Dismantling a Centec 2B?

I will need to do some serious dismantling to get a Centec 2B out of a cellar. I will need to remove the horizontal table and hopefully the knee assembly.

It will probably be obvious how these two components can be removed. But just in case there are any hidden snags, has anyone got any experience / advice on the subject?

The knee assembly is bolted down to the base by 4 (?) bolts. Can you remove these and the vertical gib (Sp?) strip (s) and then lift the assembly up to clear the dovetails on the main column? Assuming a couple of people could lift it! Are the threads Whitworth? If so, I need to search out my Whitworth spanners!

Thanks,

Andrew.

Remove the feedscrew , brackets and half nut and the table will slide off. From memory the saddle will not slide off the front of the knee as the feednut is in the way. If you wind the knee up all the way and then loosen the knee gib strip it will drop out and then the knee can be jiggled off the column dovetail. When you do this lock the saddle to the knee to stop the two parts sliding apart as you lift it off.

I can’t remember for sure but I think most of the fixings are BSF and BA.

With everything stripped off , the column is not overly heavy and in my experience can be carried by two able people without to much effort

Edited By T.B on 05/10/2017 19:29:45

Wipers on the dovetails are secured with countersunk screws with tiny allen key drives - can be awkward to remove. Rest comes apart easily. Base from column is a good plan (only 6 set ecrews).

After dismantling I was able to lift the parts into position, on a very sturdy bench, for assembly.

The stand is very heavy, too, especially if it has the cooling tank at the base.

Thanks both!,

Very useful information, I need to put together a toolkit to take with me, so the information that you have given on screw types encountered is much appreciated.

Thanks again,

Andrew.

From photographs, it looks as though the coolant pump is in the bottom RHS of the cabinet, at least that is what I think it is. No sign of a coolant tank, maybe a blessing !

Andrew.

If it is the big stand, the coolant tank is part of the structure and is made of rather thicker material than the sides. It will just go through a standard door (the stand on its side). The drip tray is not removable - at least not without resorting to the likes of an angle grinder or hot spanner.

Mine is outside awaiting splitting horizontally in order to get it into place, in my tiny workshop. I used a tractor front end loader or a teleporter to lift the column and base from the stand to the trailer bed and then manhandled them from the trailer by myself, so it can be done. Reducing gravity effects, by use of an inclined plane, was the key!

Good quality imperial allen keys are a must, but other fixings may be in use after all these years.

Just moved mine from one house to another on my own, but no stairs involved.

When I got it I had to dispense with the large stand. and drip tray and fit it to a substantial wheeled trolley to fit it into my previous workshop.

I didn't remove the knee from the column, but did remove the table from the knee. Since it's adjustable for angle, all you need to do is disconnect the power wiring to the smaller cross feed motor, and remove the two nuts which clamp the swivelling joint on the knee; can't remember what size offhand, but about 5/16" BSF.

Vertical head or horizontal overarm just slides out of the dovetails, and there's only 4 bolts to hold the column and knee onto the base. Bit hard to get at the nuts on the underside if you still have the original base.

Borrow a sack barrow and a small ratchet strap off someone if you don't already own them and save yourself a hernia.

If possible transport the column upright to keep the oil where it should be.

I left the knee attached, as to slide it off upwards, would need a collar removing from where the horizontal arbour fits, and I didn't want to disturb anything unnecessarily. Also you would need to remove the raising mechanism from the knee, which has a slotted nut at the top and 4 allen screws to attach it to the base.

p.s. whereabouts in the country are you?

Bill

Edited By peak4 on 06/10/2017 00:24:08

Just to add that there were 6 allen headed cap screws holding the base to the column on mine. one was so tight that I broke the head off while trying to loosen it. There were only 4 fixings on the 2A.

I most certainly dismantled mine to the bare column, base, table, knee, knee gearbox - without having to touch the horizontal drive (mine is a morse 2 taper). I think I just needed to remove the Gib?

In younger days I may well have lifted the column and base together, but not now. The table (with lead screw and power feed weighs around 35kg. Mine is not a univesal machine, so the table does not rotate.

Hello Bill,

Thanks for that. I am in Rutland and the Mill is in Hereford.

Regards,

Andrew.

Sorry, both a bit far to offer to assist.

Bill

Thanks Bill,

A very kind thought. I should have enough bodies to cope with the moving. I just didn't want to get there and find some sort of monkey puzzle that delays or stops the dismantling!

Very best wishes,

Andrew.

Hello Andrew,

I am nearly in Rutland,

Where are you?

Hello Not done it yet!

I am in Edith Weston, I presume you must be in Stamford?

Andrew.

Correct.

Thanks to everyone. The mill was successfully dismantled and manhandled up the cellar stairs! The stairs had a right angle bend and was steeper than normal. Thanks especially to Chris Lane and his friend Phillip, I was not much use at all!

I now have, what appears to be, a virtually unused Centec 2B complete with Mk3 vertical head. All be it in 3D jigsaw format. Looks like! an interesting job in reassembly!

About the only things missing are two of the cross feed gear wheels. I also lost the shaft on which one of the pair rotates! It was there in the cellar, but disappeared somewhere on route! The two gears that I have are 23 and 32 teeth jobs which seem to be one pair. Can anyone tell me what the other pair should be? I recall a thread recently which talked of theses gears. But a search for "Centec" on the forum search facility didn't find it.

Thanks again to everyone who helped,

Andrew.

Andrew, the two you have will give you the middle pair of speeds in the range; the errant ones are 12 & 40.

Looks like you got a good deal there.

The only immediate tip I have id regarding the bellows which protect the knee raising screw and gearbox.

When it arrives, mine ere little more than a set of unconnected washers.

I used a bellows shroud of an old after-market Landrover shock absorber; see also fork gaiters of some motorbikes.

Enjoy the new toy.

Bill

p.s. the normal storage for the spare gears is in a little cubby hole in the cross slide gearbox.

Edited By peak4 on 16/10/2017 00:07:52

Hi peak4, I think that you may have meant 15 & 40.

Andrew: Looking back over my calculations when setting up my Centec, I too had the 23 & 32 pair and also the 15T gear. The existing gears proved to be 20DP and the pair are on shaft centres 2.75" apart. The need for a 40T gear was thus calculated.

Not a great fan of this gearbox but it (mostly) works!

Edited By Swarf Maker on 16/10/2017 00:27:34

Well spotted

Bill

38 and 17 give the same centre distance, too. That is what mine are. One can easily count the teeth on the lathesdotco site.

Edited to add the thread link:

http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=130432

Edited By not done it yet on 16/10/2017 10:23:59

Thanks everyone for the information. Looks like have a choice! I can use the neat little dividing head and tailstock that (was part of the purchase) to make the missing gears. I will wait until I get the horizontal milling cutters and gear cutters that were again part of the deal. Maybe one of them has the correct DP (which I think is 20?). I left them all at the house where the mill was situated!

I will look at my collection of Myford change wheels to see if I have the appropriate gears. I may be lucky as I have some very odd non standard wheels!

Andrew.

Edited By Andrew Tinsley on 16/10/2017 12:44:43