Early Hendey 18X8 serial number info help

[Gruncle]

This is my first attempt at posting. Please bear with me.
I picked up an old Hendey 18 X 8 lathe a couple of years ago for $150.00 at an estate sale. It’s been sitting under my carport until last week. I was finally able to get a barn built this year. I moved it in the barn and cleaned it up a little bit. I didn’t know what make or model the lathe was. The only brass plate on it was the patent number plate on the apron. I did a little research on the patent numbers and figured out it was a Hendey. It has 18” cast in the spindle housing.
I scraped, cleaned, and scrubbed the area with a wire brush where the serial number was supposed to be, but would have sworn there wasn’t a number there. I squirted some carburetor cleaner on it to clean any oil off and caught a little glimpse of what looked like a number. I put some Evaporust gel on the area and let it set for a bit. The serial number is faint, but it’s there.
The number is 4229. Could anyone help me with the date of manufacture from this? Any help would be appreciated. Maybe Hendeyman, if he is still active.
The gears under the selector switch on the gear box are seized up. I can’t get the clutch lever to move. The clutch gears are free. The gear box gears rotate along with the lead screw, if the gear selector lever is in the down position. The spindle rotates. The cross feed and compound move. The tail stock spindle(?) has been ran all the way out and I can’t get the screw to re-engage. The tail stock wheel turns freely.
It came with a steady rest, but is missing the taper attachment.
The gears seem to have all their teeth.
Looking forward to getting this going after reading all the positive posts about them.

 

[Gruncle]

More pics. Also it is 51” between centers.

 

[john.k]

Interesting ,the last patent listed is by Wendell. P. Norton,inventor of the screw cutting gear that bears his name ....anyhoo,it gonna be 1900 or a bit later. .

 

[enginebill]

Nice lathe. You will have to push the tailstock quill back in to engage the threads.

 

[Gruncle]

Nice lathe. You will have to push the tailstock quill back in to engage the threads.

Tried that. It seems to be stuck. I tapped on it a little with a rubber mallet. I didn’t want to get too carried away. I will keep soaking it in penetrant and try again. I will probably do a complete tear down eventually. Have to finish wiring my barn first though.

 

[Gruncle]

Interesting ,the last patent listed is by Wendell. P. Norton,inventor of the screw cutting gear that bears his name ....anyhoo,it gonna be 1900 or a bit later. .

Thank you for the info.

 

[dundeeshopnut]

Nice! Your lathe is close to the serial of mine [12"] built in '03. Looks like you have a nice project for your new shop!

 

[Gruncle]

Nice! Your lathe is close to the serial of mine [12"] built in '03. Looks like you have a nice project for your new shop!

Thanks. Have more projects than time. I have a larger lathe of unknown manufacture and date also. I will probably post it on a different thread. The chuck face on that one is 20” across.

 

[dundeeshopnut]

Somebody horked the ID and screwcutting/feed chart of yours. It should look like this [with different numbers for your model.] You might be able to find one from someone parting one out but the early models are more rare. Also, count yourself VERY lucky if your lathe is not missing any teeth, [ask me how I know] lol. I also have a little info on these early lathes [if you have not already found it] but it is scarce. These machines however are pretty simple and easy to understand with the exception of the spindle bearing setup. Once you understand how it comes apart/goes together and works, you will marvel at the genius of it.

 

[Gruncle]

Somebody horked the ID and screwcutting/feed chart of yours. It should look like this [with different numbers for your model.] You might be able to find one from someone parting one out but the early models are more rare. Also, count yourself VERY lucky if your lathe is not missing any teeth, [ask me how I know] lol. I also have a little info on these early lathes [if you have not already found it] but it is scarce. These machines however are pretty simple and easy to understand with the exception of the spindle bearing setup. Once you understand how it comes apart/goes together and works, you will marvel at the genius of it.View attachment 416020

Thank you for the info. I may have to pick your brain when I get to tearing it down. The two gears I am worried about are on the lower side of the gear selector lever. Looks like there are two. It is seized up in those two somewhere. Can’t really get a good look at them right now.

 

[Gruncle]

The Hendey and the green monster. My other unknown lathe. It’s 6ft between centers and about 9.5” from the center of the spindle to the top of the V shaped ways. 10 ish to the flats. The chuck is 20” across. No make or model. No patent numbers. Trying some Evaporust on the ways down at the spindle end to see if a serial number is hiding there. Looks like it has been black, gray, lighter gray, then green with a hint of some yellow paint on the hand wheels.

 

[M.B. Naegle]

You're gonna have a lot of fun with those.

The other lathe might be an American Tool Works? Some of the earlier ones had similar shaped head stock with the bottom half of the cone covered.

What side of our great state are you on? I'm over in Conroe on the north side of Houston.

I've seen a lot of these old lathes, like my 1909 Hendey 16x8, with that John Deere paint job in their past. They look much nicer in simple black or grey IMO.

 

[Gruncle]

You're gonna have a lot of fun with those.

The other lathe might be an American Tool Works? Some of the earlier ones had similar shaped head stock with the bottom half of the cone covered.

What side of our great state are you on? I'm over in Conroe on the north side of Houston.

I've seen a lot of these old lathes, like my 1909 Hendey 16x8, with that John Deere paint job in their past. They look much nicer in simple black or grey IMO.

I am way up in the eastern panhandle. My stepbrother lived in Conroe when he was younger. I went down to our aunt’s wedding there once. Small world. Hendeyman got back to me about the serial number on the 18x8. It was completed in 1901 and had a taper attachment. That was all the available info.

 

[john.k]

If you havent got the tailstock spindle back in,there may be key on a plug ,which has turned sideways .......take the spindle right out ,and align the key so it will go into the spindle keyway.