be a #3-1/2 MT?? I have a new #4MT sleeve that fits into the head well but seams to only go in 2/3's the way into the tail stock.

Any thoughts?
 
chimera555:

A MT-4 will not even start to enter a Hendey 2-1/2 taper socket. Most likely your tail stock ram was modified to take larger and more common MT sized fittings. As I have limited Hendey 2-1/2 accessories, I bored and reamed my Hendey 14x6 tail stock to allow use of MT-3 fittings.

A prior post with dimensions for the Hendey 2-1/2 tail stock taper is located at: http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/hendey-tailstock-181070/

Jerry
 
The tail stock is way to big for a #3MT so I bought a #3MT-#4MT sleeve. It does not fit all the way into the tail stock.

I have added pictures of a #4 live center... Yes its not the cleanest thing in the world. It has since been polished up to a nice surface but still does not seat any further than the bran new sleeve did.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/chimera555/101_0067.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/chimera555/101_0066.jpg

I was just wondering if a 3-1/2 was available because I thought some one may have just swapped out parts.

But perhaps some one attempted to bore it out to a #4 and this is what they got.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f212/chimera555/IMG_3962.jpg

A buddy of mine has kindly offered thee use of his lathe so I think I will start disassembling mine today to see what kind of trouble I can get into. I have read threw a bunch of good info but I cant make heads or tails of it because I don't have a good understand of the terminology or how the parts fit together yet. I think I'm jumping into the middle of all this but I'll figure it all out. Thank you all of your help. I'm sure I'll have more questions.
 








 
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