Centauro 400 SSP Bandsaw (does anyone have a manual!)

[Inspector]

I would be afraid of it splitting the plastic being that close to the edge.

Pete

 

[sams93]

I would be afraid of it splitting the plastic being that close to the edge.

Pete

True - but does the fact that it is plastic also affect the ability to helicoil?

I actually can see that the metal thread on the bolt itself is flattened in areas and I imagine this is what has messed up the threads in the plastic piece, so whether I do take the approach of just re-drilling and re-tapping all of the holes for m5 rather than m4, and replacing the bolts for new i'm not sure.

 

[Ttrees]

You can get threaded inserts with much finer threads, and make yer own driver with some thread bar and a few nuts glued on.
Most of those brass ones are imperial, but can be made into metric with some elbowgrease.
I'd try seeking metric though, if possible.

To counter the possible splitting, one would be advised to have it in a vice or clamps like one might have seen done for half blind dovetails.
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/half-blind-dovetail-kerfing-tool.112791/#post-1229344
That thrust guide looks good enough to dress to me,
I had a big cut through mine so welded it, which deformed the bronze bushing and made it all sloppy.
With the shaft held suitably rigged in the vice with timber jaws as not to mar it, a wee grinder will do a good job in turning it, provided you get it to loosen up freely beforehand.

Tom

 

[sams93]

You can get threaded inserts with much finer threads, and make yer own driver with some thread bar and a few nuts glued on.
Most of those brass ones are imperial, but can be made into metric with some elbowgrease.
I'd try seeking metric though, if possible.

To counter the possible splitting, one would be advised to have it in a vice or clamps like one might have seen done for half blind dovetails.
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/half-blind-dovetail-kerfing-tool.112791/#post-1229344
That thrust guide looks good enough to dress to me,
I had a big cut through mine so welded it, which deformed the bronze bushing and made it all sloppy.
With the shaft held suitably rigged in the vice with timber jaws as not to mar it, a wee grinder will do a good job in turning it, provided you get it to loosen up freely beforehand.

Tom

Those ones in your photo look to have a very fine thread, I found these on ebay but they look a bit coarser than your example.

Deemas comments and the articles he has linked to seem to suggest that the rear thrust bearing should be fine as is, maybe simply with an attempt at dressing.

 

[Ttrees]

Whats stopping it from rotating, perhaps some penetrating fluid might help.
I'd certainly try as it should rotate freely.
Hardened steel or not, damage can be done as you can see here.

My 456, didn't make it, but the 789 is just about OK, though really slow now.
(the upper one is actually the Panhans APA guides of some sort, forgot the name)
Provided I can get the machine running well, i.e with a 3/4" blade staying put and making use of beam tension like what's expected of a machine with flat tires, or perhaps ones with the smallest crown might likely be alright either.

Some don't care about that, and will happily wear grooves into their flat tires running narrow blades and think nothing of replacing thrust guides either.
That might be fair play for those who intend to install crowned tires and ceramic guides down the road, which might be the best of both worlds for some...
Even Centauro have changed that aspect since with the quick change tires.

But for the folks who wish to use their machine primarily for ripping
I think a lot of opinions are so because of the same old rhetoric
rather than the un-consumptive principals evident in the older Italian machines.
It makes sense to me now why the Italian's are so vague.

Hence why I'm so eager to figure out the best possible way to align wheels, which no-one with such a machine seems to have done before with any surety.
This is the best I've come across, I'd love to see a machine being set up using such a jig,
as from what I've experienced, it's not just a case of checking both sides of the wheel once or twice, unless their looking for maximum and minimum discrepancies, and splitting the difference
or whatever is called for, it might not be as simple as it may seem.

Not to mention seemingly no way of checking motor alignment either.

Maybe I'm just unlucky to have such issues with two other machines aswell...
I find that hard to believe.
.
Cambered profiles do well to hide such issues, but on that machine of yours might not be so forgiving from what I've seen.

Only saying this stuff, since it seems you may have similar un-consumable principals regarding your hundred quid Italian saw.



All the best
Tom

 

[KraftyKev]

Ignore me..

 

[RobinBHM]

Thanks for your reply - I tried the link for the manual you had found but it won't let me download it for some reason.

Im sorry you had a problem, I ve just tried and it downloaded fine on my windows pc and I can view it in my pdf viewer

 

[sams93]

Im sorry you had a problem, I ve just tried and it downloaded fine on my windows pc and I can view it in my pdf viewer

Just tried it again and it worked this time! Yes it looks very similar to mine, it’s quite comprehensive a manual actually so it will take me some time to sift through it. Thanks for sourcing it for me.

 

[RobinBHM]

Just tried it again and it worked this time! Yes it looks very similar to mine, it’s quite comprehensive a manual actually so it will take me some time to sift through it. Thanks for sourcing it for me.

ah Im glad it worked, it might be of some help

enjoy your new machine!

by the way, I use tuffsaw blades and if you set up the machine well, a new blade will cut really straight -Ive cut 3mm thin strips say 30mm wide which are consistently within 0.25mm. (thats on a Wadkin BZW 24 machine -probably similar to yours in quality)

In my experience using a bandsaw blade on curved work spoils its set for straight work

and they dont stay sharp all that long once blunt they wonder badly

 

[Ttrees]

That's the best Italian bandsaw manual I've ever read by a long shot.

Here's an interesting snippet which I cannot screenshot....
" MAIN TROUBLE AND RELATIVE REMEDIES "


The blade moves very far back when it receives the cutting force
- Insufficient flywheel seal convexity, notify the technical service of the area dealer.

That's a new one to me, and even though the Centauro's wheel retaining washers are
the heftiest in the business, seems it might be worth some consideration even with my machine,
if I were to make me own.
Hey, thanks for posting that RobinBMH!

Tom

 

[sams93]

I would be afraid of it splitting the plastic being that close to the edge.

Pete

Thoughts on this cheaper version of a helicoil for the purpose?

 

[Inspector]

The Helicoil patents ran out a long time ago so the competitor products function just as well. Best if you can clamp the part in a drill press/pillar drill to maintain an on size, perpendicular hole. Much harder to do with a handheld drill but not impossible. Should make for a good repair.

Pete

 

[sams93]

The Helicoil patents ran out a long time ago so the competitor products function just as well. Best if you can clamp the part in a drill press/pillar drill to maintain an on size, perpendicular hole. Much harder to do with a handheld drill but not impossible. Should make for a good repair.

Pete

Okay that is great, I'll order a set of those and give that a go, that way I will only be repairing the single thread rather than doing work to all of them.

I'm separately trying to work out what i'll need in order to oil via these nipples rather than grease (as @deema explained they will need oiling). I'm familiar with grease guns used on nipples but not seen oil.

 

[Ttrees]

I was reading that some more, and evidently "seals" refers to tires, not retaining washers,
so I was way off the mark there,

Regarding your oiling question, I only asked about that recently,
and wasn't aware of the little plugs on the euro guides were for the same purpose.

I'd guess you wouldn't be very far off with any light mineral oil,
but would be interested in suggestions, as it's not too cheap!
Video timestamped to the seal removal and oil.

 

[sams93]

I was reading that some more, and evidently "seals" refers to tires, not retaining washers,
so I was way off the mark there,

Regarding your oiling question, I only asked about that recently,
and wasn't aware of the little plugs on the euro guides were for the same purpose.

I'd guess you wouldn't be very far off with any light mineral oil,
but would be interested in suggestions, as it's not too cheap!
Video timestamped to the seal removal and oil.



View attachment 155632

Ahh good to know, thanks for doing that research!

The one in your video seems to have plastic caps which can be removed and then the oil poured in - very simple! If you look at the ones I have in that photo earlier, mine have actual fixed nipples on which presumably require a mating fitting and then oil injected under pressure into them. I'm not sure about what it is I will need to fill these exactly and this is what i'm wondering!

 

[deema]

I use a push type oiler like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pressure-P...t=&hvlocphy=1006663&hvtargid=pla-889581468914
Just about any oil will do, they are usually sintered bronze bushes like oilite that are preloaded with oil but benefit from some oil every now and again. However, some could be just bronze which need oil regularly.

 

[sams93]

I use a push type oiler like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pressure-P...t=&hvlocphy=1006663&hvtargid=pla-889581468914
Just about any oil will do, they are usually sintered bronze bushes like oilite that are preloaded with oil but benefit from some oil every now and again. However, some could be just bronze which need oil regularly.

Ok thanks, I’m still a bit confused about how this will latch on to the nipple, as it will need to depress the ball bearing that sits at the tip of the nipple to work! But I’ll order one and give it a go!

 

[Inspector]

deema how close are the chainsaw bar tip grease guns to the oiler you linked? Same, similar or not the same at all? Reason for asking is that I have a couple of the little grease guns and if they can be used for oiling I'll dedicate one.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oregon-219...s=diy&sprefix=chainsaw+oil+gun,diy,243&sr=1-3
Pete

 

[deema]

They normally have a standard grease nipple attachment and plug in conical for ball oilers on lathes. It’s just one a spotted on a quick google.

 

[Ttrees]

Ahh good to know, thanks for doing that research!

The one in your video seems to have plastic caps which can be removed and then the oil poured in - very simple! If you look at the ones I have in that photo earlier, mine have actual fixed nipples on which presumably require a mating fitting and then oil injected under pressure into them. I'm not sure about what it is I will need to fill these exactly and this is what i'm wondering!

I wouldn't worry about the guides, bit of oil slapped on would likely do the trick
in actually doing what needs be done now, which is rust prevention mainly.
I would imagine it would do the same job.
Chances are other things you should be inspecting will be what's important,
and you won't be having your side roller guides anywhere near the blade until the hundred pound machine is sorted,
Infact you shouldn't really need guides atall, should you get a blade what's suitable, as the machine is slightly over 100kgs, I'd be getting thin gauge blades, though not sure how much width that may be, i.e a 3/4" thin gauge blade might be too much.
Proper beam tension of a blade what the machine can handle should do all that,
with just perhaps an occasional spank from a thrust, very possibly the only one neseccairy for you, or anyone else ripping would be good for a long while,
should you not be doing really deep curve cutting or circle cutting,
perhaps with some use, you might re-visit it again if you are.

I don't set my side rollers anywhere close as I had to weld faces on those too, and are only really there for the safety aspect, as in would still contain the blade and keep the path of it within, if it were to snap.

Bearings and belts should be the first thing you should be thinking of spending money on,
as you don't want a bearing to "freeze"
should you have seen the other thread on the haven of wood2, in the "machines and power toolery section"
that would be very, very, very much the biggest concern, should they be needing it.

Likewise getting a new belt if the old one is in tatters, would be well under 10 pounds in an agri shop or place like bearing boys I've heard mentioned before.

if seemingly OK, then good practice to have looseish, for initial testing (well if it's a regular v belt anyways)and see how it performs, whilst being considerate whether it might actually be the right size,
should there not be a great lot of adjustment, if plenty, then aim for somewhere not at either end of the min/max, should it be a short belt, with motor pulley being close to wheel hub,
the belt could be from something else and stretched big time,
so getting an identical replacement might be too short.

Regarding the helicoil thing, ne'r used them, but I'd have no bother using one of those threaded inserts you've mentioned earlier, some of those you suggested have a tapered thread like a tap.
I'd not think it would look off whatsoever, should it take the same size thread as the existent knobs already.

Good luck
Tom