My "new old" lathe

[Tenn_blue59]

Howdy all, just wanted to pop in and show some pictures of my new lathe. I have had a 7x12 chinese lathe for some time and was looking for something "a little" bigger.
I bought a standard modern benchtop project about 6 months ago - some of you may remember my posts looking for parts for it. Still plan to fix it up, but will take a while. So was looking for something again...
This is mostly for bigger stuff around the farm, not just for model work. The 7x12 isn't big enough for some of the stuff I want to work on.

Anyway, found this Hendey 16x6 in the back of a boat repair shop. Not used anymore and they needed the space. Bought it right. Here it is loaded on the trailer waiting to be unloaded. Luckily, I have a big shop and plenty of room for it. Its 3 phase, so I am building a rotary converter to power it.

Was able to get info on it, the lathe was built in 1922 and first sold to an airplane manufacturer in New York.

 

[Jakeman]

Good find!
It looks just like my Hendey, I'm close by in GA. so maybe they are related!
Mine is a 14x36 (36=inches) and my geared headstock looks just like yours.
I see you have found some info already. I have a couple pdf manuals and a photo copied manual that you can get for $15 from Torrington Historical Society in Connecticut. None of these match mine exactly but are very useful. Let me know if you could use any of this.
Hendey's are tough, good machines, but be nice to it, breaking something could be bad news! I hear that engaging or reversing the feed direction at high spindle speeds could break the one tooth dog clutch! I am chicken and always stop the spindle before changing the feed direction.
Good luck with your new toy!
Don

 

[lathe nut]

Stout looking little fellow, great find, Lathe Nut

 

[phlegmatic]

If one has the room for this size lathe its a superb choice! And one can luck into many bargains since few can house them. This kind of behemoth can be used for proper milling in model engineer sizes too!

 

[n4zou]

Right after I graduated from High School (1975) where I also had taken 3 years of Trade School in "Machine Shop". I went to work in a Ship Yard operating the same Lathe model and size. It had WWII production tags and stickers all over it. You would think that after so many years it would be worn out. That "old" Lathe held tolerances better than a new Lathe they had purchased 3 months before I came to work for them. After a couple of years they gave me the option of moving to the new Lathe to replace a retiring Machinist. I said no and kept working on "that old Lathe". Eventually I changed jobs in the Yard but I took that Lathe with me. I talked the Yard Supervisor into building a portable Machine Shop that could be moved around the yard. He went for it but I could only use equipment destined to be sold for scrap. 'My' Lathe had been condemned to make room for another new Lathe. I took the Lathe, a Bridgeport vertical mill, and an old band saw and mounted them in an enclosed 40' freight trailer. An International Harvester IH R-180 came with the trailer. I got the welding shop to put lifting eyes on the trailer so a Yard Crane could lift the trailer and put it on the deck of larger ships. It worked out better than anyone expected. It more than paid for itself in just time spent walking or riding a bike between the Machine shop building and ships tied up at one of the piers. After a couple of months a Welder and his Diesel engine welding machine joined my little portable operation. The welding machine also produced enough power to operate the equipment so we were truly portable.