Centec2 knee adjustment

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

The jack I had thought about using was this:

http://www.screw-jack.com/jtc25-mini-screw-jack.html

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/2-5-kN-Cubic-Mini-Screw_60781608045.html

Some measuring showed that it would be just small enough to fit under the knee (vertically speaking) while still giving the full travel. A TR14x4 leadscrew feels like its on the slender side but but the load rating says it could lift the entire mill. For £40 it would as cheap as some second hand jacks. For £100? eh well maybe then homemade is the path to go. Yet to ask for a quote. Unfortunately the 4mm pitch doesn't match up with any mass produced machines so I can't buy a standard spare leadscrew dial to use on my machine so maybe a DRO is the way.

I was thinking that having an off centre leadscrew would be bad for the machine, but then again all our lathes work that way, so maybe I was overestimating that problem and getting stuck in a mental rut.

Something I've seen is stick a big worm wheel on the pinion axle and bolt a mount for a worm gear somewhere on the side. I've been keeping an eye out for scrap rotary tables to steal the gears out of but have yet to stumble across one. Essentially the same idea the Centec company had for the 2A

Optimistic listing there, sure I could buy an entire respectable second hand milling machine for that money but why do that when I can buy a milling head? I still have a milling spindle I bought from china for an eventual vertical conversion, it cost me all of £100 and some change.

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Posted by Dave Halford on 26/11/2020 17:44:09:

If you both search for sold centec on ebay you'll see a couple of modded Centec 2's and an amusing price for a Mk3 vertical head thats still for sale can't think why

I saw that vertical head, the dealer selling that won an auction I was bidding on to buy lathe (not ebay) he got it for about £1700 with fees, I later saw the same lathe turn up on ebay, which is how I know he bought it, listed now for nearly 3 and a half grand, all his machines are sitting under tarpaulins outside rusting, with ridiculous prices, the guy's straight up delusional.

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Posted by Pete. on 27/11/2020 03:00:46:

Posted by Dave Halford on 26/11/2020 17:44:09:

If you both search for sold centec on ebay you'll see a couple of modded Centec 2's and an amusing price for a Mk3 vertical head thats still for sale can't think why

I saw that vertical head, the dealer selling that won an auction I was bidding on to buy lathe (not ebay) he got it for about £1700 with fees, I later saw the same lathe turn up on ebay, which is how I know he bought it, listed now for nearly 3 and a half grand, all his machines are sitting under tarpaulins outside rusting, with ridiculous prices, the guy's straight up delusional.

As is the "Traction engine body" still unsold on ebay for at least one year if not two.

[Author]

Posts