Buying A Used Lathe, What Should I Know?

They let the oil drain back in the well faster by breaking the surface tension of the oil.

 

That’s what South Bend in their old literature quoted.

 

I've just been offered this lathe for free. Any ID welcome, or comments, please!

I haven't seen it IRL yet. Smaller than the South Bend I have, but maybe that's not a bad thing. This seems to have more advanced features, such as the drum switch and gear changer.

 

Be careful moving it.!

I am successfully resisting buying a 1961 or so Monarch 10EE toolroom lathe for a reasonable price... Its an unpleasant feeling though.

 

I'm looking at one for 5500. Seems pretty reasonable... Might have significant issues.. I am resisting. Also a turret model for 2800..

 

Looks kind of like an old Hamilton from say around 1910-1920’s era. Not sure, I have only seen a couple of them before.

 

Does the lathe have a new home? Even if you don’t use it, it just looks good.

 

Looked at it this Saturday. It is much bigger than I thought from the photo - the motor is over 6 feet high. "Hendey" is the maker, maybe 1900 to 1920 or so. It seems to be in good condition physically and has some accessories with it.

http://pounceatron.dreamhosters.com/docs/hendey/1920-Hendey-manual.pdf

I'm probably going to pass on it, due to lack of space, but I would hate to see it scrapped. If you are interested PM me. (It is located 20 miles west of Concord NH.)

 

Wow, that’s a bit bigger than I would have expected. I wish I could say that I had room for it.

It would be unfortunate if it were scrapped. I hope it finds its way to a loving home or museum. At the same time it reminds me of the Fred Eaglesmith song “John Deere B”.

 

If it destined to be melted down, I can put the word out in my circle.

 

That would be fine. I'm fighting the temptation to take it and use it as yard-art.

Last night I was even fantasizing building a shed just for the lathe ...as if I don't have any other unfinished projects.

 

I have what may be the same Hendey lathe (from the late '20s?) that I never fully assembled. It was free and disassembled to move more easily. Thats a big gearbox up on top. I've offered it to a couple folks, but it sits on a sidewall just behind my other Tux in storage. That lathe is not what I really wanted. I bought a mid-80s Clausing Metosa that does everything I need. I'd love to see my old Hendey go to someone that would use it. Its here at Hatteras where I am until tomorrow.
-Donny

 

I finally had time to finish sanding and polishing the two bearing surfaces on the spindle. I used Mcruff’s method of wet sanding and polishing. I started with 800 in a few spots due to galling, and finished with 2000 before polishing. Overall, it should work so long as I get the bearing tension correct.

 

While I didn’t do a full restoration, I did clean up the machined surfaces and removed a few burrs before reassembling. The piece of aluminum in the chuck is the best work I have ever turned . While I still have plenty to learn, it was rewarding to make chips. Once all the scrap metal has been run through the lathe, I’m going to start cleaning up the Atlas/Craftsman lathe.