12x30 Hendey 18 speed Project (with pics)

I have recently picked up a new to me 1938 Hendey 12x30 18 speed gear head lathe. I have been posting my progress on another forum but not getting much feedback so I'm going to try here.

My plan is to work on the headstock and gear cases first, then the drive clutch and possibly the motor. Then later to lift off the headstock to inspect the leadscrew reverse gearing and then the apron and saddle.

I opened the drains for the headstock and spindle reservoirs and flushed them with mineral spirits. I used a modified battery powered transfer pump to wash out the headstock. This proved to be surprisingly effective and quite fast.



I filled the headstock and spindle reservoirs with ISO46 Hydraulic oil and ran the lathe for a few minutes to get everything lubricated. My next task was to flush out both the 3 speed and QCGB in the same manner as with the headstock. The Jacobs QCGB was really dirty and had a lot of swarf in the bottom of the case. The 3 speed gearbox next to it was relatively clean.

I love seeing these old lathes get brought back to a useful level. I'm about halfway through my own renovation of 1914 conehead.... it's on pause as we bought property I'm building on our of pocket for the next year so that we can have a 50x50 hobby shop for my wife's woodworking and my metal working hobbies.... the garage is just too crowded at the moment

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skipd1,

Congrats to a Hendey geared head that seems to be in a good condition as far as you can see from the pictures. Did steady rest, chucks and taper attachment come with the lathe? Why don't you run the lathe for some time (maybe you already have) in order to find out what issues that needs attention before you start dismantling.

By searching this forum you will find some very good descriptions of Hendey renovations.

Hope to see more pictures from your project - good luck,

Lars

HendeySwede said:

skipd1,

Congrats to a Hendey geared head that seems to be in a good condition as far as you can see from the pictures. Did steady rest, chucks and taper attachment come with the lathe? Why don't you run the lathe for some time (maybe you already have) in order to find out what issues that needs attention before you start dismantling.

By searching this forum you will find some very good descriptions of Hendey renovations.

Hope to see more pictures from your project - good luck,

Lars

Click to expand...

I ran it when I evaluated it at time of purchase and it all seemed to be really in good condition. My issue is that I not have it temporarily in my garage for the refurb and to get in my shop is a big rigging job. I don't have the room nor do I want the mess in the shop.

The next project is to remove clean and strip the paint off the rest of the rear covers surrounding the drive pully and clutch. This is a messy and time consuming job. All the covers came off without much trouble except for the drive clutch and pulley cover. I didn't realize that removing it with the drive shaft would dump all the gear case oil when it came off. Thank goodness for shop towels and kitty litter.



In the pics you can see the pully drive clutch and in the back the brake disc. You can also see the large gaping hole in the rear of the gear case!
I am now in the process of cleaning up all the drive clutch and brake parts and setting them aside. Next is removing all the gear train that's left on the back side of the headstock. I need to take a lot of pictures.