Antique machines that sold on the web


Note:Source of article and pictures below: http://lathes.co.uk/hendey












Hendey Engine Lathe.
This machine tool was disassembled for shipment but was never reassembled. All of the parts for
reassembly are included in this auction. It had been under power and was in working condition when we
purchased it. If you are looking for a good solid lathe at a discount price and don't mind some elbow
grease to reassemble it here is the deal for you.

Hendey machine tools were solidly constructed, made from top-quality materials cast within the factory,
rigorously inspected and built entirely "in-house". It is worth noting that Holbrook lathes, made in England
were very similar, but the connections between the two companies is not clear.
Henry John Hendey, the company's founder, was born in London, England in 1844 and taken to America by
his parents at the age of four. The family settled first in Waterbury, Connecticut, New England, before
moving seventeen miles north to Wolcottville (now Torrington) a then growing centre of industry. The family
arrived at an opportune moment for the completion of the Naugatuck Valley railroad, in 1849, had
connected a once isolated production centre - notably Wolcott's large woollen mill and Israel Coe's thriving
brass industry - to the established industrial centres of New England. With this wider and more
easily-reached market the area became famous for the variety of its metal-based products and engineering
skills. Attracted by the possibilities for advancement the area became a magnet for skilled immigrants from
England and Germany and it was here, in a town that offered many chances to the hard-working craftsman,
that Henry was educated in the public school system, becoming a journeyman toolmaker.
His younger brother, Arthur, a patternmaker in Newhaven, joined Henry in his first commercial venture, the
renting of space within the machine shop of  Turner, Seymour, Judd & Company - where they stayed until
the spring of 1871. The original business must have been in some difficulty, for Henry soon had to return to
his regular tool making job, working twelve hours a day at the premium rate of $5 an hour, whilst fitting in
his business activities when time permitted - in the true spirit of American entrepreneurs. He also
managed to make, during the evenings, a complete 3 HP steam engine that was to subsequently provide
the motive power for his new works, a large one-story shed constructed on land belonging to his father and
adjoining the family home. So, not for the first time, and certainly not the last, a great American industrial
enterprise was started in a family backyard; the original workshop building was later converted into a
dwelling house that stood on New Litchfield Street, Torrington.
The first substantial order received by the new works was for twenty wood-turning lathes but, even though
this must have been a clear indication that somebody had faith in the capabilities and competence of the
two craftsmen, Henry continued working part time for others whilst one man was employed to assist Arthur.
By 1872 the brothers had outgrown their original premises (and presumably the need for Henry's part-time
work) and moved into a larger factory, the "East Branch Spoon Shop". This, however, soon proved to be
completely inadequate and, because orders were multiplying rapidly, they decided in 1873, to build a "new
and commodious" plant on the site of the existing works. This was a two-story building, 40 feet by 60 feet,
with a boiler room and engine house at one end. By now the payroll had risen to include fifteen (and
sometimes twenty) men and in the following year, after the financial panic of 1873 and the subsequent
depression, a joint stock company was formed and the Hendey Machine Company came into existence.
In 1875 illness  forced Arthur to retire to the west coast and Henry assumed sole command of the
expanding enterprise - for that indeed was what it had now become; between 1870 and 1880 the company
(with the one exception of 1875) increased its labour force by an average of 20% annually.
In 1875 the new factory began production of a "friction-drive" shaper that used a patented mechanism
invented by Eli Manville. A range of planers was also introduced and both types of machine (they were
available in both hand and power-driven versions) won awards for the superiority of their design in the
popular trade exhibitions of the time; Hendey were rewarded in 1878 when one of the models a, friction
shaper, was adopted by the US Naval Board as the standard machine to be used throughout the service.
Whilst sales were increasing so was the size of the factory and between 1873 and 1880 the plant more
than tripled in acreage and a separate power house and foundry were built - the latter, constructed in 1884,
enabling Hendey to keep a close eye not only on the design and manufacture of his products, but the
increasingly-important underlying metallurgy as well.
In the mid 1890s, as the firm settled into prosperous times and demand expanded, a large three-story
brick building was added - but so good were trading conditions that this had to be duplicated in 1898
followed a year later by a doubling of the foundry size that also incorporated a new power house and
electrical equipment.
From 1880 to 1900 the number of special machines constructed as one-offs began to diminish and the
product range was concentrated on standard lines of shapers and planers, all built on the then-economical
batch system where a run of identical machines was processed through the works as a single job. During
this time gear-driven shapers, drills and knee drills were also added but the number of lathes produced
remained comparatively small. In 1887, sensing that new, higher-speed production lathes were being
called for, Hendey began the introduction of a range of Semi-Automatic, Heavy Spinning, Turret Head
Chucking, Automatic Turret and Screwcutting types followed, in 1890, by a much improved general-purpose
"centre" or, as it would have been known in its native land, "Engine" lathe. This new machine, in its various
forms and gradually developed, improved and exported world-wide, became the mainstay of the company's
product line and the lathe for which it became most widely known.
In 1882 a quick-change screwcutting gearbox, designed and patented by Wendell P. Norton, was added to
the engine lathe; this single feature did more to promote the machine's fame, as the "Hendey-Norton", than
any other. The Norton box was not the first of its type, a similar arrangement of gears, of different sizes,
placed in a "cone" on a common shaft, having been patented in 1868 by Humphreys. If Hendey were not
the first to fit such a gearbox then their adoption of the design was, arguably, the first successful
commercial exploitation of the idea.
Milling machines were added to the company's product list during the early 1890s, almost certainly as a
result of enquiries by the makers of agricultural equipment, whose needs for specialised production
machinery could not be met by any existing machine-tool maker. Hendey milling machines were
immediately successful for the designers were able to engineer a version of the lathe gearbox for use in
the table-feed mechanism, a fitting that provided the operator with a vast range of feeds, all easily and
quickly selected.
By 1900 the Company's catalogues listed lathes and other products separately, and it seemed as though
the product range was set to grow. However, despite the introduction during 1900 of a new range of knee
and Lincoln-type milling machines, between then and the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 (and
doubtless concerned by the stiff competition from specialist milling-machine makers), the lathes and
shapers gradually took prominence and greater efforts were devoted to their development. Amongst
changes made to the lathes was the introduction of the tie-bar headstock (an attempt to stiffen the
assembly by connecting the top each bearing to the other by a cast-in overhead link), a combination
screwcutting gearbox with thirty-six feeds (without the need to remove or replace any changewheels), a
fully-geared headstock and integral motor-drive units - as well as much development work to refine the
accuracy of the leadscrew, which some would claim to be the soul, if not the heart, of a top-class engine
lathe. By 1915 (rather late in the day compared with their competitors) a crank-operated shaper had been
developed to replace the friction type; this was an important step forward, the new model being able to work
much harder and at higher speeds than the earlier type.
In parallel with Torrington's population explosion - in the period from 1880 to 1920 it rose from 3,000 to
22,000 - the Hendey factory also expanded. In 1906 a two-story building was added to the site, to be used
by the Planer Division to handle their larger castings, and in 1910 a large four-story machine shop was
erected; by 1921, following the enormous expansion demanded by the First World War, the factory had
reached the pinnacle of its size and success - it occupied the largest site, and employed the most men in
its history. A picture of the factory at that time can be seen here.
The company survived the depression of the 1930s, enjoyed a boom during the Second World War and
continued as a separate enterprise until 1954, when it was liquidated and sold to the Barber-Coleman
Corporation.





































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SMALL 8 INCH METAL SHAPER
. GREAT CONDITION AS SHOWN IN PHOTOS EVERYTHING WORKS PROPERLY NOTHING BROKEN,
COMPLETE ( SIDE DOOR MISSING )WITH MATCHING BASE. ITEM COULD BE REMOVED FROM BASE
AND USED AS A BENCH TOP MODEL. UNKNOWN MAKER, NAME WAS POSSIBLY ON THE MISSING
DOOR.

DIMENSIONS ARE: BOTTOM BASE 13'' X 24'', MACHINE BASE 11'' X 27'', TABLE 8'' X 8'', 24'' RAM LENGTH
MINUS TOOL POST, DRIVE PULLEY 7'' DIAMETER. MACHINE DOES NOT INCLUDE DRIVE MOTOR. V
PULLEY COULD BE REPLACED FOR FLAT BELT DRIVE FROM YOUR HIT AND MISS GAS OR STEAM
ENGNE  


































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Surface planer made by the WALKER BROTHERS
MANUFACTURING CO. of Minneapolis, Minnesota
not sure of the exact date of manufacture-the only reference of the Walker Bros Mfg Co  on the "Old
Woodworking Machines" site which places the company prior to 1872. If anyone knows anything about this
company or planer, please email me and I will share this information.

The SOLID BRASS cutting head is 16 1/2" long and cuts a 4 1/2" cutting circle using 3 slotted knives
(included). The feed rollers are 16" long and 4 1/4" in diameter. The planer turns freely by hand but needs a
good oiling.  The three flat belts are made of solid leather.  I did not put power to the planer so I can't
comment on it's performance-it doesn't really look OSHA approved. There does not appear to be any
broken or missing parts except that a feed pulley was replaced with a non original pulley. By the looks of
the wear parts, it seems it was barely used. The feed rollers look almost untouched. The feed gears look
the same, including the pinion.

Old Wood-Working Machines reference:

http://www.owwm.com/MfgIndex/detail.asp?ID=801

Question & Answer Answered On

Q:  Bob Which pulley has been replaced? Bruce Jun-24-07
A:   Bruce, It is the driven feed pulley that can be seen in the top right and lower right photos. It is a v-belt
pulley (I don't know why). I have a better replacement lying on the ground but a little small so I was looking
for a better one. When I find one, I'll send it to the buyer for free. Thanks, Bob  
Q:  Is that original paint that I see on the frame? (If so, I would preserve it.) Regards, Tom Jun-24-07
A:   Tom, I took a very close look and it does look like the original paint. Probably, originally red. The framing
is trimmed with black pin striping. A wise decision to keep it original. A good cleaning will bring out more
color. Thanks, Bob
A:   I would guess it weighs somewhere around 300 pounds. Pick up here only- I would rather not deliver.
I'll store it until Christmas for free. Thanks, Bob

was sold by a collector to another (not me) for          $2247  WOW  
























































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1890's engraving machine. This machine was made by the Eaton Glover co.

It was produced to make engraving simple to anyone without spending years learning the difficult art of
hand engraving. This machine can produce the beautiful bright cuts associated with the art of hand
engraving without the extensive training. Included with this machine is a cd of the original operators manual
and instructions for use saving you the trouble of trying to figure it out. The principal is simple and the
results stunning. This machine can reduce a drawing or lettering or enlarge them as well. This machine
can also squeeze the letters to fit in a special area without changing the height of the letters. It is truly a
marvel of engineering considering its age especially when you consider that no other machine could
accomplish these effect until the computer engraver. Computer engravers are good for some things but not
so good at engraving things that are not flat and no computer can make the beautiful bright cuts that this
machine can. Lastly if you ever wanted to make engraving plates for printing from using the intaglio
process this machine can do that also producing crosshatched engraving or plates for printing of photos
just like the engraving you see in old books, this is an art all its own and this machine can make the
process simple putting this machine in a leauge all its own. I am a master hand engraver and this
machine is truly amazing as it can produce an incredible array of effects for an artist that wants to do
printmaking or an engraver that wants to produce hand engraving effect on jewelry flatware and a host of
other things quickly and beautifully  
I have a Panagraph Just like it.
















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Lathe / mill " Edwin Harrington & Son Philadelphia "
17" swing over table
26" swing over bed
*
108" length between centers
Overall length 163", width 66", height 49", weight unknown but heavy
Four independent jaw chuck is 16" in diameter.  This chuck also has four separate T bolt slots that allows
the jaws to be removed for use as a face plate.  The chuck / face plate has engraved circles to assist in the
alignment of the work piece.  There is a tapered hole in the center of the chuck for a dead center, boring bar
or other tooling.  Presently, a dead center is in place.
Tail stock is massive and runs on its own set of ways.  Shaft has tapered hole with dead center in place.  
Additional features are a cam action collet blocking mechanism for tail stock shaft.  Also, the tail stock has
graduated side to side adjustment up to two inches to allow tapers to be cut.  
Lead screw is located on rear of lathe bed and is 1 5/8" in diameter.
Massive back gear is located behind stepped drive pulley.
Rack for manual table movement and keyed shaft for powered front to back table movement is located on
front of bed.
This lathe was for use with the old overhead line shaft with flat belt drive.  The headstock has a four step
pulley arrangement (4 3/4, 7 1/2, 10 1/4, 13 diameters).  I don't think this lathe has ever been converted in
any way so no motor is included and I don't have the matching pulley.
The lathe is a loose change gear head and only the gears shown in the photo are included.  I do not know if
this is a full set.  A brass plate on lathe head (see photo) appears to show gear locations.
Milling table working surface is 11" wide and 42" long (overall 16" x 54") with three T slots the full length of
working surface.
The lathe compound is a separate unit which bolts to the milling table T slots.  This allows exceptional
flexibility.  Included is a rotary base, tool post, and tool holder (see photo).
Steady rests is very heavy with 6" diameter inside clearance.  
Other tooling included are boring bars, dead centers, tool holders, and other items in photo.  All these were
with lathe they may or may not fit this lathe.
This lathe was from a very old shop and because it has the milling table with a great deal of versatility,  it
was used for turning, boring,and milling parts for large model steam trains and engine components.
I have owned this lathe for many years but it was always in storage and I never used it.  It was very dirty with
some rusting.  I have cleaned it some but it will require a complete going over. The ways dont appear to
have much damage below the chuck which is where you usually find abuse and they are not showing wear
otherwise the screws are tight which is also a good indication of very little wear however this machine has
been in storage for I guess about 30 years and will need a good going over with steel wool and diesel and
a lot of elbow grease
I have retired and am down sizing the number of large machines in my shop that I don't expect to use.  This
Lathe is from the flat belt drive era but could be retro fitted and used today as low investment large machine
tool or could make an interesting addition to a machine tool display.

Lathe must be picked up in southern Illinois
calculated weight, the result is a guesstimate of between 4500 and 5000 pounds



price 227.00