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Hendey lathe #37949

MAMaxwell

Aluminum
Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Location
Arkansas
Hendeyman,

This lathe I have used at a flooring company I work for. It is in the maintenance department. It has 12 X 30 cast in the bed frame and has a serial number of 37949. The number is stamped on the front side of the way. It also appears just to the right of this number that another number was chiseled off. In the location where I thought the number normally would be between the ways is stamped this: (first line) WOVC (second line) USA 15. I figure this was government bought, like the lathe in the "Hendey help" thread. It sure looks quite a bit like that lathe. This lathe has remains of a taper attachment, but is not all there.

They are wanting to replace it with a new lathe and I might have a chance to purchase it.

Mark
 
Learned some more about this lathe. It is suppose to have been built in 1950.

It is an 18 speed gear head with a 5 Hp GE motor. It has hardened ways. The taper attachment looks to have only one part missing, being the part that clamps to the way. Should be able to make that part. - - They have priced a new lathe at $17,000 to replace it.

Mark
 
Are they replacing it because of wear, or just "because"? In either case you need to convince them that the price of scrap is low right now, and that you'll do them a "favor" by taking it off their hands............
 
George,

It is a perceived idea by the maintenance department that it is a combination of wear and because it is old. In actuality it is a very good lathe. - - I don't work in the maintenance shop, but when something breaks down in the plant that is critical for operations and they need a part machined on the lathe quickly and accurately, the plant engineer will call me in from my department to do the work.

The way they look at it is I have "old" machine tools at home in my shop, so that is the reason I can work with this "old" Hendey lathe and get good results. - - Their thinking is if they get a "new" lathe, then the maintenance personnel will get good results too.:scratchchin:

So, I'm watching how things develop if they get this new lathe and will try to get the Hendey if it becomes available. It is the first gear head lathe I've ever used and I'm very impressed with it.

Mark
 
I have a chance to buy this one for 800.00 but am afraid it is ruined.
tommie
 

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I have a chance to buy this one for 800.00 but am afraid it is ruined.
tommie

Tommie,

That lathe looks almost identical to the one at the place I work. - Have you been able to get a serial number off of it? Hendeyman might be able to date it for you, with other information.

$800.00 seems a little high with it being out in the weather what looks like for a few years, but it certainly appears fixable to me.

Mark
 
Tommied;

Don't even try to move the carriage !!! Needs to be taken apart and cleaned first thing.

+1 that it looks save-able with a lot of work.

+1 that $800 is way too much considering all the rust. Offer 'em $200.

Expect to spend months of spare time dismantling, cleaning and LEARNING. I can almost guarantee that it will be fun if you are the sort of person who likes tinkering.

John Ruth
 
I have a chance to buy this one for 800.00 but am afraid it is ruined.
tommie
It is not ruined.
They just made great buy
I have work on lot tools that look like this it just little time and it be like new

P.S.
In some shop this what lathe like as I ran the lathe
 
They're right.....most times a coat of rust will reveal a great surface with some thoughtful cleaning. My Hendey shaper looked about that bad and revealed a beautiful surface (complete with scraping marks) when derusted and oiled.

tommied: I agree, offer about 200 bucks and point out that the entire machine is hopelessly outdated and badly "rusted up". Probably take an act of God and a regrind just to make it halfway serviceable. Then cart it home and have fun.
 
I had saw this lathe beside roadway for over a year but couldn't find owner till last monday was going to Sterlington La on an errand for employer and there was someone there who owns the property and shop equipment. Told me that he's been working off but would sell the lathe but he had 800 in it and that is what it would take to get it. I bought a shaper a while back and he has a big Henley that he did offer for free. When it dries up I'll probably get the shaper. With bonuses cut last year and fellow employees being layed off I'm not committing to much these days.

tommie
 
TommieD:

Oh! There's that phrase again ! The seller says he has X number of dollars into an old machine and that's the minimum he will take. What gets into these people? The simple and obvious truth is that one can't sell for any higher than one can find a buyer willing to pay !

You can truthfully tell him that you are in correspondence with someone who recently bought a clean ready-to-use tooled-up Hendey that was demonstrated under power for $600. You could tell him that this was in the northeast, where prices tend to run higher.

Then I'd wave $200 under his nose with another $75 in my shoe in case I got to really lusting for it. If he stays higher than $275, I'd say you should walk.

On the other hand, I can see whereas you'd not want to annoy him if he's talking about letting you take a Hendey shaper for gratis.

JRR
 
Tommied,

Ask him if it was sitting outside rusting when he put the $800 in it. I love it when someone buys something, trashes it, and then thinks they will get the same thing (or more than) they paid for it. Lots of farmers around that think like that, gets my shorts in a wad. :crazy:

Take the shaper and keep looking if he won't come down on the price.

Luck,
Jim
 
MAMaxwell:

I need to check the serial number one more time before I post the history. I would like
you to check in one more location for this number. From at least 1939, the serial number
on the geared head lathes was also stamped into the bottom left hand side of the "T"
slot of the top slide. Please check this area and see if the number was stamped there.
You may have to clean the slot to see the number. It may not have been stamped on
your lathe but it is worth a try.

Hendeyman
 
37949 ?

Hendeyman,

I'll get back to you when I have a chance to look at the lathe again about the possible number in the "T" slot. - I was able to look at the number again the other day that I originally posted and the last number looks like a 6 stamped upside down, to make it a 9. The other 9 in the number looks like a correct stamp was used. It looks professionally stamped, being straight and evenly spaced except that last number (the upside down 6 - to make a 9) was stamped extra deep for some reason.

As I mentioned in the first post, it appears something was ground or chieseled off after this number. I took a bright light the other day where these possible numbers (or letters?) could of been hoping to possibly see anything faintly left as it wasn't ground too deep, but to no avail.

The "WOVC" and "USA 15" stamped where I thought the number should be between the ways is pretty evenly stamped and straight, but slightly skewed to being parallel to the ways. They are not as professionally done though as that number I found stamped on the front of the way.

Mark
 
Lathe originally stamped 37947

Hendeyman,

I was able to look the lathe over again and found something interesting when carefully rechecking the number I found on the front side of the way being 37949. Taking a magnifying glass the last number 9 is stamped over a 7. So the original number was 37947- - - -, before being changed.

I looked for the number on the top slide, but not sure if I was looking in the right place. - Was this to be on the left side of the compound rest below the "T" slot or do I need to take something apart to see this number if it is there? What I did find below the "T" slot on the compound rest was a bunch of punch marks, so if a number had existed there it has been completely obliterated.

Please let me know if I need to look in another area to try and find this second number. Thank you.

Mark
 
MAMaxwell:

The number is stamped on the bottom of the "T" slot along the left hand edge, it is not
stamped outside or on the compound. The "bottom" being the surface that a "T" bolt
would rub against when inserted into the "T" slot. I t may require a small wire brush to
clean the surface well enough to see the numbers if they are there. I will check serial
number 37947 to what I can find.

Hendeyman
 
Hendeyman:

Were you able to check if you had any information on number 37947? I have searched all over that lathe for more numbers (especially the "T" slot) and can not find any to complete that number that is on the end of the lathe.

The lathe is still at the company I work for in the maintenance shop, as they can not afford to "upgrade". - The good news is they had a young person (in his 20's) that recently came into the maintenance department and he wanted me to train him on the use of it. Never had used a metal lathe before, but he was a quick learner and wanted to do it right. He is doing so good now that the other shifts in the maintenance department will save lathe work for him if accuracy and a good finish are needed. He is the first one that I have 'trained' in the maintenance department that took to heart what I had to say.

Mark
 
MAMaxwell:

My apologies for not following through two years ago, here is the information you requested.

Hendey lathe #37947 was one of ten 12 x 30, 18 speed lathes ordered by the same customer on May 23, 1951.
They were scheduled for completion by mid- January 1952. The original owner was the Rock Island Arsenal (no
city or state was listed). The electrical equipment was 284 frame, 5hp, 120rpm,220volts, 60 cycles, 3 phase
motor. The speed range was 19rpm to 1000rpm. In common with all of the 18 speed lathes, this lathe has the
quick withdrawl attachment as standard equipment. All of the original drawings for this lathe have survived.

Hendeyman
 
Hendeyman,

Thank you for the information on this lathe. It is greatly appreciated.

I was able to check the lathe out this morning. It matches your information except the motor is probably a replacement, as it has a rating of 1,150 r.p.m., instead of 1,200 r.p.m. It is a big old G.E. 5hp, with the correct 284 frame.

Being it was ordered by the Rock Island Arsenal, that is more than likely the arsenal on the island in the Mississippi river, between Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. I was raised at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, not far away.

Our flooring company bought this lathe a little over 16 years ago from South Central machine shop in Southside, Arkansas, as they were moving some of their 'obsolete' machine tools out of the shop.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, our maintenance supervisor wants to replace this lathe with a 'new' lathe of an unmentionable brand and I was determined to not see it go to scrap, even though I do not need another lathe at home. But with the new maintenance man taking such an interest in it, he is wanting it for his home shop if it ever comes available. I'm hoping he will be able to realize his dream. - He continually is amazed by the Hendey, as I show him the little tricks that make a Hendey lathe special, like the Hendey threading method. Just the other day he mentioned this must of been the Cadillac of lathes and I told him they were and still ARE.

Thank you again Hendeyman for sharing your time, knowledge, and information. It is very much appreciated in your continued representation of the Hendey Co.

Mark
 








 
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