Hendey 16x56 lathe inspection results. Questions

Sn 31385
Just returned. Trip didnt go as id hoped. Start with the top.
All gears appeared nice however oil level sight glass was broken so its low on oil.
Ways are so-so for damage and scratching. Non hardened. I was unable to detect twist and i forgot my feeler guages so the wear was not measured.
3/5ths of the motor belts were intact (barely) and i hope it was slippage and not the motor worn out causing it to slowly gain speed as well as losing rpm when taking medium depth cuts. I should have investigated further but it all happens so fast. If worst case comes up, can the motor egress the machine through front or back? Looks darn near impossible.
640 rpm top speed with oil splashing through the sight gauge. Only carbide tooling available. It left a miserable finish, i didnt bother to measure taper as i had a host of other problems going on. Crossfeed and compound did not seem rigid. Backlash on the cf was greater than 80, compound about the same. I tightened the gibs but the whole assembly felt wonky.
Does anybody know if the machine can reverse spindle direction. I thought the control lever was supposed to but it does not.
Spindle Gears do not completely mesh when in detent positions, one of the detents is impossible to use. Im guessing handles could be adjusted.
Qc gearbox makes rattly noise in forward and reverse. Quiet in neutral. All gears work. Longfeed dial pulses back and forth sometimes completely turning when power feeding.
Tail stock would not eject the installed chuck. Is it supposed to be wedged out?
There are three weird springs going around the control rod. Any guesses what they could be for.
Control levers do not stay in position. This is annoying.
The longfeed is very tight (taper attachment was loose,) and about every 2 or 3 rotations skips a gear on cue. Likely broken tooth and out of adjustment gibs.
Tooling is incomplete. No chuck spanner, no 11.5 tpi gear. No centers, driveplate or dogs. No hss cutters. A couple holders but very little in the way of cutters. No wrenches. Aloris is chinese i think. No tag or drivescrew holes.
A couple broken handles. Placards and paint are in poor shape. No corrosion though.

No history, no documentation,
Otherwise complete and intact.
Would anybody make an offer? I think i have the ability and time to restore it but is it worth it?

I don't want to make a fool of myself, so I won't give you very much mechanical advice, other than to say I would have been a little disappointed with mine had I observed similar issues. So far, I have had extremely good luck. Parts for a Hendey are few and far between,but hendeyman (pretty sure that's his name on here, but he is definitely in your Googler)has SOME spares and can probably give you insight as to the origins of your machine. Some parts have to be made by high precision machine shops, which makes it not so affordable as a home project...or practical as a professional shop unit.

Tail stock works as any other lathe I've been around, unscrew it until the Morse taper pops out. Sorry, I've been a CNC machinist for 30 years and am somewhat manual lathe ignorant, so my terminology and nomenclature sucks (that could be more of an ADHD thing).

Spindle reverses with the OTHER power button. One makes it go forward, other one goes backwards. There's one that turns it off. That's just a wiring deal if it doesn't work right.

Don't engage the long feed in high gears or it might/should bog (scary at home). Says not to do it on the chart. I'm a slow learner, and nearly crapped my pants in front of my neighbor. I'm cool, though..he didn't know.

It's a noisy bastard, but mine does great with either high speed OR carbide, although prefers high speed (thanks economy gods).

Fix those sight glasses and put some VG32 in it. I would try to make sure it is ready to run before running it.

You will most very likely NOT get your money out of a complete restoration on one of these. They seem to be a labor of love. You'd be better off with a Monarch or South Bend if you're shooting for resale. I was lucky to ignorantly buy one from someone that I could tell enjoyed the Hendeyness of it. He had two, and showed me that mine had the better bed...even delivered it 60 miles away for nothing. That's some love.

Good luck, I would love to see another beautiful Hendey lathe with a beating heart.

Be honest with you, I want to go out and fire mine up right now.

It was good at one time, but it is 78 years old and has had a very tough life.

All you have to do is ask yourself if you want a project or one far more ready to go

As a project with zip tooling maybe $500

Read this starting at Post #17 about the Lead Screw reverse. Has nothing whatever to do with reversing SPINDLE

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...-emergency-113621/?highlight=Hendey+Threading

When you turned on the motor did the belts squeal? If not then I suspect the clutch is slipping. Most lathes have a reversing clutch when you push the spindle clutch handle down. It looks as if the handle is sitting on the guard. If you were 50 miles from St Paul I could meet you there and give you my opinion. As John said, if you have time and a lot of money you could buy it. I would not take it if someone gave it to me. Many newer machines with higher RPM and spindle hole out there. Especially here in the upper Midwest.

That's a shame. Sounds like that machine has had a really hard life and has been neglected by the operator. Too many issues for me. Do you want to spend the next 3 to 6 months tinkering with iI or do you want to start turning more or less right away ? My advice would be keep looking.

Regards Tyrone.

What was the price on it? Will see how it compared to mine. Sent you a message about another real similar down in Toledo. He didn't want near what he originally wanted.

Tyrone Shoelaces said:

spend the next 3 to 6 XXXXXXmonthsXXXXXX ^^^years ^^^ tinkering with iI or do you want to start turning more or less right away ? My advice would be keep looking.

Regards Tyrone.

Click to expand...

There, fixed that for yah..

Student's t-distribution, small sample sizes, the field of Statistics, PM threads the sample.

I made an offer on it as a candidate for complete overhaul. Richard's idea of the clutch being the culprit for rpm changes seems accurate as there was no noticeable belt noise. That seems adequate reason for increased worry.
My offer was also including a ratty knee mill sitting outside in the snow and some other items and materials. Basically 1.5x scrap price in hopes of getting the tooling. We ended 500 dollars apart neither willing to budge. I probably am to blame for him thinking the machine is worth substantially more than what i would buy it for. I have a personality that only likes discussing the good with the owner. I listed the shortcomings i found but ... im a poor negotiator
Thank you gentlemen for your input. The machine is complete and all castings were whole if anybody is interested it can be found in duluth cl. If the seller contacts me for my offer i think i would renegotiate hesitantly as it is a long drive and definately does have issues. Thanks again.
On another note i am retrieving my bridgeport monday. Very excited for that. I will have pictures and probably questions coming in the upcoming summer weeks.

Hendey clutch stuff in thumbnails for posterity

Ill give you what ive bought a couple of hendeys for. (2) 12-30s with more tooling than what I paid for them. Didn't have much at the time so that was a plus. Niether were under power.The first one is in the shop and runn it ALOT. Bed wear is there. its an 18 speed with taper attach. and needed 8 hours of cleaning and site glasses plugged up to keep oil in. 500$ each
The one that more compares to yours is a 24-60 12 speed. Was not under power either. no taper attachment but came with a 24' 4 jaw chuck. (go price one of those) 22" face plate and a steady rest.A CXA size quick change tool post with the starter tooling(brand new in package). 18N Jacobs drill center in real good shape.The draw bar for collets and the original box with all the collets.That was worth a lot to me even though I have not used it. Spanner wrench for the L2 spindle nose. It has some bed wear and is sloppy in the cross screw but I still turn stuff to .001 with it. Does make some niose in certain gears but all look good. It was not under powere either and the guy never saw it run. He got it from a school. Got it home plugged it in and run it hard ever since. My dad says im just lucky. 2500$.
The reason I paid more than what I most likely should have is I already had a Hendey and really like the controls compared to other brands. Its also nice having the same on both lathes since I go back and forth a lot. Like the leadscrew reverse and that's not really that common on others but can be found.No 11.5 TPI has not been an issue yet but might just make the gear to do that someday.
Yours sounds like it might have some other things going on hard to tell. My QC gear box on the big one is silent. Have had no trouble with with conrols staying in place even with slight pull on em to engage.
Hard to say about all the rest.
Yoder in Toledo had one I started to go after think he dropped the price to around 2000$ . It was a 16-54 in real good shape for age. Had a chuck taper attach but nothing else.16" was only 4 more than the 12" so when the 24" showed up it was worth the size jump.
From the way it sounds after seeing what mine are like.His price is out there. Now I took a big chance on the 24 but came out great.His ,if I needed it, with the apron gear broke possibly and some noise and slippage well he is even farther out.
Best comparisons I can give you and stayed pretty close to apples to apples size and being under power being different.

Posted price for the hendey started at 2700 then was 2500. My total offer after inspecting was for all sorts of his clutter. A knee mill sitting outside in the snow, a non working 12" clausing 9003 variable speed (documented problems with the vs and in an im guessing retired highschool condition) with a 3 jaw, lantern and not much else. Then a welded rack with some bar and pipe on it. I had worked out in my head that night a total value of about 3000 dollars for his items. There was some good tooling. I seen a 4" hss drill with morse taper for the 1st time in my life. Not sure who could use it but i bet it cost a pretty penny once. A couple shaped cutters, random collets, slitting saw blades. No sets. Plenty of rust, and emery dust on everything. Nothing precision.
my final offer was 2500 for 3 project machines and a guessed thousand pounds of various hot rolled steel. He thanked me for my service and texted how much he has been offered and refused for the knee mill and clausing.. not too sure i believe it all. (Played the classic "5 or 6" other intetested...) Wouldnt surprise me to hear back next week but the more im thinking the less inclined i am to drive to wiskonsin for these projects / parts. If you need hendey parts they are there though. He has an adequate forklift. And i feel he may better realize now what he owns and how a machinists perception of his items effects the value. That he cant just price it same as another similar machine. It is true i dont have the deepest pockets but i have seen better for less many times at auctions or CL. and always closer to home. This hendey was aluring to me based on the machine weight and the starrett boxes pictured (empty.)

Goerger said:

I seen a 4" hss drill with morse taper for the 1st time in my life. Not sure who could use it but i bet it cost a pretty penny once.

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5 MT shank? I could. More than one machine, even.

But I don't want it. Helical twist drill that size needs damned thick stock to not make your life more miserable than other means of large hole making.

Otherwise? Sounds like a vanilla established packrat <=> trainee packrat negotiation about change of command details.

Psychology of it has been much the same since it was chickens or goats.

Hang in there. He's the one as has them underfoot and annoying. Still-yet.

I dont think pack rat is correct. I think he purchased or inherited them with the building. I only met a couple of the workers. They run a big plasma table and brake crafting maintanance platforms and custom cabs.

Goerger said:

I dont think pack rat is correct. I think he purchased or inherited them with the building. I only met a couple of the workers. They run a big plasma table and brake crafting maintanance platforms and custom cabs.

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Pricing / negotiating tactics indicate he may have become one by behaviour pattern rather than prior circumstances.

Wise men who have other stuff on their plate do not waste a great deal of time on side-issues - outright junk, their CURRENT priority set - where the price differential on what MAY be the only genuine seeker (yourself) would just about cover one decent set of tires, four corners.

The other "plus" is that YOUR package also takes care of a great deal of it in a single go - nuisances included. Cleaner sweep. One-time interruption for load-out, not several. Space freed-up sooner opened to better use.

Downside? Are you comfortable that you are gaining anything actually useful to your own needs, even if it were at a quarter the amount you have offered?

I don't need to know the answer. Have my OWN junk, thanks

But you might think on it and come out better set.

These "deals" can sink tapeworm teeth right into yer brain if yah let 'em.

I like you
At my original offer i would have been at a gain. I thought he would take the 1500. I really did.
I would have likely recouped some (possibly) and kept 2 projects to share with my children. The hendey resto and depending upon closer examination either a heavy drill press or a clausing 9003. The tooling would have been a gain as well as material. I built a pole shed last year and intend to add a shop soon. Room is not an issue and my children WILL gain something from me. That is my real motivation.

Goerger said:

I like you
At my original offer i would have been at a gain. I thought he would take the 1500. I really did.

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Any sales person - or the strategists behind them (Ich, from time to time) can confirm that there is only so much one can do to motivate some OTHER Pilgrim to make a decision in a direction - or AT ALL- that he does not wish to make.

Annoying at times, but wuddn' yah know it?

The buggers have an entirely separate brain from your one! Goals and plans according.

JFDWT

It works well. It has lasted a long time.

Mostly, you would not really WANT to be "in their head", let alone have THEM in YOURS!

thermite said:

There, fixed that for yah..

Student's t-distribution, small sample sizes, the field of Statistics, PM threads the sample.

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I was thinking of the machine in commercial repair terms. IE working on it as often as possible. The longer you take on a machine the less likely it is to get finished.

When I was a young guy I had to repair the spindle gearbox on a " K & T " milling machine after a serious crash. For reasons too complicated to go into here it took 9 MONTHS to get the correct spare parts. When they arrived I'd completely forgotten how to put the machine back together again.

Luckily for me there was a row of identical machines alongside mine. I had to partially take a gearbox from one of those machines apart to find out how it worked. Then put both machines back together again.

Regards Tyrone.

Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I was thinking of the machine in commercial repair terms. IE working on it as often as possible. The longer you take on a machine the less likely it is to get finished.

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Aye. Parkinson, wasn't it? "Work expands to fill the time available", IIRC.

Some - indeed it may even be ALL . .of my Old Iron zoo came to me as over-long delayed projects of others, finally abandoned.

My turn now.

And sometimes it seems as if I am even more accomplished at missing incremental deadlines and running out the clock than the previous minders.