Hendey Lathe Refurbish

This morning I put the second coat of paint on the tailstock casting and the compound. While the paint is drying, I began working on the tailstock quill.

The quill came originally bored for a #2½ morse taper... of course, you can no longer get tooling that fits a #2½ MT... or not that I have been able to find.

Most of these old Hendeys eventually get bored out to a #3 MT... I decided that was the best plan.

I set the quill up in the South Bend and very carefully indicated it on center, then set the compound to the correct angle and began boring...

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I had to machine about ¾ of the taper, then move the bar inside the hole and cut the remainder... my compound doesn't have enough travel to do the full taper in one setup. A taper attachment would have been wonderful for this, but I don't have one.

After machining...

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A #3 MT fits tight now... I also took a skim cut (.010") on the face of the quill to clean up 100 years of dings and galling. I got a very decent finish in the bore...

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Not perfect, but a lot better than I thought it would be.

Now I can use the live centers and drill chucks that I already have for the South Bend.

-Bear
 
This afternoon I've been working on the cross slide assembly. When I bought the lathe it had a 6 inch handwheel poorly installed on the cross slide. I bought a ballcrank off e-bay to replace the handwheel.

The nut that held the handwheel on won't work with the ballcrank, so I machined a new one that looks a bit better than just having a hex nut...

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After getting everything fit together properly, I assembled the cross slide... I should be done with it now, except for polishing the dial.

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The Hendey is starting to look like a lathe again.

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-Bear
 
I started assembling the compound this morning. I figured the top (where the tool post sits) wouldn't be very flat, they almost never are on these old lathes. I put the top slide on the surface grinder and cleaned the top up... I was right, it wasn't... it was high in the middle. I ground about .005" off to clean it up, then finished assembling it.

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I then began assembling the tailstock... I got most of it together, cleaned and painted the bed lock handle and handwheel, and now I'm waiting on the paint to dry.

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The quill lock handle is a shop-made piece... I'm not really too impressed with it, so I'll probably machine a new one later.

I think I'm done with the Hendey for this week... by next week the paint on the handle and handwheel should be well cured... then I will get back to figuring out the electrical system...

-Bear
 
You have a really fine example of a very fine American toolroom and light production lathe of its period, I have even came asross one similar over here in Scotland forty years ago(not in as fine a condition as your lathe) But still churning out work , I would be inclined to take wet & dry paper and rub down the flaking paintwork, apply filler where apropriate, and give a coat of grey primer, And follow up with a fine machinery black gloss, With its polished handwheels snd levers + gearbox gear ratio plate etc, It will be a classical beauty , Her bed looks in very good condition I wish I was nearer to see it.
I am due to start the overhaul of a nice toolmakers lathe next year, Again a machine in excellent shape, except for the liberal coats of paint..
 
I hope you will favour us with a build thread on it.

-brino
Hi Brino, As the Israelites said "Next Year in Jerusalem" Well I hope I am not as long as that, I was hoping by this autumn, at the latest to start, Between the lousy cold weather, unwell wife, and this equally lousy coronovirus lock down over here life has been a total nightmare I am 95% through the overhaul and refurbishment of a nice little 1950 Zyto , a pretty good little tool for home model engineers of that era, (When men over here werein my estimation more content and resourceful , people made do and mend, , Hope to see more of you guys on the "Invisable Wire"
 
I started assembling the compound this morning. I figured the top (where the tool post sits) wouldn't be very flat, they almost never are on these old lathes. I put the top slide on the surface grinder and cleaned the top up... I was right, it wasn't... it was high in the middle. I ground about .005" off to clean it up, then finished assembling it.

View attachment 355254

I then began assembling the tailstock... I got most of it together, cleaned and painted the bed lock handle and handwheel, and now I'm waiting on the paint to dry.

View attachment 355255

The quill lock handle is a shop-made piece... I'm not really too impressed with it, so I'll probably machine a new one later.

I think I'm done with the Hendey for this week... by next week the paint on the handle and handwheel should be well cured... then I will get back to figuring out the electrical system...

-Bear
Bear WOW! What a lovely refurb, It looks as though it has just came out of Hendys, Superb work It looks as though it is almost a shame to get her dirty.
 
Bear WOW! What a lovely refurb, It looks as though it has just came out of Hendys, Superb work It looks as though it is almost a shame to get her dirty.


Thanks... I do what I can, for better of for worse...

I'm building this lathe to actually use, so it will inevitably end up getting scratched and dirty.. but I guess that is part of using a machine.

My short-term plans for it are to use it while I partially disassemble my South Bend for some much-needed maintenance and repairs.

Long term... I don't know... I may keep it and use it, or it may end up for sale... I haven't been able to see that far into the future...

-Bear
 
I finished up the tailstock today...

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Then I started repairing an issue that I discovered on the compound... I couldn't get the gib adjusted. I would turn the adjustment screw in snug, and the slide worked smoothly moving inward, but when I would start backing it out, it would get very loose. I found that the slot in the gib that engages the adjustment screw was badly worn...

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The gib is supposed to move with the slide... but moving either direction, the gib would not move until the screw had moved to the other side of the groove... which was almost ⅛ inch... there was no way to keep it adjusted.

So, I fired up the TIG welder and filled the wear areas with er70... then set the gib up on the mill and machined the slot back to a tight slip fit on the head of the adjustment screw...

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I finished blending the excess weld by hand, then installed the gib. It adjusts fine and operates smoothly now.

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I'm pretty satisfied with how this lathe is turning out... I just hope it runs good. I'll find out as soon as I get the electrical system put back together.

-Bear
 
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