Centec 2 horizontal mill

[sean logieParticipant @seanlogie69385]

I’m my albums I have photos of a centec 2 horizontal mill that I have a chance of aquiring for nothing. Have anyone on here have any experience with this mill and is it worth taking home .

Sean

[sean logieParticipant @seanlogie69385]

[Simon Williams 3Participant @simonwilliams3]

Yes.

Couldn't find the photo's, but a Centec is worth good money, whichever version it is. Read up the details on **LINK**

Be interested to see which model it is.

Rgds Simon

[Brian WoodParticipant @brianwood45127]

The man who will know is Gary Wooding, he comes onto the Forum from time to time.

Regards
Brian

[mark smith 20Participant @marksmith20]

Worth taking if its for nothing, would take a lot of cleaning up before you would be able to see the state of all the important parts. Certainly a total strip down job.The broken base is a problem but could be got round by making a false base plate and fixing it on somehow.

Edited By mark smith 20 on 09/02/2017 14:49:12

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Sean, if I had the option, I'd probably take it. I do have one myself but have not used it yet, still waiting to be cleaned down etc. You may like to view this recent thread, if you haven't already, **LINK**. The broken base should not pose too much of a problem, just look at the link to the GM site in the above link.

Regards Nick.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Simon Williams 3 on 09/02/2017 13:56:47:

Yes.

Couldn't find the photo's …

.

**LINK**

http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/albums/member_album.asp?a=43808

MichaelG.

[Simon Williams 3Participant @simonwilliams3]

Thank you MichaelG. There's a bit of a polish needed, to be sure, but it'll clean up. That base could be a bit of flat steel? But I'm minded to ask "how did it get broken" – was it dropped? I can't see evidence of it falling over, no bent handles etc, so I still think you're on a winner.

Good luck, keep us posted, do!

Rgds Simon

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Lots you can do with this.

1. strip, clean well and use as is – the bearings will be full of dried 50 year old grease – they all are.
2. strip clean and use the arbour and drive to revive a larger 2A or 2B with a missing/knackered gearbox (they are out there.) Convert the remainder to a cutter grinder.

It will make a much better gear cutter than anything from the ROC

It has the pulley for a vertical head, wonder where that's been slung?

All it needs is bolting to a bench, the base is note strictly necessary it just catches the split oil and grease.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Definitely Gary is the 'bee's knees' where Centecs are concerned.

With a vertical head (which it appears to have been fitted at some time) the Centecs are a super machine. That one, the second variant in the series, is not so desirable as the later two, particularly the 2B.

But as a start that machine may be recoverable. The bare castings come up for sale regularly, so a new baseplate (bolts on from underneath) should not be a long term issue. Accept that the table is small, the head space is limited, speed is by pulley change, perhaps a little awkward to raise/lower the bed (compared to later models) and go for it, would be my suggestion – especially at that price!

Look out for a vertical head and you potentially have a good intro to vertical milling. The Mklll heads (with quill) often fetch rather more than the cost of this item! Up to £600 on epay!

If I was starting out on a tight budget, I would have taken it home by now, at that price. It does look as though it may have had a hard life (not seen side guards like those fitted, so expect it has done a fair bit of horizontal work with flood cooling). You won't know until it is stripped and cleaned up a bit – that is for sure, unless obviously worked to death.

[D.A.GodleyParticipant @d-a-godley]

Sean ; even if you have to part with a little cash , that will ( when cleaned up ) be a very serviceable machine .

The broken base plate is held in place by 6 bolts from the underside , so the present one could be removed and a new plate fabricated to replace . Whilst doing that you may consider removing the side drive and putting a under bench vertical drive to the machine .

They are built solidly and can do some real machining .

Good luck with it if you take it on .

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Sorry DAG got to correct you.

It's only 4 bolts and you can't do under drive with out a longer shaft with the 3 speed pulley sticking out the back unsupported one end with the belt blocking the vertical travel lever

[RICHARD GREEN 2Participant @richardgreen2]

Looks like a nice project, you could really make an nice mill out of it.

Here are some pictures of a Tom Senior mill I restored a while back, a very satisfying and usable project.

Good luck with the Centec.

Richard.

[D.A.GodleyParticipant @d-a-godley]

Posted by Dave Halford on 10/02/2017 14:07:41:

Sorry DAG got to correct you.

It's only 4 bolts and you can't do under drive with out a longer shaft with the 3 speed pulley sticking out the back unsupported one end with the belt blocking the vertical travel lever

David , well spotted , I was of course thinking of the base of my own 2B , converted from an pneumatic controlled machine.

As for the height adjustment , I did alter a 2A to save reaching around the rear , and it would be possible to have variable drive with just a one groove pulley , however , since we all have differing concepts of what can or can't be done , I guess it's best to leave it to the guy who is tackling the job , in this case Sean .

I am sure we will agree wholeheartedly , that the Centec is a superb machine.

[Gary WoodingParticipant @garywooding25363]

Sean, I agree with everything that's been said about your 'find'. If you feel like starting a project then go for it, you'll end up with a very useful mill.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Having changed the motor on my underdrive model, I'd stick with the motor mounted on the side. Whoever designed the underdrive setup was having an off day, or liked lying flat on his back with his head inside a cupboard. I seriouis ly considered modifying it, but with a 3 phase motor now in place I'll never have to touch it again hopefully. If the belts ever die I'll fit NutLink ones so I don't have to mess with adjusting the tension.

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

Posted by duncan webster on 11/02/2017 11:14:33:

Having changed the motor on my underdrive model, I'd stick with the motor mounted on the side. Whoever designed the underdrive setup was having an off day, or liked lying flat on his back with his head inside a cupboard….

…with about a half dozen short arms and eyes on extendo-pods like an alien from a distant planet….

I changed the motor on mine about 2 decades ago, and I still occasionally wake up in a cold sweat dreaming that I needed to do it again…

Glad I'm not the only one who didn't think the motor mounting was incredibly well done.

John.

[sean logieParticipant @seanlogie69385]

Just a wee update on The Centec 2 mill . I was talking to a friend that's working where the mill is ,and he was saying the boss man has asked his fitter if he needed any parts of the mill if not then it's mind for the taking . I have spoken to the fitter previously (unknown to his boss) and he said he didn't want anything off it .

On a side note …. They think the Centec 2 is just a plane old keyway cutter …..who am I to disagree if you get my drift

Sean

[Benny AvelinParticipant @bennyavelin86238]

Posted by RICHARD GREEN 2 on 10/02/2017 14:31:46:

Looks like a nice project, you could really make an nice mill out of it.

Here are some pictures of a Tom Senior mill I restored a while back, a very satisfying and usable project.

Good luck with the Centec.

Richard.

That's a beautiful restoration of a beautiful machine!

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

On a side note …. They think the Centec 2 is just a plane old keyway cutter …..who am I to disagree if you get my drift

I agree on that one! Only good for cutting keyways, grooves, (square, oblong, round, narrow, wide or even involute).

Those 'grooves' could just as easily be full width of the feedstock, as well!

Of course, one would not really consider it for anything other than keyways – slab milling, gear cutting, profile milling (multiple cutters in fixed relation to one another) would be out of the question.

Also not needing to take small cuts at a time (thus making jobs that much faster to complete without multiple finishing cuts) could not possibly be seen as an advantage?

No, you don't really need an arbor with support at both ends, for 'long overhang' cuts, do you? Won't make slitting saws easier to use successfully either! I suppose!

Yes, definitely only useful for keyways, nod, nod, wink wink!

On a serious note, the only downside I see would be the extra cost of new cutters (slab mills, over fly cutters for the vertical mill, per eg). But there is lots of cheap tooling available second hand – because horizontal milling machines are so 'out of favour'.

Oh! So it can easily be converted to a vertical mill as well? Whatever next?!?

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